Do you know the properties of rice? Thanks to its affordable price and versatility, rice is undeniably the most popular grain on the planet.
Available in many shapes, colours and sizes, rice is a staple in millions of diets around the world, probably yours too.
Contents
Which variety is healthier?
This is important: all rice varieties are not as nutritious. Although white rice is the most consumed, according to research, the healthiest rice variety is brown. But why is it advisable to replace white rice with brown rice? Very simple: because it is a whole grain, while white rice is a refined grain.
Because it maintains all parts of the grain, brown rice is the one that provides the most essential nutrients: fiber and a good number of vitamins and minerals. For its part, white rice is stripped of the most nutritious parts, which greatly reduces its properties if compared to wholemeal.
Consequently, brown rice is a great source of fiber, vitamins and other interesting nutrients for the proper functioning of your body. If you need to eat more whole grains (one of many people’s to-do), brown rice is undoubtedly one of the best options. This will reduce the risk of diabetes (but eye because abusing white rice has just the opposite effect), heart disease, cancer and obesity.
What is rice made up of?
Knowing the composition of rice will help you understand what nutrients it provides and in what quantities should be served. As a result, you will be able to give your diet the best possible role and thus make the most of the properties of rice.
Carbohydrates
It is not because of the chance that after eating rice you always feel more energetic: rice is one of those energetic foods. The reason is that rice is mainly composed of carbohydrates. Instead, unlike other foods rich in carbohydrates, rice practically does not provide fat. However, in order not to get fat, it is appropriate to check the quantities.
Proteins
It should be noted that eating rice will also help you in the task of meeting your daily protein needs, as it contains a small amount of this nutrient so important for the body.
How to get protein
Check out the article: Protein foods. Here you will find what you need to eat to get more protein.
Fibre
What is the state of your intestinal transit? If you need things to move more agile down there, brown rice is an ally to take into account due its contribution of fiber. 100 grams ofbrown rice offer you the opportunity to get almost 2 grams of fiber, interesting for transit but also for many other things, such as satiating the appetite of a more durable way.
If you prefer white rice, you are also getting fiber, but in much smaller quantities. 100 grams of white rice do not contain even half a gram of fiber in its composition.
Vitamins and minerals
Rice also puts its granite of sand to help you get the recommended daily amount of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. This food contains thiamine, niacin, vitamin B6, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and zinc. As expected, brown rice surpasses white rice also in this regard.
Beware of arsenic
So far the properties of rice, but it is also necessary to mention some drawbacks. First of all, rice tends to absorb more arsenic than other plants, and rinsing it does not make it disappear. Although it usually does not pose any problems, eating large amounts of this heavy metal for a long time is considered dangerous to health.
One of the associated risks is an increased likelihood of developing certain types of cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. It seems that boiling it with plenty of water (which should be thrown out later) would help eliminate a considerable amount of arsenic present in rice dishes. However, it does not serve to eliminate everything, and in addition, some vitamins and minerals may disappear.
But arsenic is not the only drawback of rice. It should also be mentioned antinutrients such as phytic acid. Antinutrients can prevent the body from absorbing certain nutrients. In the case of phytic acid, they are iron and zinc. But calm, its effects are virtually imperceptible unless you eat rice in every meal of the day for a long period of time, including both rice and products based on it (including rice milk and other products that integrate it into its formula).
In this regard, the winning variety is white rice, since higher amounts of arsenic and phytic acid have been found in the whole grain. Should you be worried? Depends. If you have a varied diet and eat rice in moderation, you don’t have to worry about arsenic or antinutrients that this popular food presents. What does it mean to eat rice in moderation? A few weekly rations shouldn’t cause you any problems.
Final word
White rice is not bad, in fact you can include it without any problems in your healthy diet. But if you are looking for calories to be accompanied by a remarkable number of nutrients, then you should bet on brown rice. And remember to consume it in moderation so as not to spend with calories, as well as the subject of arsenic and antinutrients.
