Benefits of Natural Foods - Nutrition

Rice Consumption Facts
Rice is an ancient cereal grain that nourishes two-thirds of the world's population, and provides 20% of the world's dietary energy supply. Of the 40,000 different varieties, more than 100 grow world-wide, but only around 10% are marketed and sold.

Rice Nutrition Facts
Rice is an excellent source of energy, especially energy-giving carbohydrates, which are used in the body for brain performance, physical activity, bodily functions and everyday growth and repair. After carbohydrate, protein is the second most abundant constituent of rice. When compared to that of other grains, rice protein is considered one of the highest quality proteins. Rice is low in fat, and cholesterol free, and contains negligible amounts of sodium, with less than 5mg sodium per 100g serve. It is therefore a super food for those who need to watch their salt intake.
Both white and brown varieties of rice contain essential vitamins and minerals, including B-group vitamins (e.g. thiamin, niacin) zinc and phosphorus. Rice is gluten free and the most non-allergenic of all grains. Brown rice contains natural oils in the bran, so it has a shorter shelf life than white rice. It's best to refrigerate or freeze brown rice to extend its shelf life. To retain nutrients, do not rinse rice under water before or after cooking.

Why Brown Rice Is One Of The Worlds Most Nutritious Foods
The difference between brown rice and white rice is not just color! A whole grain of rice has several layers. Only the outermost layer, the hull, is removed to produce what we call brown rice. This process is the least damaging to the nutritional value of the rice and avoids the unnecessary loss of nutrients that occurs with further processing. If brown rice is further milled to remove the bran and most of the germ layer, the result is a whiter rice, but also a rice that has lost many more nutrients. At this point, however, the rice is still unpolished, and it takes polishing to produce the white rice we are used to seeing. Polishing removes the aleurone layer of the grain-a layer filled with health-supportive, essential fats. Because these fats, once exposed to air by the refining process, are highly susceptible to oxidation, this layer is removed to extend the shelf life of the product. The resulting white rice is simply a refined starch that is largely bereft of its original nutrients.

Brown rice as an excellent source of manganese, and a good source of the minerals selenium and magnesium. The complete milling and polishing that converts brown rice into white rice destroys 67% of the vitamin B3, 80% of the vitamin B1, 90% of the vitamin B6, half of the manganese, half of the phosphorus, 60% of the iron, and all of the dietary fiber and essential fatty acids.

Manganese-Energy Production and Antioxidant Protection
Just one cup of brown rice will provide you with 88.0% of the daily value for manganese. This trace mineral helps produce energy from protein and carbohydrates and is involved in the synthesis of fatty acids, which are important for a healthy nervous system, and in the production of cholesterol, which is used by the body to produce sex hormones. Manganese is also a critical component of a very important antioxidant enzyme called superoxide dismutase. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is found inside the body's mitochondria (the oxygen-based energy factories inside most of our cells) where it provides protection against damage from the free radicals produced during energy production.

Women Who Eat Whole Grains Weigh LESS !
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published study underscores the importance of choosing whole grains such as brown rice rather than refined grain, i.e., white rice, to maintain a healthy body weight. In this Harvard Medical School / Brigham and Women's Hospital study, which collected data on over 74,000 female nurses aged 38-63 years over a 12 year period, weight gain was inversely associated with the intake of high-fiber, whole-grain foods but positively related to the intake of refined-grain foods. Not only did women who consumed more whole grains consistently weigh less than those who ate less of these fiber-rich foods, but those consuming the most dietary fiber from whole grains were 49% less likely to gain weight compared to those eating foods made from refined grains.

Brown Rice is Rich in Selenium and Fibre
For people worried about colon cancer risk, brown rice packs a double punch by being a concentrated source of the fibre needed to minimize the amount of time cancer-causing substances spend in contact with colon cells, and being a very good source of selenium, a trace mineral that has been shown to substantially reduce the risk of colon cancer.
In addition to supplying 14.0% of the daily value for fibre, a cup of cooked brown rice provides 27.3% of the DV for selenium, an important benefit since many people do not get enough selenium in their diets, yet this trace mineral is of fundamental importance to human health. Selenium is an essential component of several major metabolic pathways, including thyroid hormone metabolism, antioxidant defense systems, and immune function.

Accumulated evidence from prospective studies, intervention trials and studies on animal models of cancer has suggested a strong inverse correlation between selenium intake and cancer incidence. Several mechanisms have been suggested to explain the cancer-preventive activities of selenium. Selenium has been shown to induce DNA repair and synthesis in damaged cells, and to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells.

Not only does selenium play a critical role in cancer prevention as a cofactor of glutathione peroxidase, selenium also works with vitamin E in numerous other vital antioxidant systems throughout the body. These powerful antioxidant actions make selenium helpful in the prevention not only of cancer, but also of heart disease, and for decreasing the symptoms of asthma and the pain and inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis.

Lower Cholestrol with Whole Brown Rice
Here's yet another reason to rely on whole foods, such as brown rice for your healthy way of eating. The oil in whole brown rice lowers cholesterol. A study at Louisiana State University evaluated the effects of rice bran and rice bran oil on cholesterol levels in volunteers with moderately elevated cholesterol levels, they found that rice bran oil lowered their LDL (bad) cholesterol. The study was divided into two parts. First, 26 subjects ate a diet including 13-22g of dietary fiber each day for three weeks, after which 13 switched to a diet that added defatted rice bran to double their fiber intake for five weeks. In the second part of the study, a randomized crossover trial, 14 subjects ate a diet with rice bran oil for 10 weeks.

While the diet including only defatted rice bran did not lower cholesterol, the one containing rice bran oil lowered LDL cholesterol by 7%. Since all the diets contained similar fatty acids, the researchers concluded that the reduction in cholesterol seen in those receiving rice bran oil must have been due to other constituents found in rice bran oil. The scientists suggest that the unsaponifiables present in rice bran oil could become important functional foods for cardiovascular health. But why extract just one beneficial compound from brown rice when you can reap all the cardioprotective benefits supplied by the matrix of nutrients naturally present in this delicious whole food? In addition to unsaponifiables, this whole grain also supplies hefty doses of heart-healthy fiber, magnesium, and B vitamins.

In conclusion there's only one thing to say, for better health:-
" EAT MORE BROWN RICE "

Method 1
Cooking brown rice needs a little more care for maximum nutrition. Unlike white rice, brown rice still has mineral-rich layers of bran - the extra thickness means that brown rice takes longer to cook

The most popular way of cooking brown rice is simply to bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and add the required quantity of brown rice while the water is boiling. The water will cease boiling so one needs to keep the saucepan on high heat until the water starts to boil again. Stir to make sure the grains are separated nicely, and lower the heat so the contents are simmering briskly.

After 25 to 30 minutes the rice is cooked ! Simply drain the rice through a strainer and use Some people like to rinse the rice with hot water, but most researchers do not advise that because there is a loss of nutrients.
ENJOY the lovely nutty flavour ! For extra flavor, try cooking the rice in vegetable or chicken broth instead of water. Click on the saucepan photo to view a high quality stainless steel saucepan with a glass lid and a copper base.

Method 2

This method requires a little more time [ about 2 hours ] and has a delightful result. All one needs is Brown Rice and a medium sized saucepan with a lid. It's also very easy.:-

Soak 1 cup of brown rice for 1 hour and drain .Then add the rice to a medium-sized saucepan and cook, uncovered, on medium-high heat until the rice is dry (2 - 3 minutes).
While dry cooking the rice, bring a kettle of water to a boil. Add 2 - 2 1/2 cups boiling water to the rice and wait for the water to return to a full boil.
When the water has returned to a full boil, turn the heat down to medium-low range Cover and cook the rice until the water is fully absorbed (about 40 minutes).
Do not stir the rice. Remove the rice from the heat, and let sit, still covered, for at least 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve. Sometimes one needs to cook a large quantity of brown rice and a saucepan or stockpot with 2 handles can be a real blessing.
Click on the photo to view the stockpot

Method 3

It takes about 35 minutes from when you start to when you're eating (which is pretty good for brown rice).
This method works for both short grain and long grain brown rice.

Put brown rice and water together in a pot with a lid. Use the ratio of 1.5 cups water to 1 cup rice. I normally make 3 cups of rice with 4.5cups of water for a single batch.Set the heat to maximum, and bring the rice/water to a boil uncovered. Then put the lid on the pot, and reduce the heat to low/simmer.

If your lid has a steam valve, keep it closed. Let the rice simmer for 20 minutes.Turn off the heat, and let the rice sit in the covered pot for another 10 minutes. Longer than 10 minutes is OK (20 or 30 minutes is fine too), but don't let it go any less. I prefer my rice to be slightly chewy, so I usually remove the lid after 10 minutes. Eat and enjoy.

Method 4
By using a 3 tiered cooker on your stove with water in the bottom and rice in the 2nd tier, simply steam the rice for about 30 minutes or until it has the texture desired. The real bonus is by using the 3rd tier for vegetables for a shorter time, the rice acquires some of the vegetable flavour, and if well timed, both rice and vegetables are ready at the same time, saving on energy for cooking. I have used steaming as my preferred vegetable cooking method for over 40 years and love the bonus of extra flavour, better nutrition, and energy saving.
Click here to view the Sabichi 3 Tiered Steamer
Sabichi 18cm 3 Tier Steamer

Remember ! EAT MORE BROWN RICE !

_________________________________________________________________

So far we have been discussing brown rice cooking using the standard kitchen utensils of saucepans or big pots. However, there is a preferred cooking method using modern, easy to use, electric rice cookers. The " Tiger " brand is highly regarded by many users, and they have several models from which to choose. More to follow soon
__________________