“I can’t have rice! The carbs! I can’t have all those carbs!”
I am sure this thought has crossed your mind countless times as you sit down at that Thai or Indian restaurant, especially if you are trying to lose weight. And if you were about to devour a big bowl of steaming white rice, I would agree wholeheartedly. But brown rice is a completely different story. It’s nutritional value is pretty remarkable, and we need to reconsider our thought process on this one.
As compared to white rice, brown rice is not processed, as it retains the side hull and the bran. Surprisingly, not only does the side hull and bran make the rice easier to digest, it offers more to this grain by helping to retain its protein, fiber, thiamine, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. When it comes to managing your weight, the two biggest benefits of brown rice are its benefits in protein and fiber.
One cup of brown rice offers 5g of protein! And when you couple that with beans, you get a dish that is composed with all the amino acids necessary for human health. It’s no surprise that almost every culture offers a beans with rice dish in their cuisine!
Fiber has been getting a lot of buzz lately. Why? Because fiber is key in weight loss due to its importance in bowel regularity. A cup of brown rice offers 14% of the recommended daily intake of fiber for an adult. This fiber keeps you ‘going’ and makes ‘going’ easier, and it also gives you that ‘full’ sensation so that you don’t overeat.
As a first generation Indian, I grew up eating white rice with dal, rasam, sambar; and eating piles of it at every meal. It’s no surprise that I have a family history of type 2 diabetes! But brown rice can be boring – it takes longer to cook, and it isn’t as fluffy and as tasty as white rice. So, spice it up and keep it interesting! Try our Indian-Scented Brown Rice with your next meal and you won’t be disappointed!
Data sourced from:
http://www.vegkitchen.com/tips/10-reasons-why-brown-rice-is-the-healthy-choice/
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/07/12/brown-rice-vs-quinoa_n_3587555.html