Brown rice is full of fiber and has low chances of developing allergy. It increases immunity, bone strength and prevents asthma. It increases quality of sleep, prevents obesity and increases anti-oxidant content.

Rice is a staple diet in many parts of the world. The reason for this, although many are unaware of it, is its incredible health benefits. Brown rice, in particular, is a very healthy dietary option, especially for children.

How soon can I introduce brown rice to my baby ?

Most doctors recommend giving the baby solid food once he/she is 6 months old. If you have a baby at home, brown rice should be on the top of your list as the baby’s first solid food. It has many nutrients that are essential for babies. Once your baby is of the age of 6 months, brown rice is the best option of solid food to start him/her off with. It is the perfect food for babies.

11 Health Benefits of Brown Rice for Children

Brown rice is full of fiber unlike white rice

Brown rice is made up of three parts. This makes it a whole grain. The first layer is the outer layer. This layer is filled with fiber. This is what is commonly called bran. The second layer is the middle layer of the grain. It is full of starch. In scientific terms, it is called the endosperm. The third layer is the core of the grain. This is full of nutrients. In brown rice, the outer layer is removed because it is inedible.  On the other hand, white rice is a refined grain. This means that it is stripped of the two outer layers and only consists of the core. This leaves the grain without any fiber. Fiber is an essential component needed in the growing child’s diet. Therefore, brown rice must be preferred over white rice.

Low chances of developing an allergy

One needs to be extremely careful while monitoring what types of food a child eats. Children are susceptible to allergies. One of the best qualities of brown rice is that it is extremely healthy, which makes it a very safe option for kids. Children have very low chances of developing an allergy to brown rice.

Increases immunity

A sick kid is an unhappy kid. Immunity is one of the most important things during the early years of a child. Brown rice contains a lot of minerals and vitamins which nourishes the body and strengthens the child’s immune system.  It helps to heal faster and fight illnesses successfully.

Easy to cook

Although brown rice has a relatively longer cooking time, it is very easy to cook! All you have to do is boil the rice with water. The rice needs to be completely covered in water. Cook at a low heat till the rice is tender. This is going to take from 40 to 60 minutes. And you’re done!

To make it interesting and exciting for your children to eat, you can roll up the brown rice in fist-sized balls. At the centre of these balls, you can add a vegetable, chicken or tuna filling. This will make your children look forward to the dish!

Although this is the most basic way to cook rice, many more recipes for brown rice are available in abundance.

Increases bone strength

Brown rice is rich in magnesium and calcium. These nutrients help to make the bones stronger and healthier and also help in giving the bones their structure. This is especially important for growing children till the age of 16. This is comparable with the importance of milk in a growing child’s life.

Prevents asthma in children

Today, especially in the urban world, asthma is a growing medical concern. Researchers around the world have been trying to find preventive dietary measures for asthma. Many different food items were considered. It was found that there was no direct link between consumption of dairy products, fruits and vegetables with asthma. Although, they did find that asthma in children could be kept at bay or prevented altogether by consuming brown rice. It was found that the probability of decline in asthma due to consumption of brown rice was 66% in children.

Improves the quality of sleep

It is very important for children to get a good 8 hours of sound and undisturbed sleep. It becomes very convenient for parents too if their baby sleeps peacefully through the night.

One way to ensure this is feeding your children brown rice. One of the main factors that contribute to sleep is a hormone called melatonin. Brown rice is rich in melatonin, which directly contributes to a deep and undisturbed sleep. Brown rice is also rich in Vitamin B. Vitamin B helps to keep the sleep cycle constant and stable in children.

Prevents obesity

As previously mentioned, brown rice is rich in fiber. Fiber by itself is an essential component to control appetite. In addition to this brown rice is also very rich in Manganese. These two nutrients together help to build a fast metabolism in children. This means that the fat in the body will be burned rapidly, acting as a source of fuel in the body, instead of it being stored in the body in the form of unwanted fat. Therefore, the risk of obesity in children is reduced.

Increases antioxidant content

The presence of antioxidants in a child’s body is tremendously important. Although many food items like fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants needed by the body, brown rice contains two of the most powerful antioxidants. These are selenium and manganese. Selenium and manganese are two very vital minerals which help the child’s body work aggressively against dangerous oxidation and inflammation. They also help to get rid of toxins, which is a key process.

Read More: 11 Health Benefits of Passion Fruit in Your Child’s Diet

Helps with energy production

We have yet another advantage of the manganese present in brown rice. Clearly, manganese is a very vital mineral! We have all studied in school textbooks that carbohydrates are very important for the body because they are the source of energy. But what we might have missed is that what is even more important is that the carbohydrates are indeed converted into energy. This is where the manganese comes in. Manganese is a key component in this conversion of energy. Thus, brown rice is again important for growing children.

References

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319797.php

https://www.livescience.com/50461-brown-rice-health-benefits-nutrition-facts.html