Rice: A Perfect Food For Children
Rice is a nutritious food that is easy to chew and digest. Because it has such a delicate taste, children like it very much and there are many cases of children who want to eat only this food for a certain period of their life.
To make you discover more about this food so popular in many countries, rice , we decided to do some research on it and to offer you as much information as possible.
Nutritional value of rice
Rice contains large amounts of starch: the most important melt of calories for us human beings. It also contains many minerals, including:
- Iron, essential for the growth of children.
- Phosphorus, which forms part of the DNA and RNA molecules.
- Calcium, which participates in the formation and good health of teeth and bones. It also intervenes in the correct functioning of the central nervous system and in blood coagulation.
- Potassium, which maintains the normal balance of water within the body, participates in the regulation of neuromuscular functions and stimulates cell development.
- Zinc, which participates in the metabolism of proteins and nucleic acids and exerts an influence on the activity of the immune system. Likewise, it plays an essential role in the synaptic plasticity of the brain.
- Magnesium, which intervenes in the formation of neurotransmitters and in muscle relaxation.
Rice is also a vitamin E-rich cereal.
Tocopherol or vitamin E helps in the preservation of red blood cells and in the prevention of haemolytic anemia, a disease that is caused by the destruction of the same. It is popularly known as the heart vitamin, due to the important role it plays in protecting this organ.
Vitamin E promotes the physical development of children and fights lung diseases common in these early stages of life. Likewise, it promotes wound healing and improves the function of the immune system.
Rice recipes
So that you can make use of all the nutritional virtues of rice, we propose you to follow some recipes that have this important cereal as their main ingredient.
Rice and egg balls
Both rice and egg are popular foods in childhood, although obviously there are always some children who hate them. But if your child is one of those who love to eat these two foods, don’t hesitate to offer him this nutritious and fun recipe.
Ingredients:
- Creamy rice
- Boiled egg yolk
Method of preparation:
To make these balls you have to cook the cereal with a little more water than usual, so that it becomes a little creamy, even if you don’t need to overdo it.
Boil the egg for about 5 minutes. Remove the shell and separate the yolk and egg white. Next, cut the egg yolk into four parts.
Then, grease your hands with a little vegetable oil (preferably extra virgin olive oil), take a good portion of rice and make a ball. Open a hole in the rice ball and insert the egg; close the hole and continue to shape until it becomes a cute and appetizing ball.
When meal time comes, serve these balls to your child. You will see that they will like them very much!
Rice ice cream
This ice cream is not very common; however, it can be as appetizing as any other and certainly very nutritious. Write down the ingredients and the method of preparation, in order to have a great dessert for your child.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of very creamy rice
- 3 cups of mango pulp (in this case we chose mango, but it can be any other fruit or ingredient)
- 1 tablespoon of sugar (it is recommended to add a little sugar to protect the health of the child. If the fruit is very sweet it may not be added)
- 1 cup of milk
Method of preparation:
Cook the cereal with a lot of water so that it becomes very creamy and the grains almost mash. Peel and cut some ripe mangoes and blend the pieces in a blender with a little water, to create a pulp. Then, pass it in a colander.
Then, put the mango pulp, sugar, rice and milk in the blender, blending everything for a few minutes. Remember again that it is important that the grains are very soft so that the ice cream does not remain lumpy.
When it is well blended, strain it and put it to cool in the freezer for about 15 or 20 minutes. After this time, take out the ice cream and mix it, thus combining the frozen part with the one that is still semi-liquid. Then, put it one more time to freeze until it has solidified.
Enjoy it with your child at the time of a snack.
