Why brown rice is better than white rice?!
Answers: why brown rice is better than white rice?
Brown rice is a better source of riboflavin, folate, iron and magnesium. PLUS brown rice has 3 times the amount of fiber as white rice.
stupid question
Brown rice is simply white rice that has not had the bran covering the rice grains removed. Removing the bran is done so that the rice is fluffier and cooks faster. Since brown rice still has the bran intact, it is a much better source of fiber. In fact a cup of brown rice has three and one-half grams of fiber while white rice has less than one gram of fiber.
We all need from 15 to 25 grams of fiber in our diet every day. Another benefit from eating brown rice is caused by the fiber slowing down the absorption of carbohydrates. This will help tame the blood-sugar roller coaster that can happen from a high sugar-low fiber meal. Fiber also has a healthy effect on our cholesterol levels and may help to reduce this risk of cardiovascular disease. Besides the fiber found in the brown rice, the bran contains nutrients like magnesium, manganese, and zinc. White rice has reduced levels of these nutrients, but is often fortified with iron, and some B vitamins.
Its a bit like the shredded wheat thing, because its brown it means it has the whole grain of rice which means it has all the goodness which is lost when they are processed to make the white rice, its whole grain nutrition which gives you essential minerals and fibre amongst other things
Brown rice is not only better for you, but it's better for the environment than white rice too.
So what's the difference?
Rice goes through a variety of processes before it's ready for cooking. After harvesting, the seeds are run through a rice huller/husker for milling to remove the outer grain husks. After this process, you're left with brown rice. Nice and simple.
To create white rice, there's added steps. The germ and the inner husk (bran) is removed, the grain is then polished, usually using glucose or talc.
The crazy thing is that these added steps to turn brown rice to white remove nutrients that are sometimes then introduced back in via synthetic sources - this is called fortified white rice. The same type of thing happens in brown bread vs. white bread scenario.
The loss of nutrients is broad and substantial. Plain white rice has far less Vitamin E, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folacin, Potassium, Magnesium, Iron and over dozen other nutrients. Added to that, the dietary fiber contained in white rice is around a quarter of brown rice.
So, brown rice certainly appears to be more healthy, but where does the environmental benefit come from? It's basically down to processing - the less processing of a food, the less energy required. There's also the issue of the synthetic vitamins added back in - produced in laboratories and factories from a variety of chemicals; and these sorts of processes are well known for their negative impact on the environment.
If you're accustomed to white rice, making the switch to brown suddenly can cause a taste bud rebellion - it certainly did for me. It's somewhat of an acquired taste for many people. I suggest adding extra sauces to mask the "wilder" taste of brown rice for a while to allow your tastes to adjust. Once you've acquired a taste for brown rice, it's likely you'll never go back to white.
When you buy rice, because it keeps so well, try and buy in quantity to save on packaging. The rice we buy comes in cloth bags which we've put to very good use after finishing the contents.
Added notes: A couple of readers have pointed out (thanks by the way!) that uncooked brown rice doesn't keep for as long as white rice. Stored in an airtight container, I'm told brown rice will keep fresh for about six months.
Brown rice does take a little longer to cook than white rice, but the time isn't much longer if you pre-soak the rice for a while and cook using the absorption method. This is where you use less water and cover the pot, leaving very little excess water left by the time the rice has cooked - the steam generated using this method also helps speed up the cooking process.
Brown rice is just rice that has had not had the bran over the rice grains removed (white rice has)
It is a better choice as it contains 3 times the amount of fibre than white rice (one cup contains 3.5 grams of fibre, while white rice has less than one)
brown rice is also low gi, meaning it is absorbed slower, giving you a much slower energy relase so it lasts, not just a high and then a crash
brown rice also contains nutrients exclusive to its type (not in white rice), like magnesium, maganese and zinc
i also find that brown rice has a better texture (kind of an al-dente of rice), and has a nuttier flavour, and is chewier
although it takes longer to cook, its definetly worth it, and suits many dishes while still retaining its unique flavour (white rice can sometimes get a bit dull)
hope that helped :)
I D/K?????
brown rice is healthier....but i mix my rice to get flavor and vitamins