| Brown rice vs White rice |
Facts about white rice and brown rice
A Week's meal should have a mix of different grains whether it is ragi, rice, whole wheat, jowar, bajra and other millets like fox tail , kodo,etc ( was popular in our grandmother's days). Each grain has its unique property and you cannot pinpoint that this particular grain should be avoided. Nowadays we see many articles describing the goodness of each of these grains and sometimes it is absolutely confusing to the common man to select the appropriate type of grains for their family. So we tend to select the grain which is easily available and only if we know to use it in our recipes.
Let us come to the most popular grain-RICE. It is the most popular grain in South India. There are several varieties of rice starting from the regular Sona masoori rice , basmati rice to Jasmine rice of Thailand. In this post we shall read about the regular white rice and the recent popular type-Brown rice.
Rice is especially good for vata and pitta constitution according to Ayurveda and okay for moderate use for kapha. It is hydrophilous(retains water) and so may increase kapha if taken in large quantitites.In moderation, it is balancing to all the doshas. Plain rice is sweet and cooling in nature and that is why you can understand it is good for people living in hot climates as it is cooling to the body.
Rice has come in the bad books nowadays with many dieticians warning people from using rice in their meals. They write in the diet chart to completely avoid rice and only phulkas, broken wheat and other grains. Remember one thing, your genes are used to digest and assimilate this grain , then why do we hesitate. Choose the right variety , eat right, exercise well and see how your body blooms to super health. Were our ancestors not using this grain? Even diabetics can eat rice if the right type of rice is choosen and it accompanied with plenty of veggies, pulses and buttermilk to increase the alkalinity in the meal. Moderation is the key to healthy living and once we know when and how to eat this nutritious grain , then what is there to worry.
What kind of rice is best?
This is the question everyone wonders and confused too. Let us see in detail about white rice and brown rice before answering this question.
A grain should be full of nutrients, free of preservatives, easier to digest, versatile to use and beneficial for our cells .
White rice
It is rich in complex carbohydrates like starch and does not provide complete nutrition. Hence one needs to complement rice with something else in order to provide adequate nutrition to the body. White rice is easy to digest and light for your stomach. It can be broken down easily by our bodies and provides instant energy. That is why a sick person is given curd rice or kitchdi to ease the digestive system.
White rice is devoid of nutrients as the aleurone, bran layer of rice is removed and polished to give a smooth finish. Polishing decreases the health beneficial nutrients, and increases the rate (speed) of digestion and hence quickly raises the blood glucose (so a high glycemic index food).
It has only endosperm which is rich in starch and some amount of proteins and amino acids.. If your meal is accompanied by plenty of veggies, dals and buttermilk then white rice is not at all bad to have for a meal. If you are fine with this then limit the quantity of rice used and add lots of veggies and protiens in your meal. Follow all the steps of “ good eating” rather than “overeating” which I have mentioned in the earlier post.
Please note that since polished rice has high GI (glyceimic index),when consumed as a staple (consumed in all meals and in greater quantity) could increase the glycemic load (GL) of the body. Over long use it increases the insulin demand triggering the risk for type 2 diabetes and obesity. So the mantra I keep on saying is : Moderation is the key to good health :)
Let your meal be 30 % rice, 60% veggies and daal and 10% buttermilk/chaas.
If it is possible in monetary angle and availability then why don’t we give an additional benefit to this rice by using minimally polished rice like the Hand pounded rice.
It is the traditional manual hand pounding where a pounder is used in a stone mortar, followed by winnowing to remove the husk and minimal amounts of bran to yield rice with minimal degree of polishing. This rice is also nutritionally superior compared to fully polished rice.
Here the rice germ is preserved which is rich in Vitamin E, fatty acids, minerals, Vitamin B, insoluble fibre that maintains bowel movements and also reduces cholesterol. It is easy to cook , rich in nutrients, easier to digest unlike brown rice, low GI, rich in fibre so you feel fuller .
Other variety of rice like red rice , boiled rice, par-boiled rice are vey rich in nutrients too. it will be preferable that these types of rice are used on a day to day basis. I will give a detailed description of these varieties very soon. Today we are discussing only about white rice and brown rice.
Brown rice:
Brown rice is prepared from paddy after removal of the outer husk and contains all its botanical components and hence the nutrients provided by them too. The outer layers (bran) and the germ or embryo of brown rice are rich in protein, fat, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals, whereas the inner endosperm is rich in starch.
Brown rice contains the highest nutrients compared to both hand pounded and white rice. Other coloured rice varieties have similarly higher nutrient levels, but aren't as well studied as brown rice.
Of late brown rice is gaining importance due to increased awareness on the health benefits of wholegrain consumption. A lot of products with labels of ' brown rice', ' hand pounded rice' are being marketed widely. But you should be careful while buying brown rice as many of these rice samples have been found to have been artificially coloured. All the rice that appears brown in colour need not be the genuine ' brown rice'.
What are the factors to note in brown rice?
Brown rice is very hard to digest as each grain is encapsulated by the bran.
It is also very high in phytic acid which you might have heard that soaking for about 10 minutes reduces it. Actually, soaking does not reduce this potent anti nutrient to such a large extent. The traditional method for preparing brown rice is never to eat it whole (with only the husk removed), but rather to pound it in a mortar and pestle in order to remove the bran layer too – coincidentally, the primary source of the phytic acid. The rice that results from this pounding process, has the highest mineral absorption from rice. Mineral absorption from whole brown rice is much less as the phytic acid from the bran greatly interferes with the absorption process.
According to Ayurveda, brown rice is heavy to digest and it is best consumed in the cooler and winter months. At this time Agni, the digestive fire is at its strongest. Our digestive system can handle heavier foods like brown rice and stronger millets much better than it can in summer. Soaking brown rice can increase the digestibility but not the extent as white rice.
One more factor to consider- People who are having sensitive digestion and weak digestion ( weaker agni), sick people -white rice/ hand pounded rice should be the choice along with other easily digestible grains like whole wheat, ragi, jowar, oats,etc.
For those who always have a strong digestion and a strong agni then take the advantage of brown rice.
If you observe that there is bloating, indigestion, less appetite after starting the diet on brown rice then kindly shift to red rice, handpounded rice or par boiled rice. You don't need to follow this just because everywhere, everyone are talking about the goodness of brown rice. Each person's ability to digest, absorb minerals and nutrients are unique, so listen to your body cues as well as check your spouse and kids health too.
Finally answering to the first question – Which rice is the best?
Organic and minimally processed rice is always better. Each person’s digestive ability is different . It is different in the same household. So the person who decides the meals needs to make sure that brown rice, hand pounded rice , white rice,red rice, par boiled rice, white and brown basmati rice, other millets should go on a rotation basis so that it is beneficial for the whole family. It is all about when you eat and how you eat them.
For example if any of your family member is having an indigestion then kitchdi with white rice is the best. Just to make it more nutritious , do not be enthuisastic to prepare this in brown rice. You want the digestive system to work less and white rice is very easily digestible.
People with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome ) need to avoid fully husked rice like brown rice and use more easily digestible grains in their diet. Contact a dietician or a lifestyle consultant and get more ideas to strengthen the intestine and detoxify.
Eating grains according to the weather is also important . Winter months for heavier grains like brown rice, makai, bajra . Summer for easily digestible grains like white rice, par boiled rice, hand pounded rice, basmati rice, ragi, jowar, etc.
Suggestions
Check out different recipes involving different grains and incorporate those grains in an interesting way in a weekly basis. Do not be over enthusiastic to include everything in all meals everyday. Too much of everything is also not good:). Each one of you has an unique genetic structure and we have been brought up in a cuisine which is native to our place. A south indian can easily digest rice, ragi but cannot digest bajra, corn, etc so easily. Whereas a punjabi can easily eat them with ease.
If a north indian staying in Chennai has phulkas everyday with heavy grains then he starts developing skin issues like boils, rashes , etc. The moment he starts including rice and some things used in south then his body starts responding positively. So find out what the locals are using in the area you are staying and use those grains too. For example:- People in Karnataka use a lot of ragi and dry coconut in their cuisine. If you are living in this state then use this grain at least once in a week.
Goodness of par-boiled rice is immense, so do use this super rich nutrient grain in your diet too.You can use this to prepare dosas, crepes, idlis or just steam like regular rice and have your daals and sambar along with this. It has his own flavour and texture and you will get used to it soon. It is half - boiled and so all the nutrients in the bran, aleurone layer seeps into the main endospermic layer making it very nutritious. Nowadays we see Ponni , jeeraka samba par boiled rice which are grown organically in the market. Do find out your nearest Organic stores and buy soon!
Choose wisely and enjoy the benefit of what nature is bestowing on you to lead a healthy life.
Prabha Krishna,