Back in the 70s, everyone who cared about health ate brown rice, and frowned on the processed white rice as not worth eating. But that might not be so.
New research shows that everyone can improve their diets with white or brown rice eaten as part of their daily meals.
In a study published journal Food and Nutrition Sciences, a study at Baylor College of Medicine, looked at rice intake and diets among more than 14,000 US adults.
The results showed that adults who ate rice with servings of fruit, vegetables, meat and beans had diets more consistent with what is recommended in dietary guidelines.
Naturally free of gluten, rice is sodium free and has only a small amount of fat, of which none is saturated. Brown rice is a 100 percent whole grain food and white rice is enriched with important nutrients, including folic acid and iron. Brown rice is slightly higher in dietary fibre, magnesium and phosphorus, but lower in B vitamins and iron than enriched, fortified white rice. That would explain why both types are good for you.
In addition to the positive results in studies linking rice consumption with healthier diets, a human clinical trial found that having white or brown rice at a meal increased feelings of fullness.
And last of all, rice provides about 100 calories per half-cup cooked serving.
My husband and I used to eat rice regularly when we could afford high-end food. Lately, other vegetables have replaced it, mainly potato, which he mashes with swede, leeks and other vegetables to make a delicious accompaniment to chicken or fish. Now I know the benefits of rice, I'll make sure we eat more.