Rice soup, a thick liquid derived from the top of cooked congee or rice, primarily consists of starch. During heating, starch transforms into a pasty carbohydrate, leading to a negligible protein content and low nutritional value. Specifically, rice soup made from polished rice has even scarcer protein since the nutrient-rich outer layer of the rice grain is polished away. In contrast, brown rice soup has slightly higher protein, but studies indicate that brown rice contains arsenic at levels about ten times that of polished rice, meaning that even small amounts consumed could lead to excessive arsenic intake in infants.
For infants, rice soup is not an ideal food. Infants have limited stomach capacity, and rice soup can easily create a feeling of fullness, indirectly inhibiting the intake of essential items like breast milk, formula, and nutritious rice flour, which could potentially lead to nutritional imbalances or deficiencies over time. Especially during the stage starting at six months when solid foods are introduced, high-density nutritious foods are the priority, as these can provide rich nutrition in a smaller volume. Unfortunately, rice soup falls into the low-density nutrition category, which does not meet the nutritional needs for infant complementary foods.
Regarding the difference between rice soup and rice flour, the key is that the latter compensates for the nutritional deficiencies of rice soup by adding various trace elements such as calcium, iron, zinc, and sodium, which is why rice flour is considered the preferred option for introducing complementary foods to infants.
