Healthy and Unpolished - Brown Rice
For
centuries, rice has been the part of the staple diet in India. Traditionally,
we eat dehusked rice, but with time, husked brown rice has gained popularity.
Brown rice is a healthier alternative to regular rice, mostly because of the
way in which it is processed. When regular white rice goes through processing,
the hull, bran, and germ are removed, whereas when brown rice goes through
processing, only the hull is removed, while the bran and germ are left behind.
The bran and germ are known to have nutritional properties and are also rich in
fibre. Therefore, brown rice is a much healthier option and is associated with
many health benefits: -
- Brown rice is a rich source of various bio active compounds, such as γ-oryzanol, tocopherol, tocotrienol, amino acids, dietary fibres and minerals.
- White rice is generally preferred over it, because cooking brown rice is rather difficult compared to white rice, due to its slow water absorption.
- The retention of the germ and the bran layers in the case of brown rice, contributes to its diverse nutritional content, including anti-oxidants. However, despite its high nutritional value, brown rice is consumed less than white rice mainly due to its appearance, longer cooking time, cost, limited availability and bioavailability.
- High levels of phenolics are also found to exist in the germ and bran layers.
- Since brown rice does not undergo any polishing or milling, these phenolics found in the germ and bran layers are easily preserved. Free phenolics are the most readily available for absorption in the small intestine.
- The high content of dietary fibre in brown rice also helps in decreasing the glycaemic index by regulating the absorption of glucose in the intestine.
For healthy brown rice recipe, click here:
The Wholesome Jar - Brown Rice in a Jar
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