Red Rice: The Potential Benefits for a Healthy Pregnancy
Low GI food and how it influences our food choices!
August 2, 2022
Red Singapore Rice
August 25, 2022
You might have heard about black or brown rice, but have you ever heard of red rice? Red rice is a type of unpolished rice that contains a variety of anthocyanins. This gives its bran an eye-grabbing red/maroon color. Anthocyanin is an antioxidant that is present in many red-purple fruits and vegetables such as blueberries, blackberries, plums, eggplant, and purple cabbage.
Similar to unpolished rice, red rice gives a nutty flavor. Both the bran and germ of the red rice contribute to the additional health benefits over white rice. The red-colored bran layer contains 95% of the vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin B1 and B2, iron, zinc, potassium, sodium, and manganese, and dietary fiber of the whole rice. The inner germ contains mainly carbohydrate and protein. Due to the higher dietary fiber content, red rice normally requires more water to cook than white rice.
With the increasing health awareness among the consumers, red rice is becoming a popular, healthier choice to replace white rice. Its high nutritional content is especially beneficial for pregnant women to support the physiological changes of the mother and to meet the needs of a growing fetus. Insufficient intakes of essential micronutrients can result in biological competition between the mother and the fetus. This could potentially harm the health status of both.
Deficiencies of certain minerals such as iron, selenium, copper, zinc, and manganese can increase the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. The risks include fetal growth restriction, pre-eclampsia, and long-term health risk of the child as they grow up. Hence, the pregnant mother needs to consume a nutritionally balanced diet to ensure a successful pregnancy and a healthy baby.
Red rice contains many nutrients which are beneficial for a healthy pregnancy. Here are some of the benefits of red rice for pregnant women:
1. Red rice is rich in antioxidants
Red rice is rich in anthocyanin which has antioxidant properties. Antioxidant is sometimes known as free-radical scavenger that can boost overall health. It can prevent or slow down the damage to the body’s cells due to free radicals. Our body produced free radicals in response to the environmental factors. These environmental factors, such as pollution, UV light exposure, and cigarette smoke can cause pressure to our body.
Antioxidants can be found in most natural plant-based foods. Interestingly, our body is also able to produce some antioxidants. There is a variety of antioxidants that serve different functions. Anthocyanin are widely studied for its anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-obesity benefits as well as its role in cardiovascular disease prevention.
Other than its aforementioned benefits for overall health, antioxidants like anthocyanins can help to reduce oxidative stress. This refers to an imbalance between pro- and antioxidant capacity. During pregnancy, especially among pregnant women with complications such as pre-eclampsia, the increase in oxidative stress is normal. This is possibly due to the placenta that plays a role in producing oxidative stress.
In many pregnancy complications or disorders, this observation is also common. Some of the complications include miscarriage and preterm labor. However, therapy with antioxidants for pregnancy complications remains a paradox and requires further scientific study. Nonetheless, the consumption of antioxidants through a healthy, balanced diet is good for better overall health. This is especially true during pregnancy when the health of the mothers is a priority.
2. Low GI to regulate blood glucose level and increase satiety
During pregnancy, women are more prone to experience insulin resistance. This is a condition where the body’s cells use insulin less effectively. Instead of being taken up by the cells for energy metabolism, glucose from the food we ate accumulate in the blood. As a result, it can cause gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).
GDM can have short- and long-term impacts on both the mother and the infant. Consuming carbohydrate that is lower in glycemic index (GI) is one of the strategies used for pregnant women with GDM. Our body digests low GI carbohydrates slower compared to high GI foods. This will help releasing glucose into the bloodstream slowly. Blood glucose level can be regulated across the day with this approach.
Depending on the variety, red rice typically has a low GI. This can help to lower and stabilize blood glucose levels after meals. Consumption of low GI red rice is not only beneficial for pregnant women diagnosed with GDM. For healthy pregnant women, it can also elicit the benefits of blood glucose regulation. Furthermore, as a low GI carbohydrate, red rice can increase satiety. This will help promote fullness for a longer period. With this, it can help to maintain a healthy weight gain during pregnancy.
Check out our article on low GI foods and how it can influence our food choices here.
3. Red rice is a good source of vitamins and minerals
The demands for both energy and nutrients are higher during pregnancy. Hence, sufficient intake of vitamins and minerals, especially folic acid, iron, calcium, Vitamin B is essential in supporting a healthy pregnancy. Deficiencies of certain nutrients are detrimental to the mother and the infant and can lead to poor pregnancy outcomes. Hence, pregnant women are encouraged to include good sources of vitamins and minerals in their diets. They can also consume supplementation if advised by the doctor. The bran of red rice is naturally rich in vitamins and minerals like Vitamin B, magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium, and manganese.
4. High dietary fiber content
Dietary fiber is renowned for its ability to prevent constipation and improve bowel movement. The intake of fiber-rich foods during pregnancy can also help to promote heart health. Additionally, it can reduce the risk of GDM and improve gastrointestinal health. In this case, red rice serves as an excellent source of dietary fiber to help you meet your daily intake. Fruits and vegetables are also good sources of dietary fiber. It is important to note that with increased dietary fiber intake, sufficient water intake is recommended for it to function properly.
The health benefits of red rice mentioned above are some of the useful ones for pregnant women. If you are consuming rice on a regular basis, it would be a good choice to switch to red rice for greater overall health benefits. It’s time to start adding red rice to your grocery list!
Guest Author: Dr Ai Ni Teoh (UCSI University)
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