Rice!

Rice!

This week I am going to explore rice!

Baby: One of a child’s first foods is rice. This comes through the form of “rice cereal” that is usually placed in a bottle or fed with a spoon around 6 months old (some earlier, some later).
When picking your baby’s first cereal make sure you go with organic. You should also look for BROWN rice (see more below) and make sure it is iron enriched! Rice cereal should be made to package directions, but can also be made into other foods (like Ty’s favorite pancakes, which he is eating right now!).
Rice cereal should be fed rice cereal until around 18 months old to make sure they are getting enough iron.

Toddler: Rice is perfect for toddlers because you don’t need to cut it up or do anything special for them to eat it! Just make sure it is cool enough to feed them and be ready for a mess if you let them feed themselves!

Organics!?!?!?!?

Just a side note on the organics before I start…I know that there are many studies being done on the possible benefits of eating organic products. Many people believe that organic foods do not offer any nutritional difference and that the chemicals in the foods do not hurt you when they are eaten.
Even if the end product that you eat may not be “healthier,” and time will tell on this one, many of the chemicals used to kill pests and weeds have been proven to be very toxic to humans, groundwater systems, and wildlife! So even if you are not eating the chemicals they are leaching into the ground water system and you are consuming them as a byproduct.


Organic vs. Non-Organic rice
Recent studies including one done by PANNA (Pesticide Action Network North America) found that there are over forty pesticides used in growing rice many of these (around 15) have been found to negatively effect humans and water systems.
Rice is cheap. Seriously, cheap. The best part is, there is little difference between the price of organic and non organic rice. (I recently found rice for .88 for a pound of white rice and 1.14 for a one pound bag of white rice)

Brown vs. White rice
To make brown rice the rice is run through a husker to remove the outer tough husks that protect the rice on the plant. White rice is made by removing the rice bran (inner husk) by polishing by using glucose or talc.
White rice was eaten in Asia for many reasons. Brown rice spoils quicker, you have to chew brown rice a little more, and white/polished rice was seen as a food eaten by those who were better off because of the extra processing.
Nutrition wise brown rice has more fiber, vitamin E, potassium and well, just about everything else that is good for you. It also has more flavor and is fine to use in most foods!
Although I like brown rice just fine, there are some foods I prefer white rice with (including most Chinese food!). This week I hope to provide everyone with recipes that use brown rice in creative and delicious ways!

For more on rice nutrition: http://web.tri-isys.com/greenhearts/orgbrown.htm


Coming up this week!
Cold rice dishes
Rice casseroles
Rice deserts
Gourmet rice dishes (without the work!)