Fried Rice Nutrition

Rice is an invariable part of Asian cuisine. The Asian diet mainly consists of rice and wheat products, noodles, corn, potatoes, lots of fruits and vegetables, soy, fish and meat. It involves less use of processed foods, preservatives and fast food. In Asia, people mostly use vegetable oil which belongs to the group of unsaturated fat. A colorful dish of fried rice can trigger your appetite with its appearance and enchanting aroma. Moreover, it can keep you satiated for a longer period of time.

It should be noted that there exist hundreds of types of rice. Chinese fried rice would be different from the Japanese and Indian varieties.

Fried rice with or without meat, fried rice with pork, shrimp, prawns, etc., are some common varieties of the rice and the nutrition facts of this rice vary according to the quantity of the ingredients, types of ingredients and method of preparation.

While collecting information on the nutrition facts of a given food, you should look for the carbohydrates, proteins and types of fat obtained from the food. Not only the calorie content but also the vitamin and mineral content of the food determines its nutritional value. Apart from this, whether the food offers sufficient fiber, whether it contains proper proportion of omega 3 and omega 6 essential fatty acids, whether it is high/low in cholesterol and sodium etc. determine its health benefits.

Nutrition facts of vegetable fried rice would be completely different from the nutrition facts of chicken or prawn fried rice. Soy sauce is an invariable element of Chinese fried rice. There exist thousands of recipes but generally, fried rice contains steamed rice, vegetable oil, eggs, skinless and boneless chicken breast pieces, diced fish, fish sauce, soy sauce, spring onion, beans, baby shrimp, green peas, Chinese lap cheong/sausage and spices like garlic, cloves, pepper, etc. If you have all the ingredients ready, you can serve hot fried rice within 15 - 20 minutes.

Chicken Fried Rice: Let us consider the nutrition facts of 100g of chicken fried rice, one of the most popular types of fried rice. It provides 126 calories. It contains very little fat, just 1.56g. This dish provides 22.46g carbohydrates and 5.65g protein. It also provides 0.7g dietary fiber and 4.07g sugar. Since it contains soy sauce, it is high in sodium (about 333 mg). Minerals like iron (0.35mg) and calcium (13mg), vitamin C (3mg) and potassium (123 mg), magnesium (14mg), make the fried rice healthy and nutritious. Traces of selenium, copper, manganese, various B vitamins, vitamin A and E make this rice a healthy food item.

Chinese Fried Rice: 100g of Chinese fried rice served in restaurants offers 163 calories. It contains 30.99g carbohydrate, 4.67g protein, and 2.27g fat. It comes with 1.1g fiber, and 0.42g sugar. It is high in sodium (396 mg) but it also contains potassium (88mg), magnesium (10mg), calcium (14mg), selenium (8.3mcg), iron (0.72mg). Traces of zinc, copper, manganese make the rice nutritious. Various B vitamins and vitamins E and K are present in this rice.

The secret of long life and very good health of the Japanese and Chinese people lies in the healthy food they consume. You won't find excess meat in rice. This helps avoid excess animal fat and cholesterol which are harmful for the human body. Vegetable oil used for fried rice contains negligible amount of saturated fat.

Vegetables and meat in the rice enhance the nutritional value of the fried rice. Fiber helps improve the digestive health. Calcium helps strengthen the bones and teeth while iron helps enhance the hemoglobin content. Vitamin C and minerals help strengthen the immune system.

The antioxidants are essential to prevent the harmful effects of free radicals. Vitamin C is an antioxidant vitamin which helps prevent various diseases and disorders including cancer.

Sodium when consumed in correct proportion, helps prevent various health problems like cramps, diarrhea, fluctuating blood pressure levels, etc. Potassium also helps maintain normal blood pressure levels and it promotes excretion of waste products from the body. It helps maintain heart health. The oil (especially canola oil) provides omega 3 fatty acids which improve the overall health in several ways.

Those who want to cut down carbohydrates and cholesterol, can use brown rice and lean meat. Excess of oil and soy sauce can prove to be harmful for health. Correct combination of herbs and spices, vegetables and meat, oils and sauces make the Asian food healthy.