A bowl of boiled rice is worth an addition to your weekly diet. If you have this constant questioning in mind, “Is rice healthy?” Then, consider 3.5 billion Asian people with rice as their staple food.
Give a thought: Why those Asians consume rice but still have a lower risk of diabetes?
The Myth About Rice
Rice is largely believed to be an oppressor to our health. It’s widely linked to type 2 diabetes mellitus.
In his Perfect Health Diet, Paul Jaminet states white rice as a safe carb consumption. From his standpoint, the co-relation of diabetes and white rice is inversely proportional.
The series of charts in the study clearly shows how the rice consumption graph rises, while the diabetes incidence sinks.
Concluding a cogent argument from his findings: people in Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, and Bangladesh are the greatest consumers of rice and the least affected people with diabetes.
The fasting blood sugar level exceeding a threshold of 126mg/dl is diagnosed with diabetes. So, only diabetic patients having carb intakes more than 40% of energy will have increased level of fasting blood glucose. Although, this doesn’t hold true in the pre-diabetic condition.
Asians are Regular Rice Eater, Yet Surprisingly Slim and Smart
Obesity is an epidemic in America. Obesity is rarely a problem in Asia.
It’s not just the Asian genes that make them thin, it’s their diet that also counts. Rice is a soul of a regular Asian meal. Asians are obsessed with rice-based dishes. Their cuisines are rich in the variety of signature rice recipes. Since, Asians have a highly active lifestyle, their dietary food, rice, works as an excellent source of replenishing glycogen. This contributes to their lean structure; a result of fats’ burnout and good glycogen storage.
Key Takeaway: It’s recommended for fitness-minded folks to incorporate rice into their regular diet to avoid muscle loss during fats-burning workout.
Whole Grain Rice aka Brown Rice
A whole grain rice has three major constituents.
- Bran: A protective outer layer
- Endosperm: The largest constituent containing carbs and some traces of protein.
- Germ: A small core containing a package of carbs, protein, mineral, vitamins, anti-oxidants, and healthy fats
Brown rice, an intact whole grain source of these constituents has numerous note-worthy benefits.
-
It Combats Obesity
It has been identified by researchers that the rice is associated with lower risk of obesity and decreased rate of weight gain. Rice’s lipolytic activity and its ability to induce mild anti-appetite potency are the major activists of anti-obesity effects.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition claims an inverse relation between whole grain rice consumption and body mass index (BMI).
People with high whole grain intake are spared from increasing weight gain dilemma, whereas their counterparts with insufficient intake of whole grain diet suffer from accelerating weight gain problem.
-
It Resists High Blood Pressure.
Unchecked high blood pressure can transform into an alarming health adversity as the walls of artery harden, resulting in our heart being forced to pump blood harder and harder.
To defend our body against this widespread health issue, a healthy diet is more than ever required. It’s not an option now. It’s mandatory. Our body’s need for regulated blood pressure can be settled through the incorporation of food items having high fiber and diets rich in potassium.
And brown rice is a perfect solution for this problem. The dietary fiber derived from rice bran, allied together with essential mineral namely, potassium, resists any potential risk of hypertension.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition justifies the crucial role of whole grain rice in regulating blood pressure by giving statistical data: those with four daily servings of rice were 23% less likely to suffer from hypertension as opposed to those taking a one-and-half serving of rice on daily basis.
-
It Prevents Coronary Heart Disease
The International Food Research Journal indicates, a reduction in coronary heart disease (CHD) resulting from increased brown rice ingestion, in its analytical study. Simultaneously, the journal mentions that rice cuts down 26% of our chances of getting CHD.
Coronary heart disease is atherosclerosis, a build-up of plaque (cholesterol) in cardiovascular arteries which gradually strangles the blood supply to the heart and narrows the blood’s passage-way over time.
A sub-aleurone layer of is of great health benefit. It is a vital agent fighting against an endocrine protein, Angiotensin II, held guilty of causing high blood pressure and plaque build-up in the walls of blood vessels.
-
It Derails Cancer Development
A publication, named, Advance in Nutrition, stresses upon significant health benefits of rice against any threats of liver, lung, breast, and colorectal cancer.
The highly effective anticancer agents, such as ferulic acid, ẞ-sitosterol, phytic acid and ϒ-oryzanol, suppresses cell multiplication and remould cell cycle propagation in malignant cell. They are apt at stimulating anticancer immunity and protecting against tissue damage.
-
It Lowers High Cholesterol Level
Rice bran is an enriched source for efficiently keeping in check our blood cholesterol level. It helps in minimizing cholesterol level in a very healthy manner, all thanks to its fiber which naturally attaches itself to cholesterol during the processing of our digestive system.
It would be biologically sound to label rice as a cereal grain free of gluten yet go-to carbs for many people across the globe. This amazing starchy grain is perfect for its nutritional properties. For those serious in their attempt to achieve optimal health benefits, rice is a full-filling weekly food item.