How to Make Rice Truly Healthy: Soak, Sour, and Cool for Better Digestion
How to Make Rice Really Good for You
Rice can be much more than just a simple carbohydrate — with two small tweaks, you can increase its nutritional value, improve digestion, and support your gut and blood sugar. The secret? Soak & Sour, then Cook & Cool.
1. Soak & Sour — Unlock Nutrients
What Is Soaking & Souring?
This step is quick but powerful. By soaking rice in water with a little acidity (like apple cider vinegar or lime), you help increase phytase activity — an enzyme that breaks down phytic acid, an “anti-nutrient” that binds important minerals.
Why Care About Phytic Acid?
Phytic acid reduces your body’s ability to absorb minerals like iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and B vitamins. (Source)
By activating phytase through soaking + souring, you lower phytic acid and improve nutrient absorption. (Source)
How to Do It
Use a glass jar (with a loose lid) to soak your rice.
Add filtered water and a splash (~1 TBSP per cup of water) of something sour (apple cider vinegar, lime juice, etc.).
Submerge the rice, cover loosely, and let it sit for 6 hours (if dealing with histamine overload) ideally 12–24 hours (if you’re not dealing with histamine issues).
After souring, rinse the rice thoroughly before cooking.
2. Cook & Cool — Build Resistant Starch
Why Cooling Matters
When you cook rice and then cool it, some of its starch retrogrades into resistant starch — a type that resists digestion in your small intestine and instead feeds good gut bacteria. Healthline
This kind of starch can:
Lower blood sugar spikes PubMed
Improve insulin sensitivity BioMed Central
Support gut health through butyrate production, which helps gut lining integrity and reduces inflammation MDPI
How to Do It
Cook your rice as usual.
Let it cool (ideally in the refrigerator) for several hours (12 h+ is common in studies).
Reheat before eating, if desired — but the resistant starch benefit remains even after reheating. PubMed
3. Why This Matters for Different Groups
High nutrient needs: Babies, pregnant or postpartum people, and those recovering from illness can especially benefit from better mineral absorption via soaking.
Digestive or gut issues: Resistant starch feeds good bacteria, supports butyrate production, and helps seal a “leaky” gut.
Blood sugar management: Cooling rice helps blunt the glycemic response, which can support mood, cravings, weight, and hormone balance.
4. Other Tips for Rice
Which rice to use: I prefer basmati (lower in arsenic), but jasmine works too.
Which rice brand: I like to get Lundberg rice for their farming practices & to minimize toxins / heavy metals in our rice.
Storage:
Fridge: 4–6 days in an airtight container.
Freezer: Up to 4 months.
Reheat: On stovetop, add ~ 2 TBSP water per cup of cooked rice, cover, and heat ~5 minutes.
