Brown Rice

Despite of widespread popularity of rice, not much health related information regarding rice is available. This is actually true that brown rice have better nutritional value as compared to white rice. Now the question is “ what is brown rice and how it is different from white”? from the technical point of view there is very little difference between the brown and white, as brown rice is unpolished and the white rice is polished. The process of polishing removes the outer brown layer on the top of the seed which is rich in fiber content . brown rice also contain nutrients like b vitamins, manganese, selenium and iron.

Benefits of brown rice-

It reduces the possibilities of heart diseases, helps avoid abrupt spikes in sugar levels

Helps in digestion and constipation.

It also control cholesterol level and blood pressure.

Suggestions for eating brown rice-

If you have never eaten brown rice before and would like to make a start, a good idea would be to mix one portion of white rice and one portion of brown rice when cooking. Gradually reduce the proportion of white rice and allow the brown rice to be the major portion in your rice consumption. You will soon start liking the full, rich nut like flavour and texture of brown rice. Continue with your brown rice diet and if you ever try white rice again, you will immediately feel that it has a bland and starchy flavour that does not impress you. Few people change back to eating white rice after having eaten brown rice for a couple of months.

Make sure that you see the packing date on when you buy brown rice. You should ideally consume the brown rice within 3 to 4 months from the packing date. Refrigerating it in a tightly sealed plastic bag can increase the shelf life to around 5 to 6 months. Storing brown rice beyond this period gives the rice a stale rancid flavour.