It’s been said on the news that lots of sellers have laid complaints that sales of the Nigerian local rice are not as fast as that of foreign because lots of customers look down on it
“Local rice is always the second choice in their budget. They feel reluctant and sad when I suggest they buy Nigerian local rice. They are even ready to pay more for the foreign rice,” a popular seller known as iya ibeji at ipata market says.
There’s a common debate in Nigeria about which is better between Nigerian local rice and foreign rice. This argument always heats up when the Nigerian border is close i.e. there is prevention for the importation of rice. Nigerians normally do everything possible to get foreign rice or go on rice fast.
I believe that many Nigerians are not even enlightened about the health benefits of their produce. If we were more enlightened about the health benefits of our local rice, I believe we would gradually learn to embrace it more often than not. So If Nigerian local rice isn’t as bad as it seems, what’re the health benefits of Nigerian local rice?
Nigerian locally grown rice also called unpolished or brown rice usually offers a lot when it comes to health benefits and it contains un-adulterated nutrients good for the body. These nutrients include carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins and minerals, iron, selenium, manganese etc.
One major Nigerian local rice is ofada rice. It is short and has brown stripes before cultivation without chemicals. Though not valued because of its local nature and unique smell, it is a perfect substitute for people who are not supposed to take white rice
Table of Contents
Health benefits of Nigerian Local Rice
Aids digestion
One of the nutrients present in Nigerian/local rice is fibre. This rich fibre content helps in the digestion process thereby reducing and preventing digestion disorder.
It has about twice the fibre content of regular white rice. This high-fibre content plays a significant role in our digestion process. Contains two types of fibre: soluble and insoluble fibre.
The soluble fibre helps in retaining food in the stomach by slowing the rate at which food leaves the stomach and gives a sense of satiety for a long period. This gives fullness after a meal, prevent overeating and weight gain.
While the insoluble fibre also known as cellulose is indigestible and has less transit time through the body. That’s why you can eat a very large serving of salad, which is almost all fibre and still eat very few calories.
Controls blood sugar and diabetes
Does this because of the presence of soluble fibre. Due to the cellulose and fibre content of Nigerian local rice, it is recommended for calorie management in health conditions such as diabetes.
Rich in carbohydrate
It has high carbohydrate content making it one of the carbohydrate food sources in Nigeria and also provides adequate energy because of its calorie content without necessarily causing weight gain.
Good for the bones
Due to the magnesium contained in Nigeria local rice, it helps in the bone structure and also helps in the absorption of calcium. The presence of magnesium in Nigerian local rice also helps in the maintenance and improvement of the nervous system.
Helps Curb/Prevent heart problems
The local rice is properly enriched with magnesium and selenium which are two important nutrients that are necessary for protecting the heart from cardiovascular-related diseases. So also the low saturated fat content is vital for the proper conditioning of the heart.
In addition to all this, Nigerian/local rice helps in reducing sleep disorder, has anti-ageing property, good for pregnant women, fights cancer, protects the heart, boosts your immunity, prevents constipation, perfect baby food etc.
Here are a few reasons why you should eat Nigerian/local rice instead of white rice
- 3 times vitamin B3 as white rice
- 10 times the vitamin B6 as white rice
- It has twice the manganese and phosphorus as white rice.
- 4 times the vitamin B1 as white rice
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