A recent Harvard study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine has a lot of people re-thinking preferences for white and brown rice.
The study not only showed that brown grain rice helps reduce the risk of developing diabetes but that white rice increases the risk of developing the disease.
While the new study isn’t the first to highlight the fact that not all rice is healthy rice, the Harvard study is among the first to focus specifically on consumption of rice in the United States.
Even healthy rice enthusiasts might not realize that all rice starts out as brown. Brown grain rice is simply white rice before the grain has been stripped of its natural covering that holds much of the grain’s nutritional benefits.
The husk is what makes brown grain rice a good source of insoluble fiber. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people consume around 28 grams of dietary fiber each day.
Insoluble fiber helps move food through the digestive system and may lower
colon cancer risks.
It’s not only fiber that is lost when brown grain is refined into white. Vitamins, minerals, Phytic Acid and Phytoestrogens are diminished as well. Parboiled rice, which is rice that is partially boiled in the bran covering, retains some of brown rice’s benefits.
The Harvard researchers believe that the loss of nutrients and fiber as well as the differences in glycemic indexes in brown grain and white grain are what increase the risk of diabetes. The glycemic index, which measures how food raises glucose levels, is higher in white than in brown. Food with high glucose levels can make people feel hungrier too. Eating brown grain rice helps people feel fuller longer, and that can help with weight loss plans.
However, many people prefer white rice because it is more affordable, takes less time to cook and suits their taste preferences. Some find that brown grain is more challenging to prepare as well.
Using parboiled white rice such as Uncle Ben brand is a common option as parboiled rice has a consistency that many people prefer and cooks faster than brown. The right rice cooker, however, can sway people over to brown rice by cooking the grain to the perfect texture every time, all without fuss and muss.
Zojirushi, one of the premier Japanese manufacturers of rice cookers, makes a variety of rice cookers that receive high marks for quality by both expert and consumer reviews. The 10-cup Zojirushi NP-HTC10 model is one of the most popular, as is the 18-cup version, the NP-HTC18.
Both use a combination of induction and pressurized cooking to produce rice that has a soft, even consistency. They have three settings for brown grain rice to ensure that the texture meets personal preferences every time.
The Zojirushi NP-HTC models, while considered some of the best rice cookers on the market, may be too expensive for some consumers, so for folks who want an affordable option, or for those who only eat rice occasionally, Zojirushi has inexpensive models as well.
The Zojirushi NS-NCC10 model uses a microprocessor known as “fuzzy logic” that automatically senses when the rice is done. This model cooks brown grain rice to a consistency that white-rice enthusiasts typically prefer, making it a good, affordable choice for adding healthy rice into the diet.
So when it comes to white rice versus brown rice, hopefully this article inspired folks to make the switch and consume a grain that offers higher health benefits and also help reduce the risk of some health ailments.
Article provided by Matthew L. Co-creator of Rice Cooker Guide.com, an online resource reviewing and comparing many popular rice cooker brands & models.
