How to Make Rice Good for You
Rice becomes great for you if you do these 2 Things:
Soak ‘n Sour
Cool ‘n Cook
FIRST, SOAK & SOUR
WHAT IS SOAKING & SOURING?
It takes up 30 seconds + 2 simple ingredients and immensely helps
you / your little one digest better
boost the body’s ability to absorb critical nutrients in your rice and in the food that is eaten with rice (nutrients that we do not absorb if the rice is not soaked & soured)
EVERY time you eat rice*
All You Need
MATERIALS
a glass jar + loose lid
INGREDIENTS
Filtered water
Something SOUR (apple cider vinegar or lime will do)
How to “Soak & Sour”
Submerge rice in water (My preferred/recommended rice: basmati as it has the least amount of arsenic, but I like the texture of jasmine)
Add splash of sour
Cover and allow rice to “sour” for at least 6 hours (12-24 hours is ideal)
Rinse rice well
Cook
Soak & Sour Ratio
1 C water : 1 TBSP something sour
The Science behind WHY we “Soak & Sour”
“Soaking & Souring” increases phytase activity.
WHAT’S PHYTASE?
Phytase is an enzyme that breaks down phytic acid.
WHAT’S PHYTIC ACID?
Phytic acid is a “coating” / “layer” around rice* that is there to protect the grain.
Phytic acid is known as an “anti-nutrient” because it prevents the absorption of key nutrients and minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and B vitamins (so if you eat rice or anything with rice you will be missing out on critical nutrients because of the phytic acid)
Phytic acid thereby makes non-“soaked & soured” rice a nutritionally insignificant nutrient thief unless it is soaked AND soured.
Benefits of “Soaking & Souring”
Soaking & Souring increases the absorbability of nutrients not only in the rice but everything the rice is eaten with!
(Yes, it’s more work to access nutrients in plant-based foods BUT…) it’s an important step that helps bring much needed nourishment to babies, young children (they have really high nutrient needs but cannot eat a lot, and have immature digestive systems), people who needs all the nutrients (i.e. pregnant, postpartum), and people with gut/digestive issues.
*Rice can be subbed with “grain” or “bean” or “seed” or “nut”
While this step does take some forethought it’s definitely worth incorporating as the sour ingredient does work!
THEN, COOL THE COOKED RICE**
Benefits of COOLING Cooked Rice
Cooling your rice creates “resistant starch” —
WHAT DOES RESISTANT STARCH DO?
Resistant Starch feeds the good bacteria in your gut!
Among many other benefits of resistant starch, it
lowers inflammation in the gut,
seals up a leaky gut due to the butyrate,
increases absorption of important minerals (i.e. calcium, magnesium),
makes your bowel movements regular, and
can reduce fat stores because the resistant starch feed bacteria instead of fat cells.
**Thus this hack also applies to cooked & cooled cassava, potatoes, oats, plantains, and legumes (other food sources that contain resistant starch)
Fascinating, right?!
This hack is beneficial to help you with blood sugar management, which is directly tied to mood, weight, cravings, hormone imbalance, and more!
Resistant starch [RS] is a type of starch that is not digested in the stomach or small intestine, reaching the colon intact. Thus, it “resists’ digestion. This explains why we don’t see spikes in either blood glucose or insulin after eating RS, and why we don’t obtain significant calories from RS”
Other Rice Tip
WHERE TO PURCHASE RICE
I find the best price for one of the best quality rice brands (Lundberg) at Thrive Market — this link gives you 40% off of your first order!
STORAGE OF RICE
Store in airtight container: 4-6 days (in the refrigerator) or 4 months (in the freezer)
How to Reheat Cooked Rice: On the stovetop: add 2 TBSP of water per C of cooked rice. Cover and heat for about 5 minutes on the stovetop.