Do you need to throw the rice water away?

by Sanjana - Dietitian on 30. Oct, 2009 in Food

Rice is one of the most misunderstood food in India. It is assumed that you will gain weight if you eat rice. Rice is healthy and contains nutrients.

It is considered fine to eat maida, white sugar in a weight loss diet by many of my clients, but if I tell them to eat rice, they think I am misguiding them. Although white rice is not healthy, brown rice is the healthiest. Rice is rich in vitamin Bs which help in better breaking down of food. They are rich in manganese, magnesium, selenium etc. Those who eat diets poor in manganese are said to have sugar craving after food as manganese helps to maintain normal blood sugars and also those who eat white rice.

But I have heard from my clients that they throw away the rice water after cooking, assuming that all the calories are thrown away and they of course, doing the right thing. But when you throw away rice water, even the nutrients are drained out.

To retain nutrients, cook rice in less water and see that the water imbibes into it. This retains the nutrients and is said to be more healthier. Now you may think what about calories? Yes, starch is high in calories, but provides you with needed calories. All you need to do is eat lesser portions. Eating lesser portions of cooked rice will keep weight in check and also keep you healthy as you are getting all the vitamins and minerals

So next time do no throw away the rice water.

P.S. I cook rice in the microwave cooker, it is much faster and healthier. Next time try Kohinoor Basmati’s brown rice basmathi which tastes great and is healthier than plain basmathi white rice.

You may also like to read:

Tags: brown rice, white rice

« Pistachios- Healthy power houses….

4 Responses to “Do you need to throw the rice water away?”

WILSON MATHEW 31. Oct, 2009 at 6:47 am #

Mam,

This is an excellant Topic , where people makes mistake by throwing away the water after cooking rice especially people of kerala.Mentioning the differance of polished rice (White) and brown rice is an eye opener to many, where all the Nutrients are lost during the process

[Reply]
vidya. 08. Jan, 2010 at 2:29 pm #

hi sanjana,
i am also from mangalore.i need to know a few things.does curds have more calcium than milk?do almonds have to be soaked in water before consuming?if yes,why?
my hair which was very straight,soft and silky has become very rough now.hair falls a lot too.i dont know if it is because of the water quality.pls give some suggestions.

[Reply]
jyoti 19. May, 2010 at 10:09 am #

hi sanjana,
you have mentioned kohinoor brown basmati rice. is it quick cooking or does it takes long to cook? last time i tried brown rice, it took ages to cook and had a very nutty taste and chewy texture.

[Reply]
Sanjana - Dietitian Reply:
May 20th, 2010 at 10:32 am
Hi Jyothi,

Thanks for following by blog. Yes, brown rice does take time to cook. So my tip is to get a cheap mircowave rice cooker in which you can cook faster…

[Reply]