Medical Reviewed by Ashwathy V. Pillai, Postgraduate Degree in Dietetics & Applied Nutrition
A large number of fitness-enthusiasts swear by brown rice and can’t thank their mentors and knowledge sources for routing them to use brown rice instead of its white counterpart.
Even while we Indians choose our diets carefully, it becomes really really difficult for us to stay away from our staples which are rice and wheat.
So what could be better if we had an option to gorge on our rice without any guilt?
And that is exactly where brown rice comes into the picture. It is a versatile ingredient which can be converted into an array of healthy snacks as well.
Table of Contents
- The Brown rice to control diabetes
- A Brown rice maintains bone health
- Brown rice maintains heart health
- Eat brown rice to lose weight
- Brown rice reduce cholesterol
- The Brown rice keeps you energized
- A Brown rice prevents gallstone
Brown Rice – a whole grain, comes across as a much healthier and tastier option that is full of nutrition.
Its intact outer layer of bran and germ is what provides brown rice with its high content of fiber, minerals, and vitamins.
Apart from this, the fact that it is not exposed to rigorous polishing and refining like what white rice goes through, brown rice is able to retain its nutritional value.
There is no denying the fact that our day-to-day Indian meals are incomplete without rice and this gives you all the more reason to go for an alternative, which does not deny you your beloved rice while giving you your daily dose of nutrition.
So even if you are on a regulated diet, going rice-free is not a viable option. So what you need to do is just swap your white rice with brown rice the next time you visit the supermarket.
And if reading this does not convince you enough to make brown rice part of your diet, we have got 8 scientifically proven health benefits of brown rice just for you.
1. Use Brown Rice To Control Diabetes
Given that brown rice is rich in fiber and magnesium, it makes it a natural blood sugar controller.
Two of those nutrients are fiber and magnesium – both of which have been shown to regulate blood sugar.
Studies say that replacing all the white rice with brown rice reduces the risk of diabetes by 16%. Replacing rice with other grains reduces diabetes risk by 36%.
Also, it is best to serve brown rice with beans and veggies which are high on fibre and have little effect on blood sugar, which leaves potatoes completely out of the league [1].
2. Brown Rice Maintains Bone Health
The fact that brown rice is rich in calcium and magnesium makes it highly beneficial for your bone health.
A cup of brown rice gives you 21.0% of your daily requirement of magnesium [2].
3. Maintain Your Heart Health – Use Brown Rice
Brown rice contains selenium which is known to be heart-friendly.
Consumption of brown rice helps in preventing blockage of arteries along with avoiding the risk of heart ailments like hypertension and vascular diseases [3]
4. Want To Lose Weight? Eat Brown Rice
Brown rice includes manganese and phosphorus, which are vital for controlling obesity.
Also, the high content of fiber in brown rice keeps you full for a longer time and keeps you away from untimely food cravings [5].
Want to add a dash of protein along with some serious taste into your brown rice? Try this Brown Rice Chicken Biryani recipe!
5. Brown Rice Reduces Cholesterol
The nature of oil and fiber present in brown rice is known to reduce the LDL cholesterol in our body, which naturally makes brown rice on the healthiest ingredients to be included in your diet [6].
6. Brown Rice Keeps You Energized
It is not just like that that brown rice is considered one of the superfoods. The magnesium content in brown rice helps in boosting energy [7].
7. Brown Rice Prevents Occurrence of Gallstones
Brown rice is high in insoluble fiber and thus can prevent the risk of developing gallstones.
A study, published in the American-Eurasian Journal of Agronomy 2 tells us why brown rice should be considered a superfood and also compares the nutritional value of brown rice vs white rice [8].
If you are facing digestion issues, try this healthy Brown Rice Khichdi recipe.
So this was all we have to tell you about the health benefits of brown rice.
So get going and make yourself interesting dishes from the versatile brown rice.
Seeking more information on health and nutrition? Our Possible Nutritionists are there for you. The first consultation is on us.
Does brown rice helps to reduce LDL cholesterol?
Hi Abhi! Brown rice will not help you in reduce LDL cholesterol. It is a whole grain, that contains bran and germ, which provides fiber, several vitamins and minerals, when you replaced grains with brown rice it helps to reduce the weight.