Brown Rice

Brown rice… it sure ain’t pretty, but it’s pretty good for you! When switching over to a healthier diet for my family, one of the easiest transitions we made was from white to brown rice. There’s not much of a difference in cost, which makes it an easy monetary switch for those of you who, like me, or on a tight grocery budget. Regarding taste and texture, my personal opinion is that any difference is an improvement rather than a detraction. I find brown rice to be much more flavorful than white rice (which can be rather bland, depending on how it’s fixed), and it has more of a chewy texture with a lot more oomph to it than the typical white rice fluff.

Although there’s some disagreement on this topic in certain circles, I personally believe strongly that brown rice is definitely healthier than white rice, mostly because it retains a lot more nutrients. I found an interesting chart detailing the nutrient comparison between white and brown rice, which clearly shows that brown rice is superior in almost every way.

It’s no surprise first of all, that brown rice has much more fiber, which is actually the reason why some shy away from it. I think the vast majority of Americans, though, can benefit from additional dietary fiber, and those who would be negatively affected by it are likely very few.

In addition to the fiber, you’ll note that brown rice has significantly larger portions of every documented mineral except calcium! We’re talking two or three times as much in some cases. Perhaps if you have limited calcium in your diet (if you’re dairy-free, for example), you might consider eating white rice more frequently, but otherwise, the brown rice has a lot more to offer in terms of minerals. Brown rice is particularly rich in the following minerals:

• Magnesium
• Phosphorus
• Potassium
• Zinc
• Manganese
• Selenium

One note: if you look at the chart closely, you’ll see that certain kinds of rice are high in iron and folic acid. Those particular types of rice have all been enriched, meaning that those minerals are synthetic and won’t be completely absorbed by your body, and are therefore not very effective.

Brown rice has more vitamins than regular white rice, as well, especially the following:

• Thiamin
• Niacin
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin E

Brown rice also retains all the fatty acids found in rice, and those fatty acids have been shown to help reduce bad cholesterol (LDL). In white rice, those fatty acids have been virtually demolished, and are not retained in levels high enough to affect cholesterol positively.

I have personal reasons for choosing brown rice, as well. As you know if you have followed this blog for any length of time, my DH has ulcerative colitis, which means that he is at increased risk for colon cancer. Studies suggest that the high levels of selenium in brown rice may help prevent colon cancer. Colon cancer scares me to pieces, and I’d like to keep that guy around for as long as possible, so brown rice it is!

Beyond all that, a quick glance at the culture and history of rice reveals that for centuries, it has been a staple in people’s diets all around the world. For someone like myself who tends to consider traditional diets as generally much healthier than the contemporary American diet, this is significant. Despite the fact that it is a grain and “carb”, which are getting bad raps in the health food circles these days, I believe that brown rice is a time-tested and proven element of a healthy diet.

Now here’s the question: what do you do with brown rice?

The answer is simple: the same thing you do with white rice! The only difference is that it takes much longer to cook, and needs more water. Otherwise, you can use it in all the same dishes you use white rice:

• Rice Pudding
• Casseroles
• Pilaf
• Seasoned Rice

Here are a few of my favorite rice recipes that I’ve come to rely on:

Savory Cinnamon Rice (sorry, no picture)

Springtime Chicken and Rice Casserole

Brown Rice Risotto with Acorn Squash

Brown Rice Pilaf

And if you’d like to try your hand at brown rice flour, a popular gluten-free flour, check out my super simple recipe for Gingersnaps. You’ll never be able to tell there’s no wheat flour!

Do you use white or brown rice? And what is your favorite recipe?