Health Matters – An A to Z Guide to Good Health – R is for Rice

R is for rice the staple food for over half the people in the world.  It is thought that rice originated in southern Asia and is known to have been cultivated in India and China for more than 6500 years.

R is for Rice

Today rice production is more than 200 million tons each year and rice is eaten every single day in some countries. There are thousands of varieties of rice which are usually categorised as short grain, medium grain or long grain rice. I recommend “brown rice” which tends to be the whole grain with only the outer husk removed whilst white rice is milled and polished and often bleached.

The process of refining and polishing rice which removes the outer bran layer still retains most of the nutrients but often the rice is bleached, cleaned, pearled (polished with talc) and coated with oil, which may enhance the flavour but unfortunately removes much of its nutrient value.

Macrobiotic diets and many natural food diets recommend whole, or “brown rice” as a main part of the diet because of its health benefits. Brown rice contains protein, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc manganese and some B vitamins and is a useful source of fibre.

The following are popular types of rice:

🍚 Arborio – a medium grain, absorbent rice used to make risotto.

🍚 Basmati – Long grain rice which is aromatic and usually used in Indian dishes. It has a delicate flavour and has been described as the prince of rice.

🍚 Brown rice (whole grain rice) – has a nutty flavour and contains more vitamins minerals and fibre.

🍚 Pudding rice – a short grain rice which is more glutenous and the rice sticks together when cooked making it ideal for creamy puddings.

I often talk about the importance of variety in our diets so why not give brown rice a try; it tastes really good and is a whole food which helps maintain energy levels while providing important vitamins, minerals and fibre.

Live with joy and health. 💚

Elizabeth Beetham

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