Receta Brown Rice or White Rice
A staple food for the major parts of the world’s population – Rice is one of the most popular and ancient grain available to mankind. And people of many underdeveloped countries are surviving only on rice, eating the same for all the three meals!
A life giving and wonder grain Rice has undergone many changes since early man discovered it. There are now numerous varieties of rice available in the market.
White rice, yellow rice, round rice, sticky rice, brown rice, Basmati rice and even green rice is there in some places.
But not all the rice get and cook are healthy.
Milling and processing have taken away all the nutrients with it, leaving us rice with empty calories, devoid of many essential nutrients.
WHOLEGRAIN
Components of a wholegrain
A wholegrain consists of all the three parts- bran, germ and endosperm intact, thus making it a power factory of nutrients. Oats, barley, corn, millet, Ragi, sorgam, wheat and Brown rice are some of the wholegrain.
White rice and Maida (refined flour) which are processed from brown rice and whole-wheat respectively lose all the health benefits associated with the wholegrain.
Bran: The outer shell contains approximately 50-80 % of the minerals, fibers, vitamin B and phytochemicals.
Germ: Found just under the bran is a rich source of trace minerals, vitamin B & E and certain phytochemicals.
Endosperm: Is the innermost part of a wholegrain, is starchy in composition and contain most of the protein & carbohydrates.
Milling and grinding the wholegrain removes the outer most nutritive bran and leaving the white color rice which is only starch and simple carbohydrates with a few nutrients in it.
Courtesy: Wikipedia
Brown Rice: This is obtained after hulling and removing the husk from the paddy. It is highly nutritious and and have a nutty taste. It takes longer to cook than the white rice, and becomes mushy unlike the fluffy white rice. But this should nit be a deterrent to include this goldmine of health in our daily diet.
Brown rice has a very short shelf life. The oil present in the bran gets oxidized and makes it rancid. It can be stored up to 6 months in a clean and warm place.
Cooking method: It takes longer to cook than the white variety. To get the maximum benefits from this wholegrain, soak t for about 20 hours before cooking. This helps in starting the germination process in the grain thereby increasing the nutrients effectively.
Health benefits of Brown rice;
Brown rice with bran intact contain many minerals, fibers and vitamins as well.
Possess all the eight essential amino acids required for growth and development of our body.
It has low Glycemic Index, which makes it longer to digest thereby releasing the sugar in the blood at a much slower rate.
Dietary fibers in it help reduce weight and lower the LDL counts.
It is an excellent source of magnesium, a mineral known for reducing blood pressure.
Brown rice is rich in anti oxidants.
Prudent ways to adopt brown rice:
Add brown rice to the white rice and cook your normal rice dishes. This way you will get the flavors and nutrients both.
Make brown rice patties. Mix cooked brown rice with boiled potatoes and make patties for burger.
Grind it coarsely and make healthy porridge for breakfast.
Use the brown rice powder for baking cakes and cookies.
Add 1 tsp of oil while cooking the brown rice to get fluffy texture.
Brown rice makes a perfect Risotto and pilaf dishes.
Cold salads with brown rice and vegetables is a good health diet.
Include this wonderful wholegrain- brown rice in your daily diet and stay healthy.