There are a lot of facts about rice, we can’t imagine or believe exist. What comes to mind when we think of rice? , Well, if you are like me, you are thinking Jollof rice and some nice stewed chicken. But beyond the Jollof rice sensation and rice being the most staple food in Nigeria, there are a lot of fun facts about rice you probably don’t know. Here Farmcenta shares 10 amazing fun facts about rice.
There are over 40,000 varieties of rice cultivated
Apart from the regular names such as basmati, jasmine, japonica, ofada, brown rice, long-grain, and the likes, there are over 40, 000 varieties of rice and wild species. The International Rice Gene Bank has stored over 90,000 samples of cultivated rice and wild rice, and researchers use these all over the world.
Nutritional value of rice
Rice remains one of the top sources of carbohydrates, Rice provides 20% of the world’s dietary energy supply. Primarily, rice composed of carbohydrate, which makes up almost 80% of its total dry weight, apart from this rice is also rich in vitamin B (e.g., thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folate), iron, zinc, magnesium and other components such as fiber. Rice does not have sodium or cholesterol and barely any fat, and it is naturally gluten-free.
Fix a wet mobile phone
There are over 1000 uses of rice beyond consumption, but of all uses, this one comes in very handy. Ever drop your phone inside water or got beaten by rain, well we don’t need to panic as the most often reported fix for a sodden phone is to bury the handset in a bowl of dry rice. Sorbent materials, such as rice, have hygroscopic properties that can attract and absorb moisture.
Health benefit
Apart from the nutritional value of rice, it also has a lot of health benefits. Many of the health benefits of rice come from the vitamins and minerals that it provides. Not forgetting rice is very high in fiber; high consumption of rice base fiber aids weight loss, reduces cholesterol, aids constipation relief, and reduces sugar level in the blood. Other health benefits of rice include:
- Control of diabetes
- Reduces risk of heart-related disease
- Promotes regular bowel movement
- Reduces risk of cancer
- And influences thyroid function and important antioxidant processes. Click on the link to read more on the amazing health benefits of rice
Hair growth
One of the biggest facts about rice is this; in fact, researchers have proven rice grows the longest hair in the world. If you are one person passionate about healthy and long hair, the secret is simple, Fermented rice water!. Just rinse your rice and save the water, allow it to ferment for about three days and you’ll have a great hair growth treatment.
Unique shelf life
Rice is one of the top grain that has a long shelf life; it is good for years unless it’s brown. Uncooked white rice will stay fresh and edible for about 30 years (depending on how we store it). But uncooked brown rice has a shelf life of just three to six months because the barn coating will oxidize.
A high consumer of water
Rice needs a lot of water to grow. According to research, Rice cultivations use about 5,000 liters of water to produce just 1kg of rice. Also, we need an enormous amount of water to cook it as well.
Rice is the only crop grown in every part of the world
If you are a travel enthusiast, you would notice you can find rice in every part of the world “I guess it is the real MTN’ everywhere you go”. Well, not only is rice found in every part of the world but grown on every continent except Antarctica. Rice is adaptable, easy to grow, and has a very high yield, making it a terrific crop to grow anywhere and feed a large population.
Calories in rice
Close to 50% of the calories consumed by the entire human population comes from wheat, corn, and rice. A plate of cooked rice has about 272 calories, which is about 80 grams a plate.
Ability to produce thousands of grain from a single seed
A single fertile rice seed can produce over 3,000 grains. Therefore, rice gives great yield and investment return and it gives a great relief knowing our favorite staple food can’t go on extinction.
now you know, 10 amazing fact about rice beyond the regular rice consumption , that you necessary don’t know before
you can also read more on rice farming in Nigeria, its Techniques and Processes
