Doan Ngo Tet (May 5th of the lunar calendar) is a time when many Vietnamese families prepare traditional dishes to worship ancestors, in which sticky rice wine is an indispensable dish. With the regulation on penalties for alcohol concentration when participating in traffic, many people wonder whether eating rice wine will cause the body to experience alcohol concentration or not?
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Trong Hung, National Institute of Nutrition, rice wine is created from the fermentation of sticky rice with alcohol yeast in a few days. This process creates a certain amount of alcohol in the product. Therefore, whether you eat little or much, the body can still absorb alcohol and alcohol concentration may appear in your breath or in your blood.
People who eat rice wine in large quantities or eat it on an empty stomach may feel tipsy, even slightly drunk. Especially, in the context of current regulations punishing drivers when they have alcohol concentration in their bodies, eating rice wine right before driving poses many risks.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Trong Hung recommends that after eating rice and alcohol, people should wait for a period of time for the body to metabolize the amount of alcohol before participating in traffic. Even if they only eat a small amount, users should rest for 1-2 hours to limit the risk of being detected with alcohol concentration during testing.
Besides the above notes, sticky rice wine is still considered a dish with many nutritional values if used properly. Thanks to containing fiber, B vitamins, protein and many minerals, rice wine can support digestion, help reduce bloating and stimulate bowel movements.
Some studies also show that black glutinous rice wine has the ability to support reducing bad cholesterol in the blood, contributing to stabilizing blood pressure and protecting cardiovascular health. The quite high iron content in this food also helps the body produce red blood cells, limiting the risk of iron deficiency anemia.
In addition, vitamins and antioxidants in rice wine are said to be beneficial for the skin, helping to maintain moisture and slow down the aging process.
However, nutrition experts recommend that children, people with stomach diseases, people with allergies or people with skin problems should not eat too much rice wine. Most importantly, if you plan to drive, people need to consider the time to use this dish to ensure safety for themselves and traffic participants.
