Auguste Escoffier, a French culinary artist known as the King of Chefs and Chef of Kings, said, “Rice is the best, the most nutritive, and unquestionably the most widespread staple in the world.” He is credited as the father of modern-day cooking for advocating the use of seasonal ingredients over focus on elaborate garnishes.
The most widely consumed grain in the world, rice is the main dietary staple for more than half of the world’s population. Chef Escoffier was right—rice is nutrient rich. Consuming rice will provide you with many vitamins and nutrients, including potassium, protein, iron, Vitamin B6, magnesium, calcium, niacin, thiamin, folic acid and more. But the health benefits of rice can vary with variety. To get the most benefit, you will want to choose your grain wisely.
Let us start with understanding how your choice might bring you a greater health benefit. Every grain of rice begins as a whole grain, which include the bran, germ, and endosperm. When you remove the bran and germ, you are left with the endosperm, which is white rice. This is the rice that I grew up with. It is comforting and familiar, but as a health-minded adult, I have expanded my palate and my range for textures. USA Rice has created an informational PowerPoint which gives a great understanding of all things rice.
I still enjoy white rice but will choose brown or mixed grain rice when available to fuel my body. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service advises, “It’s important that at least half of the grains that you eat are whole grains. Learn some tips to help you achieve this goal, like including whole grains for breakfast, swapping sandwich breads, and trying new grains.”
When you opt for whole grain rice, you get more than additional vitamins and nutrients—you also get additional benefits that fortify your health. Whole grains help reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. Higher in fiber than white rice, whole grain rice is good for your digestion and helps you maintain a healthy diet because you feel fuller longer. So, do not lump rice into the “carbs make you fat” or “eating carbs causes you to gain weight” columns.
Rice is a complex carbohydrate, which can provide energy, and whole grain rice may help regulate your blood sugar level and lower blood pressure. It is also cholesterol-free, sodium-free, and gluten-free. These benefits also are part of the reason that allergies to rice are extremely rare.
If you live with diabetes, you might think that you must give up rice altogether. Think again. A study published by the National Library of Medicine found that “Substitution of whole grains, including brown rice, for white rice may lower risk of type 2 diabetes.” Check with your doctor to see if eating smaller portions of higher fiber rice may be an option for you to continue to enjoy eating it, in moderation.
If, like me, you were raised eating only white rice, transitioning to whole grain may seem daunting. My son was picky about food textures when he was a tot. In Hawaii, I discovered Hapa Rice, which is a 50/50 mixture of white and brown rice. I started mixing the grains myself at home as Hapa Rice is not readily available on the mainland. Eventually, I weighted the percentage of brown rice more heavily until I had the family regularly consuming a 90/10 blend. The 10% is jasmine rice, and we still eat that blend today.
Be creative and try different varieties of rice. Brown rice is commonly available and for just pennies more a serving, your health value is increased greatly. Eat like a king, or rather an emperor, and enjoy black rice if you have the chance. In ancient China black rice was reserved for emperors and royalty as it was scarce and thought to have medicinal properties. Learn more in National Public Radio’s story about “Forbidden” rice. Red rice is favored by some for its nutty flavor and like all rice with a darker hue, it is a nutrient dense grain.
Comedian Mitch Hedberg has also spoken about the benefits of this special grain: “Rice is great if you’re really hungry and want to eat 2,000 of something.”
Contributing writer Denise Lum is a Health and Fitness Coach raising her family in Alameda. Contact her via [email protected] or FitnessByDsign.com. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Denise-Lum.
