People who should not eat sticky rice or glutinous rice dishes.
Glutinous rice is a nutritious food that is good for health, but there are certain groups of people who are advised not to eat it.
Nutritional composition
Since ancient times, glutinous rice has been a familiar ingredient in daily life. Thanks to its characteristics of large, round, sticky, soft grains, natural sweetness, and distinctive aroma, glutinous rice is often used to cook sticky rice dishes and make cakes during holidays and festivals.
Besides being an important staple food, glutinous rice is also recognized as a medicinal remedy.
According to VietNamNet, Dr. Huynh Tan Vu, a lecturer in the Traditional Medicine Department at the University Medical Center of Ho Chi Minh City, said that glutinous rice contains a lot of protein, starch, sugar, B vitamins (abundant in rice bran), and inorganic substances.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, glutinous rice is called "nhu mi," and its effects include nourishing the body, replenishing qi, strengthening the spleen and stomach, benefiting the lungs, and stopping sweating. Glutinous rice has a sweet taste and a warm, medicinal nature, and can be used in cases of headache, dizziness, stomach ulcers, coughing up blood, and insufficient milk production.
Traditional remedies using glutinous rice
Here are some medicinal dishes made from glutinous rice:
- Glutinous rice wine (fermented rice wine):The method is simple: cook brown glutinous rice, mix it with rice wine yeast, and let it ferment for a few days. After the fermentation process, you get rice wine. Eating a small bowl of rice wine every day helps strengthen the spleen, replenish energy, and stimulate appetite; it's especially beneficial during holidays and festivals.
- Roasted glutinous rice water:Soak in water for 24 hours, changing the water several times, then rinse thoroughly, dry in the sun or oven, roast until golden brown, and grind into a powder. When using, mix with boiling water and a little sugar. Use for cases of vomiting such as gastroesophageal reflux, pyloric stenosis, and pregnancy-related disorders.
- Glutinous rice flour paste, yam paste:Soak 500g of glutinous rice in water for about 12 hours, rinse thoroughly, dry, and grind into a powder. Roast 500g of yam and grind into a powder. Take one spoonful of each powder, add sugar and black pepper, and stir well with boiling water. Eat for breakfast on an empty stomach. Suitable for the elderly, children with poor appetite, weakness, or chronic diarrhea.
- Sticky rice and red bean sweet soup:50g glutinous rice, 50g red beans, 50g rice bran, and sugar are cooked together to make a porridge that helps treat edema.
- Lye water rice dumplings:Soak glutinous rice, rinsing it several times until the soaking water is clear. Add enough water to just cover the rice and soak for about 4 hours. Then add 200ml of lye water and soak for another 20 hours.
Wash the bamboo leaves thoroughly and steam them for 5 minutes. Let them cool, then wipe both sides of the leaves dry with a clean cloth to help the cake last longer. Fold the bamboo leaves into a funnel shape, then scoop spoonfuls of sticky rice into each leaf and press it down.
Fold the edges of the rice cake tightly and gently fold it into a pyramid shape. Wrap the cake securely with string, repeating until all the soaked rice is used. Arrange the cakes in a pot, pour cold water over them until they are completely submerged, and boil for 5 hours to ensure the cakes are translucent and chewy.
People who should not eat sticky rice or glutinous rice dishes.
Although glutinous rice is good for health, not everyone can eat it. According to the Health & Life newspaper, Dr. Bui Thi Yen Nhi from the University Medical Center of Ho Chi Minh City, Branch 3, stated that the following groups of people are advised not to eat glutinous rice or sticky rice dishes:
- People with gastritis or duodenal ulcers:The starch in glutinous rice is branched amylopectin, which is difficult to digest and hydrolyze in the intestines and stomach. It also stimulates stomach contractions and increases acid secretion. Therefore, people with acute gastritis or duodenal ulcers, gastrointestinal tumors, or those who have recently undergone gastrointestinal surgery should avoid eating it.
- People who have recently recovered from illness:Glutinous rice contains amylopectin starch, which makes it sticky and can easily cause bloating and indigestion. Therefore, the elderly, children (children under 1 year old should not eat it), and people recovering from illness with poor digestion should use it with caution.
- People with chronic diseases:People with diabetes, high cholesterol (high triglycerides), and obesity should limit or reduce their consumption of glutinous rice. Because glutinous rice has a higher fat, starch, and glycemic index (GI) than regular rice, it can be difficult to control these conditions.
Sticky rice cakes, whether sweet or savory, are high in carbohydrates and sodium, so people with diabetes, overweight, or other chronic diseases (such as kidney disease or high cholesterol) should eat as little as possible.
In addition, people with a constitution prone to phlegm and heat, who are experiencing fever, cough with yellow phlegm or jaundice, or abdominal distension should not use this medication.