Onigiri is a popular convenience food in Japan. It’s also known as omusubi, nigirizushi, or gakudan, depending on the region. Essentially, onigiri is a triangle-shaped ball of rice with a filling inside. You can find a lot of different variations of this snack across Japan – some are sweet, others salty and savory. Aside from its appearance and size, there is nothing unique about onigiri. It’s simply riced with an add-on that gives it flavor and texture. However, its simplicity doesn’t mean it’s not healthy at all. In fact, there are many benefits of eating onigiri regularly. Let’s take a closer look at what exactly makes this Japanese comfort food so beneficial to our health.
Is Onigiri Healthy?
Onigiri can be a healthy and convenient snack, but it’s important to choose the right ingredients. Ideally, onigiri should be filled with vegetables, fruits, or other healthy proteins and grains. Avoid unhealthy fillings like processed meats or sugary jams. If you’re making your onigiri at home, use whole-wheat flour or brown rice for the dough, and avoid using too much salt. You can also bake your onigiri instead of frying it for a healthier option.
The Health Benefits of Onigiri
1. Onigiri Helps You Stay Motivated
If you’re someone who is always busy, you know it’s hard to maintain any kind of healthy lifestyle. There are always so many things to do and so little time to do them. As a result, most people end up making tons of excuses for skipping workouts, eating unhealthy foods, and not getting enough sleep. However, there is one simple way that can help you stay motivated: start eating onigiri regularly. This snack is one that fits into your busy schedule perfectly since you can easily eat it while working or traveling. Plus, the combination of rice and filling makes onigiri a satisfying meal without much effort on your part. What’s more? Onigiri tastes great even when eaten cold!
2. Onigiri Helps You Digest Foods More Easier
Having difficulty digesting certain foods? If so, it might be because they contain high amounts of fiber or protein – two things that make it difficult for your body to properly break down food. However, onigiri is a great food choice for those who have trouble digesting certain foods. One serving of onigiri contains only 2 grams of protein, which isn’t much compared to other foods like meat or cheese. This means that it’s easier for your body to digest the rice, filling, and sauce in onigiri. The combination of these three ingredients also makes onigiri a great source of carbohydrates and fiber.
3. Onigiri Helps You Maintain Your Weight
So you’re trying to lose weight? If so, you might be feeling overwhelmed by all the different diets out there and struggling with how to implement them into your daily life. However, there is one simple way that can help you maintain your weight: start eating onigiri regularly! The combination of rice and filling in this Japanese snack makes it a great choice for maintaining your weight. Plus, onigiri is a very filling food that can even help you avoid overeating at the dinner table.
4. Onigiri Is A Great Snack For Diabetics
If you have diabetes or are considering getting diagnosed with it, you might be wondering how to eat healthy while dealing with the condition. There are many different types of diets out there, but they all tend to cause problems for people who already have diabetes. The good news is that there is a type of diet that is especially great for diabetics: the low-carbohydrate diet! This type of diet is great for diabetics because it helps them maintain their blood sugar levels without causing harmful spikes and dips in their bodies. However, this type of diet requires careful monitoring from your doctor since it can often cause complications if not followed exactly as prescribed by your doctor. However, there’s one type of food that’s really great for diabetics: onigiri! This food has a low amount of carbohydrates and a high amount of fiber, which means that it’s easy for your body to digest. Plus, the rice and filling in onigiri are also great for maintaining the amount of sugar in your blood.
5. Onigiri Helps You Lose Weight
Maybe you’re already a few pounds overweight and have been trying to lose weight but haven’t had much success. Maybe you’ve tried all sorts of diets but nothing seems to work. Well, if so, don’t worry! There is one trick that will help you lose weight without even trying: start eating onigiri more often! The combination of rice and filling in onigiri makes this Japanese snack a great choice for losing weight. Plus, since it is a very filling food, you won’t be tempted to overeat at the dinner table.
High in Vitamins and Minerals
1. Vitamin B
Onigiri is a great source of vitamin B. It’s a good source of niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, and pyridoxine. Vitamin B is an essential nutrient that plays a role in the production of energy and helps build the immune system. An adequate intake of vitamin B will help maintain healthy skin, hair, and nails. It also helps boost your metabolism, which means you burn more calories than usual throughout the day.
2. Magnesium
Onigiri provides you with magnesium – an essential mineral that’s responsible for maintaining healthy bones and teeth. Magnesium also plays a key role in balancing hormones in our body, preventing chronic disease, and maintaining healthy heart function. You can find magnesium in many different forms – from food to supplements to even over-the-counter medicines! So whether you choose to eat onigiri or take it as a supplement, you should be getting enough magnesium every day.
3. Calcium
Onigiri is also a good source of calcium. It’s a great source of this mineral, which plays an important role in bone development and maintenance. Not only that, calcium is essential for the formation and maintenance of healthy teeth and bones. It also helps maintain the heart’s rhythm and helps fight against osteoporosis – a condition that weakens bones throughout the body. So if you have weak bones or have suffered from osteoporosis in the past, then eating onigiri is definitely a good idea!
4. Iron
Iron is another essential nutrient that’s found in onigiri. Iron is important for cellular growth, the formation of red blood cells, and healthy brain function. Onigiri provides you with iron in two ways: as well as the iron found in the rice itself, it also contains iron-rich fillings that are great sources of vitamin C and B vitamins such as niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, and pyridoxine.
5. Zinc
Zinc is another important mineral that’s present in onigiri. It plays a role in bone development and maintenance, as well as healthy hair and skin growth. Zinc also helps regulate your immune system against disease, boosts energy levels, and is essential for cell growth and repair. So if you struggle with acne or have dry skin, then eating onigiri will definitely be beneficial to your health!
High in Fiber
1. Onigiri Is A Great Source Of Dietary Fiber.
A mere 100g of onigiri contains 4.6 grams of dietary fiber, which is almost 10 percent of your daily recommended intake. This amount provides you with 2.9 grams of soluble fiber which is the type found in foods like oats and wheat bran and 1 gram of insoluble fiber – which comes from foods like legumes, nuts, fruits, or vegetables. Insoluble fibers have been shown to promote healthy digestion and lower cholesterol levels in the body by binding with cholesterol and absorbing it into the digestive tract (1). They also help moderate blood sugar levels by binding to carbohydrates and slowing down their absorption in the intestines.
2. Onigiri Is A Great Source Of Calcium.
Onigiri contains a lot more calcium than you would expect: approximately 75 mg per 100 grams! While the amount may not be enough to meet your daily needs, it’s still a good source of calcium, especially considering how easy it is to add onigiri to your daily diet.
3. Onigiri Is A Great Source Of Protein.
Onigiri contains 6 grams of protein per 100 grams, which is almost 25 percent of your daily recommended amount. This amount provides you with 3 grams of essential amino acids (the building blocks of protein) and 1 gram of non-essential amino acids, which are the building blocks that the body can produce by itself. The extra protein in onigiri helps boost your metabolism and keeps your body in top form for hours at a time.
4. Onigiri Contains All Nine Essential Amino Acids.
The high fiber content in onigiri makes it a great source of all nine essential amino acids including lysine, methionine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine – which are required for proper growth and development.
Conclusion
Onigiri is a simple yet nutritious snack that you can easily make at home. It’s high in proteins, vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and low in calories, making it a healthy choice for both children and adults. There are many variations of onigiri, so you can experiment with different ingredients to find your favorite combination. Whether you eat it for lunch or as a snack, onigiri is a great choice for any diet.
