Nutrition council gives out tips on saving rice

Based on findings that Filipinos waste an average of 14 grams per person or 838,000 sacks of rice every year, the National Nutrition Council recently gave out tips on how to save rice through these times of rice crisis.

NNC program coordinator Parolita Mission said that one of these ways is to consume or re-cook leftover rice.

Unconsumed rice can be served again as fried rice, rice porridge, rice soup, crispy rice or ampaw, and champorado, she said adding that each Filipino should make good use of every grain of rice especially when cooking.

The NNC also advised everyone to cook rice based on the amount the family can consume, and cook it properly to prevent it from getting burned.

It will be helpful also to eat all the rice on one’s plate, which means that one should not get rice more than he or she could consume. Eating rice should be in moderation because a one-cup serving contains 200 kilocalories, the NNC said.

The NNC further urged Filipinos to reduce, if not eliminate, rice waste because every grain of the staple is valuable nowadays. The council said that the use of clean ladle and proper storage of rice would avoid spoilage.

Hotels and restaurants were also requested recently to offer half serving of rice as a way to reduce wastage, said the council. — Anthony S. Teo/RAE