Benefits of Eating Rice and Interesting Facts About Eating Rice

By | November 24, 2008

Calories in Brown Rice and Healthy Weight Loss

Rice contributes to the same amount of calories, with respect to its wheat counterpart. It is the quantity of rice that matters most! There is a lot of misconception that eating wheat tortilla (chapattis) helps to reduce weight. Wheat contributes to some amount of fiber, which is negligible in rice. Rice is a commonly eaten grain, apart from wheat. Rice is a good source of complex carbohydrates and acts as a good source of protein alternatives for meat in a vegetarian diet. The increase in rice decreases the intake of meat in the Asian diet. This attributes for the decrease in saturated fats. Brown rice is highly beneficial, in comparison to white rice. It is an excellent source of manganese, B complex vitamins, selenium and magnesium, in addition to dietary fiber. Selenium acts as an antioxidant and reduces the probability of colon cancer, due to the dietary fiber. The association between whole grain and certain cancers are low. Brown rice consumption decreases the risk of cancer in the colon, throat, thyroid, pancreas, rectum, stomach, breast, liver, mouth and uterus.

Benefits of Rice Includes:

  • It is cost effective and easy to afford, for the whole family.
  • It is a versatile food, as it blends well with other foods and can be also eaten, as such.
  • It is easy to prepare and takes less time to cook, especially in a pressure cooker.

Rice does not contain preservatives or additives and has a good shelf life. Rice is free from gluten, which is a protein found in rye, wheat, oats and barley. It is not tolerated by many sensitive individuals. It is also a good source of energy and is devoid of cholesterol and salt. Resistant starch in rice helps in the growth and proliferation of healthy bacteria, thus helping in good bowel movement. The insoluble fiber in rice helps to provide relief from constipation.

Wheat bran causes sensitivity issues in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome. This is absent in the case of brown rice consumption. Research also reveals the effect of rice bran oil on the cholesterol levels. White rice is easily converted to simple sugars, with little usage of energy. This, in addition to sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits contributes to weight increase. Your intake of rice with the right exercise and proper lifestyle shall not result in gaining the extra pounds. Whole grains and whole wheat bread are better options for white polished rice.

Eating Rice

Food consumption is becoming an increasingly talked about topic considering the fact that almost half of the world seems to be under the blanket of obesity and the many dangers that extend from this condition. Unfortunately, not many people are aware of the many dangers that obesity brings along – apart from the fact that it affects the aesthetic appeal of the individual. This couldn’t be father from the truth as the medical implications of being obese are more important than the effect it has on one’s physical appearance. Some of the medical concerns that an overweight individual will have to contend with include some life threatening conditions including heart failure, chronic respiratory tract infections, cholesterol problems and blood pressure issues. There is also the very real issue of the significant amount of pain that one is going to experience as a result of the additional weight that his or her limbs are going to have to bear with every movement. While this joint pain is easy to bear initially, the joints become weak and weary after a bit of excessive strain and the ligaments are likely to start providing some cause for concern.

While some people can always blame factors out of their control such as genetics and hereditary, most cases will see the individuals blame their eating habits for the additional weight. An unhealthy diet coupled with a distinct lack of any real physical exercise is the most common recipe for the development of the disaster that is obesity. The busy lives that most of us lead in today’s fast paced world means that we generally tend to ignore the benefits of a nutritious and healthy meal for the convenience of fast food. However, although these foods are undeniably tasty they contain a significant amount of empty calories that play no other role in the human body apart from being converted into fat cells upon consumption. This added to the fact that we get relatively no physical exercise means that our bodies have no way of getting rid of all that excessive fat in the body – leading to a continuous and growing buildup that is termed as obesity.

Understanding the role that certain types of food play in your overall health will be a big boost to the kind of healthy living that you want to switch to. Rice is known to be one of the most healthy and traditional staple diets – as in the case of the oriental culture. Rice consumption has numerous benefits. Some of the health benefits of eating rice include providing the body with fast and almost instant energy, helping the body maintain proper and healthy bowel movements in addition to replenishing the bodies stock of essential vitamin B1. Some of the other, lesser known benefits of rice consumption include skin care, prevention of heart disease and dysentery. Given the fact that rice is also a very versatile food means that it can be consumed as a meal on its own, or combined with an assortment of other foods to create one big, nutritious meal. It is also a comparatively low cost food that is a regular staple diet in most developing and third world countries all over the world. Moreover, the fact that it can be cooked very easily, without the need for any elaborate cooking equipment means that it is easy as well as fast to prepare.

Some of the more interesting facts about rice include the fact that studies have shown that rice consumption all over the world appears to have increased by about 40% in the last 2 decades. Moreover, the fact that rice is low in fat and cholesterol free means that it automatically becomes one of the healthier natural food choices. The more important brown and white rice benefits include the fact that they contain abundant varieties of essential minerals and vitamins including some of the B group vitamins as well. However, one of the biggest and most distinctive differences between brown rice and white rice lie in the fact that the brown variety contains more fibre than the white variety because it retains the bran and germ that contain the majority portion of the vitamins and minerals. Rice is also completely gluten free and is considered to be one of the most non allergenic grains in the world. Despite most cooking styles demanding this technique to be used, rinsing the rice under water either before or after cooking tends to rob it of the natural nutrients that were part of its health benefits.

Some of the other extensive research shows that there are more than 40,000 different varieties of rice that can be found all over the world, although only about 10% of that portion is processed and marketed. People who have problems with obesity often want to ask the question “ does eating rice increase weight” and if it does then is eating rice good for you? Rice is a starchy food and so if it is eaten in excessive quantities, it will increase an individual’s weight. However, the simple answer to “is eating rice healthy” would be yes as eating a small quantity of rice on a regular basis will help to increase one’s intake of fiber as well as several other nutrients.

The fact is that it is proportionate to the amount of physical exercise that one gets. For instance, the Chinese and other oriental individuals tend to be rather skinny because of the fact that they are regularly physically engaged – as a result of martial arts or simply manual labor. These cultures are very different to the west where most of us tend to simply be over reliant on the television and Internet for our entertainment. At the end of the day, it is extremely important to make sure that you eat the right kinds of food as well as ensure that your body gets the right amount of exercise in order to burn of all the additional calories it puts on over the course of your regular day. Because obesity is such a common concern all over the world, you can always find information on it on the Internet as well as your local bookstore.