Benefits of rice water for children

Rice broth is an easy-to-digest and nutritious food, suitable for babies over 5 months old. Besides the benefits of rice broth, there are also disadvantages you may not be aware of.

Rice water is the water that contains starch and nutrients extracted from a boiling pot of rice. This is a familiar dish and is known to be a hypoallergenic food. Therefore, you can think of rice water when your baby starts to eat.

Benefits of rice water for children

Rice water brings many health benefits for babies such as:

Rich in vitamins: Rice is a good source of vitamins such as vitamins B3, B2, B1 and B6. These vitamins are essential for the development of the nervous system, eyesight, skin, and digestive system and help convert food into energy.

Treatment of diarrhea: Rice water mixed with Oresol is effective in treating diarrhea for babies very effectively. This mixture helps the baby to have less bowel movements, so it will limit dehydration. In addition, rice broth is also high in calories and helps slow the release of carbohydrates in the gut. Not only helps treat diarrhea, rice water is also very helpful in treating constipation.

Eczema treatment: Rice water helps reduce eczema symptoms such as dry skin, redness of the skin, etc. Rice water has been shown to help soothe the skin. Instead of using creams and ointments, you can use rice water to treat eczema without having to worry about side effects.

Increased energy:  This is a drink that is rich in carbohydrates and is an excellent source of energy for babies.

Fever reduction: Rice water is a great source of nutrients when your baby has a fever and loss of appetite. In addition, it also has antipyretic effects.

Economical and easy to prepare:  Rice broth can be made from all types of rice sold on the market because most types of rice have the same nutritional content. In addition, it is very easy to do, you just need to cook rice and drain the water.

The nutritional value of rice

Rice is a staple food in Asian countries and contains a lot of essential nutrients such as:

Water - 13.29g

Carbohydrate - 79.15g

Protein - 6.5g

Fat - 0.52g

Energy - 358kcal

Fiber - 2.8g

Iron - 4.23mg

Calcium - 3mg

Phosphorus - 95mg

Magnesium - 23mg

Potassium - 76mg

Sodium - 1mg

Zinc - 1.1mg

Vitamin B1 - 0.565mg

Vitamin B2 - 0.048mg

Vitamin B3 - 4,113mg

Folic acid - 389mcg

Vitamin B6 - 0.171mg

Disadvantages of rice water

Lack of nutrients: Rice water mainly contains nutrients dissolved from rice, so its nutritional value is not equal to rice. Therefore, it does not provide enough calories lost from diarrhea. In addition, rice water does not contain enough sodium and potassium. Therefore, it should be used together with Oresol to treat diarrhea.

Cannot replace breast milk:  Rice water cannot replace breast milk or formula milk because it does not contain all the nutrients that your baby needs.

May cause allergy:  Although this rarely happens, but for babies with allergies or allergies, you should also test a little rice water on the baby's skin before feeding. If your baby is allergic to oats and barley, chances are he will also be allergic to rice. Some symptoms of allergy such as flatulence, abdominal pain, vomiting, difficulty breathing, rash ...

Notes when giving your baby rice water

Before giving it to your baby, consult your doctor to know if it's the right time.

Check for allergies before giving them to your baby. Apply a little rice water to your baby's skin or give your baby a small sip to see if your baby has allergy symptoms such as vomiting, rash, difficulty breathing….

Never give baby rice water to replace  breastmilk or formula . However, you can mix rice with formula to give your baby a drink.

Rinse the rice thoroughly before cooking because dirt can get on it.

Choose small or medium grain rice.

Avoid adding soy milk to the rice broth as it can make babies with food allergies more severe.

Be careful when using brown rice. Although brown rice is more nutritious than white rice, it may contain indigestible fibers.

How to make rice water

Prepare

2 tablespoons of rice

1 glass of water

Making

Wash rice with warm water to remove dirt or impurities

Put the rice in the pot and add water. Boil until the rice is soft

Extract water. If your baby is younger than 1 year old, you can add a little salt to enhance the flavor

Dilute rice water before feeding your baby.

Rice water is a simple and safe beverage whether your baby is weaning or old enough to eat solid foods. However, before giving your baby rice water, do not forget to consult your doctor.