For dry rice people, a bowl of fragrant rice is undoubtedly the "base" when tasting most of the food, and it is not difficult to see from the ancient poem "Who knows the plate of Chinese food, every grain is hard", rice and eating, in the Chinese table has long been closely linked together.

Rice is the main source of carbohydrates and calories in the daily diet. So, what are the tips for buying rice that we eat almost every day? How to eat healthier?

They're both called rice, but they're different, you know?

Rice, according to the genetic distinction, can be divided into indica rice, japonica rice, indica glutinous rice and glutinous rice four kinds. As the staple food of the public, we most often eat indica rice and japonica rice.

Indica rice grows in the south, the appearance is slender and oval, transparent, oily, more than a year. For example: silk seedling rice, basmati rice, Thai fragrant rice, etc. are indica rice; Japonica rice grows in the north, the appearance is round or oval, the rice grains are full, the texture is hard and ductile, the viscosity and oil are very large, the growth cycle is one year.

In addition, the main component of rice is starch, which can be divided into two kinds: one is called amylose, if the amylose content of rice starch is high, the taste of rice will be very hard and no elasticity. Another kind of starch is called amylopectin, and the higher the content of amylopectin in rice, the greater the viscosity of the rice, and the cooked rice is swollen very large, which appears full and rich.

The proportion of starch composition in indica rice and japonica rice is different. Indica rice, amylose content is about 20%, the amylopectin is relatively less, the cooked rice is less sticky, the texture is relatively fluffy, the rice is loose, the grain is clear, the taste is slightly harder; Japonica rice, amylose content is about 15%, the proportion of amylopectin is relatively high, the viscosity is relatively large, and the cooked rice is soft and glutinous.

Is brown rice also rice?

Brown rice looks brown and yellow, and our mind is a little different from the white fat rice, then it is also rice?

When a grain of rice is still growing on the rice, the surface is covered by a rice husk. When we open the husk, you immediately get a grain of brown rice. Brown rice is polished to remove the bran (including the seed coat and germ), and what is left is the endosperm, which is what we see every day as "white rice." The "brown rice" available on the market mainly refers to different degrees of processing, and is not a separate variety of rice. Therefore, whether it is japonica or indica rice, it can be divided into brown rice and refined rice (milled rice) according to the processing method.

Although brown rice is higher in calories relative to white rice, brown rice is a whole grain that contains the bran and germ and is more nutritious. Brown rice has a variety of vitamins, provides more dietary fiber than white rice, and helps to increase satiety and maintain intestinal health. In addition, brown rice also contains functional components such as glutamin, octacosanol, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and inositol triphosphate.

According to the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022), adults are recommended to consume 200-300 grams of grains per day, of which the recommended intake of whole grains and beans is 50-150 grams. Therefore, you can consider using multigrain rice instead of white rice as a daily staple food. This can meet the whole grain intake, but also enrich the diversity of food.

Three, how to choose rice? Rooted in the "national standard" walk

The national standard for rice is GB/T 1354-2018, which puts forward specific requirements for the quality distinction between ordinary rice and high-quality rice. It is recommended to buy rice that meets the high quality rice standards.

Second, we also have to look at the grade of rice, here it should be noted that the first is the best, the third is the worst.

Third, for the common Wuchang rice, Panjin rice and other geographical indication products on the market, we must carefully look at whether there is a national standard on the packaging to check the authenticity. For example: the packaging marked GB/T 19266 these words, is the real Wuchang rice. Marked GB/T 18824, is the origin of Panjin City, Liaoning Province Panjin rice.

Indica rice and japonica rice are very common rice in our daily life, both of which have very good nutritional components. Brown rice is also a kind of rice, but brown rice emphasizes dietary fiber and B vitamins, which is conducive to maintaining health. When consumers buy rice, it is recommended to pay more attention to whether there is GB/T 1354, GB/T 19266, GB/T 20040, GB/T 18824, GB/T 22438 on the packaging label, so that the quality can be more guaranteed.