Written 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
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.
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.
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.
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% |
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.
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.
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.
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.
Following are some simple and healthiest brown rice recipes for babies:
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.
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