Rice

What is Rice?

Rice is the seed of a grass, Oryza sativa. In the Caribbean it is the daily staple food. Haitians call it diri; in the Dominican Republic it is arroz.

Rice is also a home remedy. The main form is rice water, the cloudy liquid left after rinsing or boiling the grain. Families have used it for loose stools, weak stomachs and itchy skin.

Long use in a tradition is not proof that a remedy works. It is also not proof that it is safe. Here the evidence is split: rice-based drinks for fluid loss have real support, while most other home uses do not.

How does Rice work?

Rice is mostly starch, which the body breaks down into sugar for energy. That part is settled.

In people with cholera, rice-based oral rehydration salts (ORS, a measured salt and sugar drink) cut the amount of stool passed. The starch seems to release sugar slowly in the gut. That sugar helps the gut pull salt and water back in.

Plain home rice water is weaker than an ORS sachet. It holds little salt and no set amount of sugar. Health services still treat proper ORS as the first choice.

On skin, rice starch may form a soft film and soak up moisture. A small trial of rice starch baths reported less itching in eczema. That is early work, not settled proof.

Rice bran oil has been tested for blood fats. In small trials it lowered LDL (the "bad" cholesterol) a little. The effect is modest and the trials are few.

What forms does Rice come in?

Cooked grain is the everyday form. It is sold white, brown, parboiled or red.

Rice water is made at home by rinsing or boiling grains and keeping the liquid. Some people drink it warm. Others cool it and use it on skin or hair.

Rice-based oral rehydration sachets are sold in some countries. These are measured medical products. They are not the same thing as home rice water.

Shops also sell rice flour, rice starch powder and rice drinks. Rice bran, rice bran oil and rice protein powder are sold as supplements. Infant rice cereal is its own product, with its own arsenic rules in several countries.

Where it comes from:

Rice has been grown in Asia for thousands of years. Traders and colonists carried it to the Caribbean. West Africans brought deep rice-growing skill with them under slavery.

It became the base of the plate. Haiti has diri ak pwa; the Dominican Republic has arroz con habichuelas.

Home use grew from the kitchen. Elders gave agua de arroz, or rice water, to children with loose stools and to adults with a sour stomach.

Rice flour and starch were dusted or bathed onto heat rash and itchy skin. Rice water was also saved for hair rinses, a custom shared with parts of Asia.

What does Rice help with?

• Watery diarrhoea and fluid replacement: This is the best-supported use. Trials in adults with cholera found that rice-based oral rehydration salts cut stool output more than the standard glucose drink. Home rice water is a much weaker product. It gives fluid and a little starch, but not the right salt balance. It does not replace ORS when someone is very dry.
• Bland eating while recovering from a stomach bug: Caribbean households served plain rice and rice water to settle a sore stomach. Plain starch is easy to eat and well tolerated by most people. There is no good trial showing that rice shortens an illness. It mainly supplies calories and fluid while you recover.
• Itchy or irritated skin: Rice starch was dusted on heat rash and added to bath water for itch. A small trial of rice starch baths reported less itching in eczema. That single study is not strong proof. Rice water on skin may help some people and do nothing for others.
• Hair rinses: Rice water, plain or fermented, has long been used as a hair rinse. The claimed effects are shine and easier combing. Human evidence is very thin. A few small laboratory and hair-fibre studies exist, but they do not show that hair grows faster.
• Everyday energy as a staple food: This is simply true. Rice is a cheap, filling source of carbohydrate and feeds much of the world. White rice raises blood sugar quickly. Large daily amounts of white rice are linked in population studies with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Links like these do not prove cause.
• Rice bran oil for cholesterol: Rice bran oil is sold for heart health. Small trials show a modest drop in LDL (the "bad" cholesterol) when it replaces other fats. It is not a substitute for cholesterol medicine. Tell your doctor if you start using it.

Which foods are rich in Rice?

1. White rice
2. Brown rice
3. Parboiled rice
4. Rice flour
5. Rice noodles
6. Rice drinks
7. Puffed rice cereal
8. Rice bran oil

Practical Tips:

Rice is itself a food, not a nutrient found in other foods.

In the Caribbean it is most often served with beans, stewed meat or fish, and sofrito. Pairing rice with beans adds protein and fibre, and slows the rise in blood sugar.

What are the side effects of Rice?

• Gas or bloating, mainly from brown rice
• Constipation if white rice crowds out other foods
• A quick rise in blood sugar after white rice
• Vomiting, cramps and diarrhoea from cooked rice left out at room temperature
• Gaps in nutrition if rice replaces most other foods
• Build-up of arsenic over years from very heavy daily rice intake
• Rash from rice water used on the skin (uncommon)
• Rare allergy: rash, swelling or wheeze

Good to know:

Most people eat rice every day with no trouble at all. Serious problems are rare.

Two risks are worth knowing. Cooked rice left warm for hours can grow bacteria that cause sudden vomiting and cramps. And arsenic builds up slowly, which matters most for babies and young children.

How much Rice should you take?

• Recommended daily: Rice is a food, so there is no set dose. Food guides often picture a cooked portion of about half a cup to one cup per meal. That is general label-style information, not advice for you. Rice-based rehydration sachets carry mixing directions on the packet. Follow the packet, or ask a pharmacist. Several food agencies advise that children under 5 should not be given rice drinks, because of arsenic.
• Best time of day: Timing does not matter much. Rice is eaten at any meal of the day. In small studies, eating rice alongside protein, fat or vegetables slows the rise in blood sugar. That may matter if you are watching your sugar levels.
• With or without food: Rice is food, so the question is about what you eat with it. Rice bran and rice bran oil supplements are usually taken with meals. Fibre from brown rice or bran can block some medicines. A common approach is to space tablets a couple of hours from a high-fibre meal. Your pharmacist can tell you if this applies to your medicines.
• Time to effect: As food, rice gives energy within an hour. For fluid loss, a rice-based rehydration drink works over several hours. Home rice water mostly just supplies fluid, and may do nothing for the illness itself. On skin and hair, people report changes over days to weeks, if at all. It may do nothing.
• How long to take it: Rice is eaten for life as a staple, so duration does not really apply. Home rice water is a short-term comfort measure only. If diarrhoea in an adult runs past about 2 days, or past 24 hours in a baby, that is a reason to see a doctor instead of carrying on at home.