Brown Rice Nutrition
Values
Once scorned as a staple for "health food nuts," brown rice is one of those little-known whole grains that is garnering increasing attention among people who would never once have thought of trying it. Many health-conscious people are turning to brown rice because of its amazing concentration of nutrients that fight against colon cancer, heart disease, obesity and arthritis. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Processing Brown Rice Into White Rice
After rice is harvested and the inedible husk is removed, the whole grain that remains is brown rice, with its nutritional value and rice bran fiber intact. To turn brown rice into the white rice most people are familiar with, the whole grain is broken down and stripped of fiber and the rice oil. Each processing step takes away so many vital nutrients that to minimize vitamin deficiency diseases such as beriberi (a nervous system disorder caused by vitamin B1 deficiency), U.S. law demands that white rice must be enriched by putting back some of the vitamins.
Nutrients in Brown Rice
Brown rice contains four times the fiber of white rice and powerful quantities of vitamin E, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folic acid, potassium, magnesium, iron and over dozen other nutrients.
Brown Rice Lessens Chances of Weight Gain
A 12-year Harvard Medical School study found 49 percent less weight gain among women who regularly eat brown rice and other whole foods compared with those who eat more processed grains.
Nutritents that Protect and Detoxify
Among the many health-fostering nutrients in brown rice, manganese helps regulate the nervous system and produce the antioxidant superoxide dismutase (SOD) that helps the body produce energy; utilize oxygen efficiently; and protect the body against free radicals, the harmful byproducts of energy production.
Another detoxifier in brown rice, selenium, is a trace mineral that helps regulate thyroid hormone metabolism and bolsters the immune system, helping the body to repair cells and inhibiting the growth of cancer cells. The high fiber in brown rice works together with these other factors to optimize colon health.
Brown Rice for Heart Health
An American Heart Journal study found that women eating whole grains at least six times per week had less narrowing of their arteries and less atherosclerosis, or plaque build-up, in their blood vessels, and a Louisiana State University study showed that the oil in whole brown rice reduces the levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or bad cholesterol. These factors, along with fiber, magnesium and B vitamins, make it brown rice a useful food to foster heart health.
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