Thai dinner night....

So, tonight is no-meat-Friday for us. I read a long time ago about cooking rice with coconut milk, and I wanted to research the health benefits of the rice and coconut milk.

First of all, I found out that coconut milk is very good for you, as well as the coconut oil and the meat of the coconut. It contains lauric acid (which is also found in breast milk at 5.8% of total fat). Many athletes use coconut milk because it raises the metabolism, is rich in electrolytes, and help with weight loss. From what I have read, it helps with sore throats and getting over the flu. Some studies say that it even reduces the risk of cancer, diabetes, acne, osteoporosis, and digestive issues.

As far as the rice, it should have been obvious to me, but white rice is not good for you, and can even have negative effects such as increasing risks for some diseases. Why is it that any food that is white is bad for you? On the other hand, it talks about the benefits of brown rice because it increases insoluble fiber. This is good to prevent constipation, lower cancer risk, and can aid in weight loss. One article suggested drinking 16 oz. of water when eating brown rice because if you eat the rice and do not have enough water, it will act like a sponge and make you more constipated.

So, now the trick is to increase brown rice and coconut milk and coconut oil into our family's diet. I am sure the younger ones will take to it easier than the older ones; the older kids are so picky. I think I will begin by just adding brown rice to our white rice a little at a time. I am also going to start buying coconut oil and put it in our smoothies and using it as a replacement to our olive oil.

Tonight we are having rice flavored with garlic salt and red pepper flakes. We add cooked mushrooms, sugar snap peas, and scrambled eggs to our rice. As a treat, we are also having crab rangoon. I was hoping to find chop sticks, since the kids used our last ones as swords.....but, I didn't see them at the store when we went yesterday. I am going to be on the look out for some nice ones, especially since I plan on having a Thai night every couple of weeks.