White rice

What are different health benefits of eating brown rice over white rice?

Rice is eaten in nearly every country. There are three main types of rice available: white rice, brown rice, red rice. Rice is considered as the most important staple food for a large part of the world’s human population. After rice is harvested, it is cleaned and the outer covering, called a hull or chaff, is removed. The remaining rice is brown, red or sometimes black, depending upon the seeds it originated from. If the layers of bran are then removed, white rice remains.
The complete milling and polishing that converts brown rice into white rice destroys 67% of the vitamin B3, 80% of the vitamin B1, 90% of the vitamin B6, half of the manganese, half of the phosphorus, 60% of the iron, and all of the dietary fiber and essential fatty acids.

Replacing white rice with brown or red rice has benefits like:
- It reduces risk of Type 2 diabetes as white rice has a higher glycemic index than brown rice which raises blood glucose levels. The high glycemic index of white rice is attributed to the change of its original structure during the polishing process and this also includes the loss of fiber, vitamins and minerals.
- Brown and red rice is better than white rice. Brown and Red has a greater nutritional value than white, since the outer brown coatings contain the proteins and minerals.
- Brown/Red also has nutrients like magnesium, manganese, and zinc.
- Brown/Red rice is more flavorful, chewy and nutty taste than white rice.
- Whole brown rice lowers cholesterol.
- Brown rice, at least 6 times each week is an especially good idea for post-menopausal women with high cholesterol, high blood pressure or other signs of cardiovascular disease.
- One type of phytonutrient especially abundant in whole grains including brown rice are plant lignum protect against breast and other hormone-dependent cancers as well as heart disease.
- Magnesium, found in brown rice, is helpful for reducing the severity of asthma, lowering high blood pressure, reducing the frequency of migraine headaches, and reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke.
- Eating foods high in insoluble fiber, such as brown rice, can help women avoid gallstones.
- Eating whole grains, such as brown rice, has been linked to protection against atherosclerosis, ischemic stroke, diabetes, insulin resistance, obesity, and premature death.

Brown rice does take a little longer to cook than white rice, but the time is not much longer if you pre-soak the rice for a while and cook using the absorption method.

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