There are those nights when we’re just happy that everyone eats something for dinner (even if it entails a little hand sampling bites from our plate of rice). Days like these we can only dream of finishing bath time and bed time without protest. So, of course, we cherish the exceptions when everything runs according to plan AND we squeeze in some Hinode whole grains.
HINODE THAI CHICKEN AND GREEN RICE
Perfect for dinner and left overs, this simple but flavorful take on chicken and rice is ready in just 30 minutes!
Green Rice Ingredients
2 cups Hinode brown rice uncooked, any variety
2 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup green onions chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger minced
1 cup cilantro leaves chopped
½ cup Thai basil chopped
Thai Chicken Ingredients
4 breasts chicken
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp hot mustard
2 tsp cumin
½ tsp garlic salt
1 lime juiced
Instructions
- Prepare rice per package instructions.
- Combine olive oil, honey, hot mustard, cumin, lime juice and garlic salt. Coat chicken with mixture.
- Grill chicken until fully cooked.
- Sauté olive oil, green onions, garlic and ginger until translucent.
- Add cilantro, basil and 4 cups cooked rice to skillet and sauté until mixed through.
- Plate rice with chicken and serve.
MINDFUL EATING
With National Nutrition Month® and the recently updated USDA MyPlate guidelines, we are thinking about how to mix up our plates like our carefree kids who dive right in with their hands. Whether you’re trying to pair the right diet with an exercise routine, or making sure your growing tykes are getting enough nutritious foods to fuel their growing bodies, reviewing these guidelines may realign your choices on the next trip to the grocery store.
This year, for National Nutrition Month, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is urging everyone to “Savor the Flavor of Eating Right.” Essentially, it’s not just what we eat that’s important, but also how we eat it. Making sure to enjoy everything associated with a meal – like the sights, sounds and memories – is critical to developing an overall healthy relationship with food. Eating is a complex sensory experience to be appreciated with traditions and social interactions that enhance our lives with family and friends.[1]
We wholeheartedly agree with this perspective! Add in the right mix of food groups and you have a recipe for building long-term, healthy eating habits with your children.
MY PLATE
To help in this quest, the USDA provides a research-based tool called MyPlate that serve as a guide to balance meals with recommended proportions of each food group. Consistently giving our bodies the ideal combination of vegetables, grains, proteins and fruits will support a healthier quality of life long term; especially when nutritious meals are combined with activities that reduce stress and provide regular physical activity.
When it comes to rice, MyPlate encourages us to make half of all our grains whole.[2] Examples of whole grains include bulgur (cracked wheat), oatmeal, whole cornmeal, whole-wheat flour, and (our personal favorite) Hinode whole grain brown rice.
Using the MyPlate guidelines, about 1/2 cup of whole grains covers the recommended daily intake for adults. If you and your family love rice as much as we do, take a look at the chart below to see how much would help each person in your family reach the daily recommendation of whole grains! To help with your calculations:
- 1/4 cup uncooked whole grain rice = 48 grams = ~1.7 ounces
- 1/2 cup of uncooked whole grain rice = 96 grams = ~3.4 ounces
- 1 cup of uncooked rice becomes about 3 cups of cooked rice.
One serving of Hinode whole grain dry uncooked rice is 1/4 cup. Check out all of the great nutritional benefits in just one serving!
- 2g Dietary Fiber
- 4% Iron*
- 15% Thiamin*
- 10% Niacin*
- 15% Magnesium*
*Percent of Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet
Additionally, Hinode whole grain brown rice naturally has NO:
- Gluten
- Sugars
- Sodium
- Trans Fat
- Saturated Fat
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- Monounsaturated Fat
WHY MAKE HALF OF YOUR HINODE GRAINS WHOLE?
Good news brown rice lovers! According to the Harvard School of Public Health, “When you eat a whole grain, you’re getting more than just the fiber from the seed’s outer layer. You also get all the vitamins, minerals, good fats, enzymes, antioxidants, and phytonutrients that are stripped away when grains are processed.”[3]
Unfortunately, American diets include mostly processed carbohydrates which are quicker to cook and store for longer periods of time than natural whole grains. Even when fortified with added vitamins and minerals, refined grains don’t supply the equivalent nutritional value of their naturally whole grain counterparts.[3] According to Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, “These nutrients and compounds have a wide range of health benefits, such as lowering blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood cholesterol and reducing chronic inflammation. It is likely that all the components of whole grains work in concert to confer these benefits.”[3]
The Harvard School of Public Health[4] lays out these benefits of whole grains:
- They contain bran and fiber, which slow the breakdown of starch into glucose, helping to maintain a steady blood sugar rather than causing sharp spikes.
- Fiber helps lower cholesterol as well as move waste through the digestive tract.
- Fiber may also help prevent the formation of small blood clots that can trigger heart attacks or strokes.
- Phytoestrogens (plant estrogens) and essential minerals such as magnesium, selenium and copper found in whole grains may protect against some cancers.
HINODE WHOLE GRAIN WORK OUTS
All of the benefits found in whole grains make them the perfect fuel for working out, especially brown rice! According to Kelly Troups, a registered dietician with the Whole Grains Council, the manganese in brown rice helps you “get the most from proteins and carbohydrates.” It converts them into energy to keep you going strong. Additionally, brown rice and other whole grains have more protein than refined grains. A study published a few years ago in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that “those eating the most whole grains had significantly higher amounts of… energy.”[5] Plus, because brown rice is a slow-release carbohydrate, it keeps blood sugar levels and energy more consistent.[5]
If all that’s not enough, maybe knowing that Capt. Brice Saddoris (the Marine Corps’ Male Athlete of the Year) recommends brown rice as part of his healthy diet will convince you. A typical dinner for him includes lean protein, a palm-sized serving of brown rice, fresh steamed veggies, and water or milk.[6] Plain and simple, just like our little picky eaters at home would request!
CONNECT WITH HINODE
Show us how you make your best plate with Hinode Whole Grains during National Nutrition Month on Facebook and @hinoderice on Twitter and Instagram.
REFERENCES
[1] “For National Nutrition Month 2016, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Encourages Everyone to ‘Savor the Flavor of Eating Right'” Press Release. 19 Jan. 2016. www.eatrightpro.org.
[2] “All about the Grains Group.” USDA MyPlate. 17 Feb. 2015. www.choosemyplate.gov.
[3] “Reaping Gains from Grains.” Harvard Heart Letter. 1 Apr. 2015. www.health.harvard.edu.
[4] “Whole Grains.” The Nutrition Source. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. www.hsph.harvard.edu.
[5] Szalay, Jessie. “Brown Rice: Health Benefits & Nutrition Facts.” LiveScience. TechMedia Network. 11 Apr. 2015. www.livescience.com.
[6] Bacon, Lance M. “7 Fitness Tips from the Marines’ Top Athlete, Olympic Hopeful.” Marine Corps Times. 30 Jan. 2016. www.militarytimes.com.