Reasons For Never Throwing Out Rice Water

Rice water is commonly known to be a popular drink for diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea as it helps hydrate the body and replenish lost fluids. Now, the truth is that this drink is also used for skin and hair care. 

It is considered to be a good source of vitamins and minerals, therefore its consumption (within a balanced diet) is recommended even to stimulate the production of breast milk.

In Asia, this liquid is one of the most popular beauty allies and, fortunately, now it is also in the West. This would be due to the amount of vitamins and nutrients it provides.

Do you want to know more reasons not to waste rice water ever again?

Benefits of rice water for health

Rice water contains B vitamins, folic acid, iron, potassium, zinc and magnesium, which are part of the nutrients that rice loses during the cooking process. These benefits can be used especially with white rice, as this variety loses more nutrients in this process than brown rice.

Main contributions to health:

• Provides energy.
• Helps prevent gastroenteritis.
• Helps regulate body temperature.
• It is ideal for relieving skin irritations.
• Helps prevent and cure constipation.
• Contributes to hydration in the treatment of gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, etc.

Beauty benefits

Rice water is contains beneficial substances for the skin, such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, among others. Thanks to this properties, it can help protect the skin from the sun’s rays, fight inflammations and skin irritations, and could even help prevent premature aging (according to popular beliefs).

One of the most special compounds in this liquid is inositol, which is a complex that promotes cell growth and stimulates blood flow, which is key to preventing early signs of aging and reducing the appearance of open pores. on the skin.

Benefits associated with rice water (used a natural tonic):

• Softer and smoother skin.
• Calms irritations.
• Relieves redness.
• Helps open closed pores on the face.

In addition to applying it to the skin, it is considered that it can be applied to the hair to give it an extra touch of shine and softness.

Methods for preparing rice water

Despite what is commonly believed, rice water is not what remains after washing the rice before putting it to cook. This water can be used, but you will not get the same benefits as those obtained with the authentic liquid, which is the one prepared by boiling the rice in water, as you can see through the following recipe.

Ingredients

• ½ cup of white rice.
• 4 cups of water.

Process

• In a pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the rice and simmer for 20 minutes.
• When ready, strain the rice and reserve the water in a glass container. If your intention is to apply it to the skin, take it to the refrigerator and when it is cold, apply it using a cotton ball.

In countries like Mexico, it is traditional to flavor the drink with cinnamon and sweeten it with sugar. It is also accompanied with dairy and nuts, although in cases of diarrhea it is advisable to consume the original recipe.