Almost everyone on the planet eats rice. It has been a staple in the human diet for quite literally thousands of years and it continues to be one of the most popular foods on the planet.
Rice is also incredibly versatile and easy to cook, which is why so many people love to include it in their meal plans.
There are lots of different forms of rice, and there are even some variations that cater to more specific diets, which means more people can enjoy it.
But for the sake of simplicity, we’re just going to be talking about brown rice here, and we will be answering a popular question- “Is brown rice good for you?”.
Brown rice has been around a lot longer than white rice and at one point, it was the only type that was available. There are many health benefits to brown rice, so if you want to learn more about how healthy brown rice is, read on to find out everything you need to know!
Is Brown Rice Good For You?
Overall, brown rice is the most healthy kind of rice you can eat. When you eat brown rice, you are eating rice in its whole-grain form. This means that brown rice is less processed than other kinds of rice and it is also full of more nutrients that your body needs.
If you are planning on eating a lot of rice but you want to stay healthy, brown rice is the best kind of rice that you can eat.
When it comes to rice, and whole grains in general for that matter, they are often broken down into germ, bran, and endosperm. Each of these components contains different minerals, vitamins, and proteins that your body needs.
Brown rice contains all three of these components, but white rice has been processed, which strips the rice of germ and bran.
So yes, brown rice is quite healthy and good for you, and it is packed with so much more minerals, vitamins, and proteins than white rice. You should still eat it in controlled portions, but you will be getting much better health benefits from whole-grain, brown rice, than processed white rice.
Health Benefits Of Brown Rice
Aside from the germ, bran, and endosperm, there are lots of other health benefits that come with eating brown rice.
Bran and germ, which are the two outer layers of brown rice, contain most of the vitamins and minerals in the grain, and when you eat other more processed forms of rice, you miss out on these nutritional benefits.
Because brown rice is not processed, this by default makes it a lot more healthy than white rice and in turn, makes it more healthy.
If you want to learn a bit more about the health benefits of brown rice, read on to find out more about them. Some of these health benefits may surprise you!
Improves Heart Health
Because there are so many nutrients found in brown rice, this actually means that it is a fantastic food source for improving heart health. It is an incredibly rich source of dietary fiber, which in turn can help reduce the risk of heart disease.
Brown rice is also known for containing high levels of magnesium, which is beneficial in keeping you protected and less vulnerable against things like heart disease and strokes.
In general, studies have shown that eating whole grains regularly may reduce your risk of heart disease by up to 22%.
Reduces Risk Of Diabetes
Brown rice is known for containing a low glycemic index (GI), which means that it will not cause your blood sugar to spike after you have eaten. This is incredibly beneficial to anyone who suffers from diabetes, and it means you can eat brown rice without running the risk of compromising your health.
In comparison, white rice is not really that suitable for people who suffer from diabetes. White risk has been proven to increase your risk of developing diabetes a lot more than brown rice.
This does not mean that you can’t eat white rice however, it just means that brown rice has less of a risk.
Helps Weight Control
Another health benefit of brown rice is that it actually helps in regards to weight control. Whether you are overweight or you just want to regulate your weight a bit, incorporating brown rice regularly into your diet can drastically help you.
This is because brown rice has a higher fiber content than white rice. When food is higher in fiber, it will cause you to feel fuller for longer, which will stop you from snacking or eating extra food and calories that your body does not need.
Replacing white rice with brown rice will help you reduce your portion size and the amount you are eating in one day because you will feel fuller for longer and you won’t feel hungrier when eating less.
How To Cook Brown Rice
If you have never cooked brown rice before and you are considering making the switch, then you might be wondering if there are some differences in cooking it. Cooking brown rice is actually incredibly simple and straightforward, and it isn’t too different from cooking white rice.
But just to help you out a bit, follow these instructions to cook brown rice for yourself!
- First, rinse the brown rice in cool water.
- Add the rice to a pot and make sure to use about 1 ½ cups of water for every cup of dry brown rice.
- Bring the water in the pot to a boil.
- Now, reduce the heat and cover the pot.
- Allow your brown rice to simmer and leave it on the heat for 20 minutes.
- Remove it from the heat and let it sit for another 10 minutes.
- Your brown rice should now be ready to serve!
It’s incredibly simple and straightforward, and the preparation and cooking time is almost exactly the same as it is for white rice. Swapping out white rice for brown rice will not be too much of an adjustment and it won’t take you long to get used to it.
Brown rice can be used in pretty much any dish you would make with white rice as well, so when making a dish that calls for white rice, all you have to do is replace it with brown rice.
It is great for diets of all kinds, and it’s actually a lot more inclusive than white rice. Remember, white rice is usually processed, whereas brown rice isn’t, and this is a massive health benefit!
Conclusion
All in all, brown rice is considered to be healthy and good for you. It contains germ, bran, and endosperm which are jampacked with nutrients that your body needs, and you can’t get them all with white rice.
Aside from this, brown rice is also great for reducing your risk of getting diabetes, it helps with weight control, and it also improves your heart health.
Overall, switching from white rice to brown rice is incredibly beneficial to your health and it’s not a rough transition at all. If you are considering switching from white rice to brown rice, then you definitely should consider it!
