What Kind Of Rice Is Healthiest?

Learn what kind of rice is healthiest. Check out the article we found over at Mercola.

By Dr. Mercola

Rice, in one form or another, is one of the most important staple foods in the world and has been for possibly thousands of years. Today, it supplies around 20 percent of the world’s food energy. The Asia-Pacific region of the world produces and consumes 90 percent of the rice on the planet, and in the U.S., rice is a $2.2 billion -a-year-industry in exports alone.

Today, basmati rice from India, jasmine from Thailand, and Arborio from Italy are growing in popularity among the more than 40,000 types, including long-, medium-, and short-grain white, as well as brown rice, yellow rice, purple, red, black, and shades in between, each with subtle textures and flavor variations.

These aromatic varieties can cost twice as much as plain white rice.

You may have heard brown rice is better for you than the white version. Technically, that’s true, but how it’s grown should also be taken into consideration, because it’s extremely important to keep abreast of new information and to know the path foods have taken on the way to your table.

Wild Rice Provides Superior Macronutrients Compared to White

White rice provides more thiamin (25 percent of the recommended daily value, DV), folic acid, and calcium, but wild rice has a more extensive nutritional profile overall, imparting 10 percent of the DV in folate, vitamin B6 and niacin, and eight percent each in riboflavin in every one-cup serving.

Comparatively speaking, wild rice is more nutrient-dense, plus it has significantly fewer calories and carbohydrates than white rice.

At the same time, it provides three times the fiber of white rice and an impressive amount (and higher quality) of protein due to essential amino acids such as methionine and lysine.

“Essential” means they can’t be synthesized by the body and must come from an outside source.

Lysine has been referred to as one of the building blocks of protein, vital for optimal growth and converting fatty acids into energy, as well as lowering cholesterol and forming collagen for developing strong bones, tissues, tendons, cartilage, and skin.

It also prevents the amount of calcium lost in the urine and may even help prevent the bone loss known to occur with osteoporosis.

Methionine, too, is important for forming cartilage, and can be particularly helpful for arthritis sufferers by boosting sulfur production. It has a number of other positive uses throughout the system, such as dissolving fats in your liver. It’s also an anti-inflammatory, and reduces pain as well as hair loss.

Minerals are another major attribute in wild rice. That same single-cup serving provides 15 percent of the phosphorus you need in one day, along with the same amount of zinc (both essential for optimal heart, nerve, and muscle function) and magnesium.

Wild rice is a better choice for people wanting to lose weight, because it makes you feel full longer.

How Does Brown Rice Stack up to White Rice?

Ten percent of the daily recommended protein, as well as 14 percent of the fiber, is contained in a one-cup serving of brown rice. Brown rice also contains very healthy amounts of selenium, magnesium, and phosphorus, along with niacin, vitamin B6, and thiamin.

It’s the manganese content, however, that’s over the top – 88 percent of what you need in one day is present in just one serving. This mineral turns carbohydrates and proteins into energy, supports the nervous system, and produces cholesterol to generate sex hormones.

Manganese is also part of a key enzyme called superoxide dismutase, located in the mitochondria, and plays a vital role in protecting cells from free radical damage.

What other benefits do these nutrients in brown rice have for your body? According to researchers at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH):

“Brown rice is beneficial to the cardiovascular system, digestive system, brain, and nervous system. It is loaded with powerful antioxidants which provide relief from a range of ailments such as hypertension, unhealthy levels of cholesterol, stress, mental depression, and skin disorders.

High nutritional content in brown rice proves effective in various medical conditions such as cancer, obesity, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders, and insomnia. It has anti-depressant properties and helps maintain healthy bones and stronger immune system.”

Exchanging White Rice for Brown May Help Lower Your Type 2 Diabetes Risk

White rice is much more plentiful and available on supermarket shelves than brown, black, or wild rice, and it’s less expensive. But, studies find that eatingwhite rice four or five times a week is linked to heightened type 2 diabetes risk, while eating two to four servings of brown rice had the opposite effect.

Many are unaware that replacing white rice with the brown variety could help lower their type 2 diabetes risk. HSPH also noted:

“Brown rice is superior to white rice when it comes to fiber content, minerals, vitamins, and phytochemicals, and it often does not generate as large an increase in blood sugar levels after a meal.

Milling and polishing brown rice removes most vitamins and minerals. In addition, milling strips away most of its fiber, which helps deter diabetes by slowing the rush of sugar (glucose) into the bloodstream.”

Rice Recommendations

Due to the health benefits provided by all types of rice, it may not make sense for everyone to eliminate it from their diets entirely. A recommendation, however, would be to reach for organic varieties as often as possible, whether it’s organic white, brown, or wild rice, and if you’re not sure of the source, limit your consumption to two servings per week to minimize your risk of arsenic exposure.

Also, ensure all your carbohydrate sources are as unprocessed as possible, free of pesticides and chemical additives, and not genetically modified.

Next Article: Add Coconut Oil To White Rice, Makes It 50% Healthier

Read full article: What Kind of Rice Is Best?