If you love rice, make sure to eat the brown variety. A 22-year study of more than 197,000 adults in the U.S. found that eating more refined white rice increased the risk for Type 2 diabetes, while eating more brown rice decreased the risk of developing diabetes.
By no means is this ground-breaking news by today’s standards. Experts are well aware of the high glycemic and low nutritional value of white rice, and diabetics should be in the know, as well. Foods with a high glycemic index have a greater negative impact on blood sugars, causing glucose levels to spike shortly after consumption.
Not only that, but refined white rice is largely devoid of nutrients. The process that converts brown rice to white rice strips the grain of
- 67% of vitamin B3
- 80% of vitamin B1
- 90% of vitamin B6
- 50% of manganese and phosphorus
- 60% of iron
- 100% of dietary fiber and essential fatty acids*
(Source: World’s Healthiest Foods)
While white rice is “enriched” with vitamins B1 and B3, as well as iron when fully processed, the form of these manually-added nutrients is not the same as in the original unprocessed version.
Nutritional Value of Brown Rice
White rice and brown rice contain similar amounts of calories, carbohydrates and protein. However, brown rice contains healthy whole grains, fiber and nutrients such as manganese, selenium and magnesium. In fact, one cup of brown rice provides 14% of the daily value for fiber, which helps decrease cholesterol levels.
Brown rice is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, and it has a low glycemic index value. Only the outermost layer, the hull (which is inedible), is removed when processed. The other nutritional layers – the bran and the germ – remain intact. Brown rice has a slightly nuttier taste than white rice and takes a little longer to cook. Some people like the taste while others have to acquire a taste for brown rice. If you are averse to change, try mixing brown rice with white rice in increasing proportions until you make the switch. It is a healthy change well worth adapting to.
If rice is a regular part of your diet, making a simple substitution of brown rice for white rice is an easy way to make a lifestyle change that could have big benefits – especially if you have diabetes. In the long run, you don’t have anything to lose except a bad habit!
SUPPORTER