Is Brown Rice really better than White Rice?
Posted on | June 15, 2010 | 1 Comment
A new study in the United States has linked eating white rice with an increased risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes.
Harvard School of Public Health examined data from over 197,000 adults for up to 22 years and found that people who ate at least 5 servings of white rice per week had a 17% greater risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes than those who consumed less than 1 serving per month. They also found consuming 2 or more servings of brown rice per week was associated with an 11% lower risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes than those who ate less than one serving a month.
That basically means that brown is definitely better than white – and can actually lower your risk of developing Diabetes.
All carbohydrates are broken down and converted to glucose (sugar). This sugar then circulates in the blood and travels to cells around the body that use the glucose for energy to survive. White rice is considered a refined carbohydrate as it loses most of its nutrients, bran and germ during its manufacturing process. However brown rice retains the bran and germ (its most important sources of fibre and nutrients), has more fibre, minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals than white rice. This makes it slowly digested which does not cause blood sugar levels to spike as much as the white rice does.
The type and amount of carbohydrates eaten are closely linked to Diabetes. Diabetes is a condition where sugar cannot be removed from the blood stream and taken into the cells. This is due to the body’s inability to produce or respond to Insulin. The first method of action to deal with Type 2 Diabetes is to change the diet, increase protein, reduce carbohydrates, remove sugar, have more whole grains and lose weight. This is one of the first studies to be published that links eating white rice with causing Diabetes.
The problem with Singapore and most asian countries is that rice is part of the staple diet and white rice is the preferred choice. So there is some good news! The research suggests that by replacing just 1/3 of a typical daily consumption of white rice with the same amount of brown rice would lower the risk of Type 2 Diabetes by 16%. So a small sacrifice will be very beneficial. Furthermore, if you could replace white rice with other whole grains, such as barley and whole wheat, could reduce risk of the disease by 36%
So for a small sacrifice – choose brown rice over white rice. It will make you feel full for longer, should reduce your sugar cravings and can help to lower the risk of Type 2 Diabetes. And the biggest factor to consider is portion size. The correct portion of rice for an adult is about the size of your fist (or half a cup if you can measure)
Enjoy – and always remember – You are what you eat!
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June 15th, 2010 @ 11:05 pm
Then what about red rice…!?
..Are they as healthy compared to brown rice..!?