Brown Rice For Babies – Health Benefits And Recipes
5 min readWritten by Pradeep
Rice is a versatile food. Once the baby becomes old enough to eat solids, the advice which is given by the maximum number of people is to start by giving rice-based cereals. The reason behind this is that rice-based food is allergen-free. What is brown rice? Is brown rice for babies advantageous?
Rice comes in different colors, sizes, and shapes. In this blog, let us evaluate the Health Benefits And Recipes of Brown rice for babies. Brown rice qualifies as the perfect food for the baby as it is nutrient dense and has great fiber content.
In This Article
- What Is Brown Rice? How Is It Differing From White Rice?
- Why Is Brown Rice Better Than White Rice For Your Baby?
- What Is The Right Time To Introduce Brown Rice To Baby’s Diet?
- What Is The Nutritional Value Of Brown Rice?
- The Advantages Of Brown Rice For Babies?
- How To Select And Store Brown Rice
- What Is The Ideal Way To Make Brown Rice For Infants?
- Does Brown Rice Pose Any Risk?
- Can Baby Develop Allergy Towards Brown Rice?
- Simple And Healthiest Brown Rice Recipes For Babies
What Is Brown Rice? How Is It Differing From White Rice?
Brown rice is whole-grain rice with only the husk of the grain removed. It retains the fibrous bran, germ, and endosperm of the grain. It is “unpolished” rice. Once the barn and germ are removed from the same grain, it is called white rice. During this step, some vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and fiber also get removed.
Thus, the difference lies in processing and nutritional content. Brown rice needs more time to cook. However, it can keep babies fuller for a longer time. You can prepare almost all the dishes you made with white rice with brown rice also. However, the taste is not as “neutral” as white rice.
Why Is Brown Rice Better Than White Rice For Your Baby?
Brown rice is more advisable for babies as it retains most of its nutrient value, unlike white rice, and is also well-suited with other food types. As it is laden with nutrients, it helps to maintain the rapid growth cycles of infants.
What Is The Right Time To Introduce Brown Rice To Baby’s Diet?
It is good to introduce the baby to brown rice as early as possible so that the baby gets used to its taste as it is nutty in flavor and very different from the taste of white rice. The medical experts suggest introducing brown rice to the baby as soon as he starts his solid intake, which is ideally six months or more.
What Is The Nutritional Value Of Brown Rice?
Brown rice is more advantageous than white rice when you evaluate its nutrient content. It is rich in fiber and protein content.
The nutritional base of brown rice has recommended daily intake (RDI) of the following minerals and vitamins:
| Manganese | 45% |
| Magnesium | 11% |
| Niacin | 8% |
| Phosphorous | 8% |
| Vitamin B6 | 7% |
| Thiamine | 6% |
| Zinc | 4% |
| Iron | 2% |
What Are The Advantages Of Brown Rice For Babies?
- There are very fewer allergies known to the consumption of brown rice.
- It helps if the baby is constipated as it has good fiber, which helps in loosening the stool.
- It has the required fatty acids, which are crucial for the baby’s development
How To Select And Store Brown Rice
Selecting Brown Rice For Baby
Select organic brown rice for your baby. This way you can make sure it is free of pests. It is always mandatory to check the expiry date mentioned.
Storing Uncooked Brown Rice
- The grains of brown rice can be stored for months in a cool and dry place. Make sure the containers are well-covered and pest-proof.
- In case the temperature fluctuates (if the atmospheric temperature increases), it is best to store them in the refrigerator in airtight containers.
- You can store uncooked brown rice for about six months.
Storing Cooked Brown Rice
- Even though tricky, you can store cooked brown rice in the refrigerator for around 3 days. However, we always prefer freshly made food for babies. The bacteria start multiplying very fast in cooked items leading to food poisoning. Also, reheating cooked food may result in a drop in nutrients.
- Only freshly cooked brown rice should be given to the babies.
- In case of storing cooked brown rice, make sure it is cooled, fully and the container is well covered. The temperature inside the refrigerator should be less than 8 degrees Celsius.
- Do not store cooked food for over two days and avoid reheating more than once.
What Is The Ideal Way To Make Brown Rice For Infants?
The ideal way to cook brown rice is in a cooker and then make a puree before serving the baby.
In order to prepare the rice powder, we need to mix about 1/4 cup of the brown rice in about 2-3 cups of water and keep stirring in order to avoid lumps.
Does Brown Rice Pose Any Risk?
Brown rice has a certain amount of arsenic, which could cause allergies, however, medical experts believe that the consumption of brown rice offers numerous health benefits that offset the risks.
Can Baby Develop Allergy Towards Brown Rice?
The babies can suffer from some sort of allergic reactions in a condition where wheat is included in brown rice as well. Sometimes even simple brown rice leads to allergy due to traces of arsenic in it. It is thus advisable to keep introducing all types of new foods, giving a four days gap to figure out any food allergies or digestive issues cropping up.
Simple And Healthiest Brown Rice Recipes For Babies
Following are some simple and healthiest brown rice recipes for babies:
1. Brown Rice Pudding Recipe
- Take 2 dried apricots and soak them in water for almost an hour in order to make them soft.
- Blend 1/4 cup of brown rice, a pinch of nutmeg, 1/2 small ripened banana, and the apricots.
- To get a thick texture, add about 2tbsp apple juice
2. Brown Rice And Green Gram Porridge
- Roast 1 cup brown rice and 1 cup green gram one by one.
- Blend them to a powdered consistency once cooled.
- Cook after diluting 2 tbsp of the porridge made in about 200 ml of water.
- Add 12 tsp salt, sugar, or ghee to enhance the taste.
3. Brown rice And Fruit Pudding
- Mix together 1 cup of cooked brown rice made in a paste with 1/2 cup of dry fruits, a little more than a pinch of nutmeg powder, and about 2tbsp. Maple syrup, 1tbsp. Butter, 1 ripe, and chopped banana.
- Cook all of these for about 30 minutes on low flame till the liquid gets absorbed.
Hope the article Health Benefits And Recipes of Brown rice for babies are helpful. Thus, it can be said that brown rice is nutrient-dense. Also, you can cook it and it can be used in many kinds of recipes. You can cook different combinations whether khichdi, porridge, or pudding and thus it is highly beneficial for the baby’s diet.
However, it would be prudent to have a word with the medical practitioner before introducing it just to get a go-ahead from an expert. After all, the parents need to have an assurance that any new thing that is offered to the baby does not only have nutrition but is safe and liked by the baby as well.
Pradeep,
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