Sept.

24,2009
Commentary

Learning To Eat Unpolished Rice, Unrefined Sugar and Natural Foods

By Quirico M,. Gorpido, Jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte, Philippines-I have read an article entitled “What
Color Is your Rice?” by M.Ceres Doyo in one of the issues of the Philippines Daily
Inquirer. I have also read an article in Pinoy Press about Greenpeace seeking the
Senate to ban the sell and importation of GMO rice to the country. I’m glad that
issues about nutritional value of unpolished rice-violet, brown or black color-
and the prohibition of “tinkered” rice have been tackled compared to well-milled
rice where nutrients are almost nil. Is the eating of genetically engineered rice
might allegedly post a danger to our health? While the nutrients extraction by
means of refining process from rice and sugar cane means deficiency of some
vitamins and minerals that our body needs.
On the other hand, Genetic Engineers, a name given to persons who
scientifically study the formation of genes in edible plants must avoid tinkering
with what is natural and inherently given by Nature. They should not try to modify
the kind of arrangement and formation of the gene components provided by nature.
Doing so is against the Law of Nature that is already in place. If their intent is
to have plenty of harvest of every edible plants to feed the millions and millions
of people on the face of the earth, it can be done by farmers and planters thru
the help of the agriculturists if we really want to have plenty of yields from
crops. Abundance in crop yields can be achieved by improving the scientific
process of making organic fertilizer in every farm of all nations of the world by
bulks and volumes. For several decades we have been using chemical fertilizers on
our farms. Enough is enough. Time to stop now the use of chemical fertilizers on
our edible plants. Do you know that according to a plant expert, the continual and
regular use of chemical fertilizers will make the soil acidic and the plants that
were raise with chemical fertilizers are already devoid of enzymes?
They (Genetic Engineers) should allow nature to do its ordained job rather than
try to disrupt its functions. They should not dare to tinker because the
disruption that they are going to commit might be the source of catastrophic
health hazard to the denizens of our Planet Earth. The Lord Almighty, the Creator
of heaven and earth, has given us the best natural foods that our bodies need for
a healthy existence and energy to do our daily works for a living. Again, changing
or modifying what is natural and inherent in plants for man’s consumption is
absurd and a sin against the Law of Nature.
Would it not be better for them (Genetic Engineers) and other Scientists of the
world to have unified efforts and focus on conducting an experimental research on
how we could get rid of using chemical pesticides sprays on plants that are
harmful for human consumption? Doing an extensive experimental research on the
ways to replace these man-made obnoxious pesticides in spraying edible plants with
harmless nature-derived pesticides sprays would be a superior achievement in
science and technology. This would be a unique breakthrough that could ultimately
free us and stop us from eating chemically-sprayed plants on farms that would only
add some diseases instead of giving us with healthy bodies. This would also be a
meaningfully beneficial approach in saving mankind on the face of our Planet Earth
from the continual ingestion of toxic chemicals from the chemically-sprayed
plants.
Likewise, I’m also disheartened why well-milled rice is being promoted by
businessmen when the process of refinement which different varieties of rice have
undergone have resulted to the depletion of its natural vitamins and mineral
contents. The main reason why we eat food including natural rice is to get the
necessary vitamins and minerals that our body needs. Logically, what’s the use of
eating well-milled rice and refined sugar if all its vitamins and mineral contents
were already taken out? If we were informed that the rice we are going to buy at
the market is a GMO, why should we eat that? Is there an assurance from health
authorities that eating this “tinkered” rice is safe for our health? None. I have
also read an article somewhere claiming that the propagation of the GMO food
plants might posed some hazard in our environment.
Furthermore, we continue to eat some food from the stores that are already
devoid of necessary nutrients because of the method utilize in the processing of
foods by the manufacturers of such products. The invention of the milling machine
that will well-mill rice is not at all beneficial for the health and wellness of
the majority of the people on earth because of its high extraction of vitamins and
mineral contents in different varieties of rice. Only a very infinitesimal and
insignificant amount is retaining. Are rice consumers throughout the world unaware
of this man-made deprivation of what our bodies needed?
Another invention that does not actually sustain the wellness of the
consuming public is the machine that will refine a dark brown sugar into an
immaculate white! One can just imagine how many stages in the process of
refinement a ton of dark brown sugar has undergone in the factory. Yet plenty of
our businessmen are also promoting this kind of sugar akin to well-milled rice
where its vitamins and minerals are almost entirely gone.
Instead of neglecting un-nutritious foods, but promoting and producing more
nutritiously natural foods for the public, ironically, what we have witnessed as
consumers is the reverse trend. Because of seeming ignorance in the way some
businessmen and some manufacturers of processed foods are conducting and doing
their things under this realm, there’s a need to re-educate all sectors of society
in order to achieve our unwritten goal of having a healthy and strong people.
As we know in school and at home, we all need vitamins and minerals,
proteins, carbohydrates, glucose and other elemental compounds to make our bodies
healthy and strong and provide resistant to diseases.
Obviously, children, teenagers, adults and old people who lack the necessary
vitamins and minerals due to eating non-nutrient foods are weak, lack resistance
to diseases, poor in academics, fatigue, poor memory, lack of concentration,
sleeping disturbance, lack endurance in both physical and mental activities.
People whose bodies lack vitamins and minerals from natural foods because of
wrong eating habits and lack awareness on the importance of eating nutritious
foods are in the alarming situation. The condition on the people’s health and
wellness, which is one of the things that should be given priority by our real and
honest nutritionists nationwide and globalwide,must start formulating measures
now to abate this “silent plague” before it gets worst in the system. The kings
and queens of the global households have the responsibilities to teach their
respective families on proper and healthy eating habits of each family members to
avoid malnutrition, that are now afflicting millions, not only on children, but
also adults.
There’s the need now to redefine some ways in convincing and re-educating the
entire people on the imperative need to return to eating basic and natural foods
and products devoid of preservatives and refining process where nutritional
elements are still intact.
This means also that we have to rediscover the ways of our forefathers who
had been eating half-cooked or raw vegetables, fresh chemical-free fruits, eating
unpolished rice of different varities, using raw dark brown sugar for coffee or
milk drinks, molasses, using whole wheat in bread products and eating pure
honey.However, avoid eating kangkong, particularly if you do not know where it was
gathered or it was grown in stagnant water. Prefer kangkong that were grown in
regularly cultivated ricefields but cook it well. Shun eating it in a half-cooked
fashion to make sure.
Nevertheless, there’s also the need for all rice millers to adapt the
procedure of one-stage rice milling where only the husks will be taken out, thus
retaining all its vitamins and mineral contents. I have seen this kind of a one-
stage milled rice four years ago which was made available at the public market in
my place. I’ve bought that unpolished red rice for several times and cooked it for
my meals. But its availability in the market did not last for long. I just don’t
know why the supply was cut.
Its seemingly and slightly sagapsap (roughness) sensation in our palate as
other people have commented, is harmless and just negligibly a passing feel. It’s
a flimsy and immature reasoning to ignore a persuasion which will lead a
consumer/eater to a double treat for his/her health. In cooking the unpolished
rice, neither rubs the grains nor squeezes it fast inside the pot or cauldron
after pouring water. Dip your hand and slowly stir the grains for a few seconds
and pour the water. Avoid repeating the procedure, unless, of course, if the
unpolished rice has already a bad smell.
For sugar millers in the country, it is also obligatory on their part as food
providers to stop producing refined sugar. They should instead shift to start
producing and promoting dark brown sugar or muscado and molasses in all stores and
pubic markets. Why should they? For the simple logical reason that dark brown
sugar (kinugay in local term) when it metamorphosed into an immaculate white
sugar, as I stated earlier, means completely devoid already of all its vitamins
and minerals. What the consumers/buyers can get is only sweet plus chemical
additives. Mere sweet per se is unnecessary for our bodies. But sweets from
fruits, pure honey, sweets from dark brown sugar or brown sugar and molasses are
what our bodies needed.
On the other hand, why should bakery owners have to worry if their cakes and
pastry products look brown by using brown sugar? Why also bread eaters have to
worry if the color of the bread becomes brown? Owners and buyers alike must
neither be distracted nor annoyed with the change in color. They must be
distracted only if the change in color of cake or bread is due to heavy artificial
coloring. It is only good for the eyes, but not for the stomach! If we can eat
chocolate cake which is pitched black in colour, why can’t we eat brown-coloured
cake because of brown sugar use as sweetener? The traditional white-coloured cakes
in bakeries are the bakers’
choice of colour adoption, which is not in conformity with the overall sphere of
health-conscious individuals who mostly preferred a sweetener that has nutrients
content. Proof? Health-conscious people who know the health benefits of dark brown
sugar or brown sugar (kinugay in local term; muscado in Negroes) for our bodies
have used it in their coffee, milk, juice and other liquid drinks..
In re-educating both the producer and the consumer sectors in a global scale
concerning the issue on proper and healthy eating, the trimedia have a great role.
A regular and unrelenting information dissemination drive nationwide in every
country is also needed for inculcation and gradual assimilation to the producers’,
manufacturers’ and the consumers’ psyche. (Copyright 2008 by Quirico M. Gorpido,
Jr.)