Corn rice or empog rice is one of the Indonesia’s typical food that is based from mashed old corn. Corn rice is very familiar for the people who live in Java, especially Central Java, East Java, Flores, Sumbawa, and Timor Island.
Actually, the reason of why corn rice is made is to replace the original white rice. This is because a long time ago, the price for white rice is pretty expensive for the middle to lower class people who struggles to buy some rice.
Nutrition Contents in Corn Rice
Although it is considered to be cheap, corn rice has nutrition contents that are as high as those made from original rice. In fact, corn rice even has a higher level of nutrition than the normal rice. Here are the nutrition contents inside 100 grams of corn rice:
Nutritional Value:
| Nutrition Content | Nutrition Total |
| Energy | 150 Kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 11,4 g |
| Fiber | 0,4 g |
| Fat | 0,6 g |
| Protein | 6,8 g |
| Vitamin A | 30 RE |
| Thiamin (Vit. B1) | 0,07 mg |
| Riboflavin (Vit. B2) | 0,04 mg |
| Niacin (Vit. B3) | 60 mg |
| Vitamin C | 3 mg |
| Calcium | 2 mg |
| Iron | 0,3 mg |
| Phosphor | 47 mg |
Turns out, corn rice can give a lot of benefits for the body’s health since there is a good quality of nutrition in the main ingredient of the food, which is the corn. Besides of delicious taste, corn rice is also known to be rich of phytochemical, also giving protection to the body from chronic illnesses.
Here are some health benefits of eating corn rice:
1. Source of Energy
Corn rice is a kind of staple food that can be used as an energy resource alternative inside the body. Because the main ingredient of corn’s benefit which is a source that is rich of calories. The contain of calories in corn rice is about 345 per 100 grams.
2. Overcome Indigestion
The contain of fiber in corn rice can fulfill about 18.4% of the total that is suggested per day. This makes the corn rice very useful to help decreasing the indigestion such as hemorrhoids and constipation.
Fiber is a substance that functions to help diarrhea, by stimulate the peristaltic pump and even stimulate the production of gastric acid as well as bile.
Fiber can also be found in:
3. Overcome Diarrhea
The contain of fiber in corn rice benefits is also believed to be able to decrease the possibility of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and diarrhea.
4. Prevent Cardiovascular Disease
The contain of fat ad the anti-atherogenic effect inside the benefits of corn rice are believed to be able to decrease the risk of cardiovascular interference, that is by decreasing the cholesterol level inside the body. This can help decrease the possibility of clogged artery, decrease the blood pressure, also decrease the heart attack and stroke risks.
The same benefits of corn rice can also be found in:
5. Increase the Immune System
In corn rice dish, it also contain beta carotene which is the source of vitamin A. We know that vitamin A can be useful to maintain the skin’s health and to boost the body’s immune system.
6. Decrease Cancer Risk
The fiber contain in corn rice can decrease the forming of colon cancer. Beside that, corn rice is also rich of phenolic acid, which is a ferulic compound that become the agent of anti-cancer. The compound has been proven to be effective for combating tumor on breast cancer and liver cancer.
The contain of anthocyanin contain in the corn rice can also combat the free radicals that can also be the cause of cancer.
7. Prevent Anemia
The contain of iron in corn rice can help to prevent anemia, because this compound can help to produce red blood cells inside the body.
8. Maintain Bones’ Health
The contain of calcium, phosphor, and magnesium inside corn rice can help to maintain the health of the bones. By arranging the growth of bones normally and to boost the strength.
9. Maintain Kidney Function
There are many health benefits of eating corn rice. The contain of minerals such as phosphor in corn rice is also very important to protect the function and work of the kidney in order to keep it on normal condition.
10. Good for Pregnancy
Other content inside corn rice is folic acid that is known to be very important for the growth of the embryo. Because if a pregnant woman experience the lack of folic acid, this may be resulted in disabled or decreasing weight of the baby when the baby is born. Beside that, consuming corn rice can also accelerate the production of breast milk.
Folic acid can also be found in:
11. Maintain Eyes’ Health
The content of carotenoid compound that consist of luthein and zeaxanthon who gives the yellow pigment color on the corn is very useful to maintain the eyes to stay healthy. The compound will avoid cataract or other eye disorders.
12. Smooth Urination
Diuretic trait in corn can help to prevent the happening of infection on the urinary tract, also to cure the uric acid and prevent kidney stone from happening.
Benefits of Corn Rice for Diabetes Patients
One of the difference of corn rice and white rice is the content of carbohydrate in them. The content of carbohydrate inside white rice is a simple carbohydrate while the one in corn rice is in the complex carbohydrate form. The digestive tract will digest the complex carbohydrate slowly. This will cause the sugar level inside the body will only increase slowly too.
This can cause the feeling of full inside the stomach to last longer, making the characteristic of the foods that are made by corn to be very useful for the diabetes patients and also the people who are on their diet to lose some weight.
Beside that, consuming foods that are based from corn will help to manage the non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and is effective for hypertension since there is phytochemical phenolic in all over the corn. The phytochemical compound in corn can help to manage the absorbance and release of the insulin inside the body.
All of the health benefits of eating corn rice above, can be achieved by the making process of this rice that can be a little bit complex. But even a long time ago, this fact will not omit the people to consume them as an alternative and cheaper food. The thing that should be noted when cooking corn rice is the measure of the water needs to be precise since corn is known to absorb huge amount of water.