10 Good Reasons to Use Wild Rice

Rice is one of the most popular foods in the world. It is the staple diet of a large section of the population in East Asia. However, the type of rice most consumed in these parts is the white Asian rice on sale in regular grocery stores. You are likely to have a packet of it in your kitchen cupboard. Even though wild rice and standard rice shares the same name, it is only a distant biological relation. Although a variety of wild rice grows in China and Asia, the North American version is the best known.

Foods low in fat

A rising awareness of obesity problems encourages many more people to try to keep their weight down. This automatically adds to the appeal of low fat foods such as wild rice. A typical bowl of cooked wild rice contains a little over a 1g of fat. It is an ideal item to add to a weight-watcher meal plan since it offers essential nourishment and possesses a pleasant nutty-tasting meal without pushing the eater over their daily fat intake.

Safely satisfy the appetites of food allergy sufferers

Anyone who has celiac or an allergy to gluten knows how difficult it is to make satisfying meal plans with just gluten-free foods. Wild rice is one of the gluten-free foodstuffs that they can safely include in their diet. It makes a delicious meal ingredient and supplies the body with vital minerals and vitamins. It probably requires a trip to a health shop to find it but the gains from using it make it worthwhile to go to this little extra trouble.

Maintaining heart health

Research indicates how eating wild rice is good for the heart. One of these cardiovascular benefits comes about because it lacks sodium and therefore it can assist in keeping blood pressure down. The fiber content of wild rice helps to remove the deposits of LDL cholesterol (also frequently called “bad” cholesterol) that cause artery blockages and other sources of heart damage. Also, the body uses vitamin C it obtains from wild rice to repair heart damage.

Improves the operation of the body’s immune system

In addition to their role in repairing heart damage, the high amount of vitamin C that wild rice contains strengthens the body’s immune system. Vitamin C intake promotes the growth of the white blood cells that are essential to defending cells against viruses and infection. A healthy body also requires vitamin C to create the collagen that it uses to repair damage to cells and tissues and so speed up recovery from sicknesses.

Known to be good for the bones

There is no need to convince anyone of the importance of bone structure to general health. Diet is one of the principal factors contributing to the strength of bones and thus making them more resilient to knocks and bangs, and the ravages of the aging process. Many start to experience aches and pains as they age, and some become prone to osteoporosis. While including wild rice in a diet does not guarantee freedom from such problems, the zinc and phosphorous it supplies reduce the risks. There is no doubt that these minerals contribute to stronger bone structure and healthier joints.

Eases indigestion problems

The food people eat and the way they eat it affect the working of their digestive systems. For example, regular eaters of junk foods who quickly gobble their meals down are likely to experience indigestion. The addition of wild rice to meal plans helps because of its high fiber content. In addition to a reduction in heartburn problems and other kinds of digestive pains, fiber improves the waste elimination process to treat diarrhea and constipation issues effectively.

Might treat the common cold

The common cold is low on the health risk lists, but the annoyance it causes encourage researchers to investigate all kind of treatments. Some experts believe that the amount of zinc found in wild rice makes it a good food to take for relieving cold symptoms. Zinc fights the accumulation of bacteria and mucus associated with colds. Although it is possible to get zinc in supplement form, it is preferable to obtain this valuable mineral though eating wild rice and other foods with high zinc content.

A good choice for anyone with low energy problems

The connection between low energy levels, poor diet and lack of exercise is clear. Sometimes this problem reflects a more serious health problem, but meal plan changes help treat the majority of low energy cases. Wild rice is one of the foods worthwhile eating because it is such a good source of magnesium. This mineral improves the body’s energy-generating abilities, and it reduces fatigue by removing lactic acid concentrations in the muscles.

A gift to vegetarians

Meat products are one of our main sources of protein. The lack of protein in diet adversely affects cell growth with some of its most obvious effects seen in hair and nail health. When tissue damage occurs, the body again requires protein to enable it to self-treat this damage quickly and effectively. It is a special challenge for vegetarians to get sufficient protein from their non-meat diets. The amount of protein available from wild rice (15g per 100g of rice) offers them a much-needed health boost. In contrast, the protein content of regular white rice is insignificant (2.7 g per 100 g of rice).

Benefits for pregnant women

Diet takes on an additional level of importance for pregnant women who eat not only for themselves but to supply nutrients to their babies. She needs to avoid potentially harmful substances while increasing her intake of nutritious foods. Folate is a variety of vitamin B that naturally occurs in generous amounts in wild rice. Pregnant women require twice the amount of folate they needed previously. Since a lack of folate may seriously damage the newborn baby’s health, mothers cannot afford to take risks in this area.