Posts Tagged ‘Zinc’

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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Various Benefits of Milk for Human Body…

The benefits of milk to the human body are manifold mainly because it consists of some the most essential nutrients required to the human body. No wonder it is also known as a complete food.
Milk is not only a rich source of calcium; it also contains other minerals like magnesium, Phosphorous, Potassium, selenium and zinc. Apart from these, milk also contains carbohydrates in the form of lactose, proteins in the form of casein, fats and Vitamins A, B, D, E and K.
To better understand the benefits of milk to the human body we will have to understand the function of the various nutrients in milk and the impacts of their deficiency in the human body.
Milk is an easy and rich source of calcium. The most important requirement of calcium is for the development of the teeth and bones. It is not only children who require calcium for the development of their bones during their growing stages but is also required by an adult to help maintain bone density. A proper intake of calcium helps avoid osteoporosis a condition where the density of the bones reduces increasing the risk of fractures. This is commonly seen in women after the menopause due to hormonal changes. Calcium is also indispensable for other metabolic activities in the human body. It s presence allows the timely coagulation of blood to avoid excessive loss of blood from wounds. Recent research has also shown that calcium helps maintaining blood pressure by lowering cholesterol levels. Calcium also plays a vital role in muscle and nerve function in addition to controlling the rate at which the heart beats.
The vitamins present in milk can be divided into two forms based on its solubility: fat soluble and water soluble. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat soluble while vitamin B is water soluble. The content of the fat soluble vitamins in milk is dependent on the content of fat in it.
Of these, Vitamin D is very essential as it helps in the absorption of Calcium into the bones. Vitamin B helps to maintain the nervous system and also to form Red Blood cells. Its deficiency can lead to anemia and degeneration of the nervous system. This essential vitamin is rich in meat and eggs and for the vegetarians; Milk is the best source for this nutrient.
Vitamin A, also call as retinol, is essential for the good health of the eyes its deficiency can lead to dryness in eyes eventually leading into blindness. Night blindness is another disease caused due to its deficiency. As it is fat soluble skimmed milk may not contain adequate amount of this essential vitamin.
Vitamin E is fat soluble and is often associated with cell membranes. Vitamin E along with Selenium also acts as an antioxidant reducing the peroxides produced in the body. It also helps in preventing the degradation of polyunsaturated fats. Its deficiency can lead to poor fat metabolism in the body.
One of the important benefits of milk in the human body is Vitamin k. vitamin K is fat soluble and is required in the formation of the coagulating components in blood prothombin and factor VII. Its deficiency can lead to increase in the time taken for blood coagulation leading to hemorrhages and excessive loss of blood from wounds. Vitamin k deficiency can also lead to Alzheimer’s disease.
Milk also contains proteins in the form of casein which is essential for the nursing young. It also contains lactose which is a substantial source of energy for the lactating young. It is a disaccharide which can be easily broken to its simpler forms glucose and galactose which can be easily absorbed by the human body to produce energy.
Thus, considering all the benefits of milk to the human body, it can be indeed be considered as a complete food as it not only provides with nourishment but also provides the body with those micronutrients required for the various metabolic activities in the body.