Rice is still a food staple for much of the population in the world. Although rice goes through a process it still contains more nutrients that can help you keep a good health. For anyone who wants to be healthy, you have to be aware of the different nutritional value and benefits of the various kinds of rice.
There are different kinds of rice. Classified mainly on the size of the grain – short, medium, long; the color – brown, white, black, red and purple; and where it was grown – plain field, high altitude or mountainous area. Each of these kinds has different nutritional value and it’s beneficial to get to know your rice.
Brown Rice and Its Benefits
Brown rice is a non-refined version of the white rice. That means, this rice still has the hulls and brans and gives you the wholeness in nutrients and minerals to its grain. It’s rich in many minerals that are essential in achieving great health. It has low glycemic rating which helps you in maintaining a healthy weight and insulin levels.
Here are some benefits from consuming brown rice:
- It’s considered as a whole grain because it didn’t go through that many refining process and maintains its wholeness. This means most of the vitamins and minerals are still kept in every grain.
- Brown rice has more fiber than white rice. This is mainly because of how it is processed in the refinery. The bran is kept in the refinery process giving you the healthy amount of fiber.
- Manganese is an important mineral in our body. Brown rice is rich in manganese that helps the body synthesize fats, helps your nervous and reproductive system.
- If you’re trying to lose extra weight, brown rice is the best choice. Because of its fiber content digestion is much easier.
- Anti-oxidants are found in fresh fruits and vegetables; brown rice is also rich in anti-oxidants which protect you from heart disease, stroke and even cancer.
- For those who are suffering from diabetes, or even those who want to keep a healthy level of sugar in their body, brown rice helps stabilize blood sugar levels.
- It’s great as a first baby food. It’s packed with vitamins and minerals and your baby will surely benefit from all of these.
- Helps in candida yeast infection treatment because it’s easy to digest, have high fiber content.
- It’s fortified with nutrients like magnesium, manganese, zinc, iron, B vitamins and it’s the only grain that contain vitamin E.
Drawback of Eating Brown Rice
Brown rice is rich in fiber and because of this digestive gas may be triggered. It can also leave you feeling bloated and belching. So if you’re transitioning to consuming to brown rice form other varieties, it’s good if you take small portion and gradually increase it to your desired portion over time.
As for preparation, it takes longer to cook than the white variety. This is because it’s a whole grain and didn’t go through more refining. Although with a proper electric rice cooker (or pressure cooker), you can easily set the timer and the rice will be ready whenever you want it to be! Read this article on how to choose the best rice cooker.
White Rice And Its Benefits
White rice is not as bad as everyone thinks, and it’s actually still the staple food for over half of the population of the world. Although other varieties seem to have more nutrients and minerals, white rice has advantages too.
- It provides energy. It’s the quickest source of carbohydrates which gives you energy to do all the things you want to in every day.
- Amino acids are important and it promotes muscle growth. White rice is a good source of amino acids; this is why vegans love it.
- You don’t need high fiber food all the time, especially if you’re suffering from gastrointestinal distress like diarrhea, colitis and morning sickness. White rice has low fiber content compared to other varieties, making it a good food for those who are suffering these sicknesses.
- It has natural anti-inflammatory properties.
- For those with high blood pressure or kidney problems, or anyone who wants to have low sodium in their diets, white rice is the perfect choice for you.
- It has protein content and it helps promote body mass and muscle development.
- Like brown rice, white rice also has manganese that boost the immune system.
- It can be stored longer than brown rice.
- A great alternative for those who are trying to avoid wheat products.
Drawback Of Eating White Rice
White rice is rapidly broken into sugar in the body because it is fast carb. This can increase the risk of diabetes. If you have diabetes or have high blood sugar, this is not the rice for you. Glucose spikes after eating white rice and you don’t want this to happen.
It’s high in carbohydrates therefore does not promote weight loss. Choose a different variety if you’re trying to lose weight.
Determine where you are in your diet and health goals, whether you’re trying to lose or gain weight (calories), want to maintain sugar levels in your body, or have other health conditions. This is important so you know what you can have and can’t.
Do you need more fiber? Go for brown rice because it is high in fiber. Do you need to gain weight and build muscle mass? You can have white rice because it’s rich in carbohydrates.
So what do you need? Brown or white rice?