Health Benefits of Indian Rice

Rice is a staple food in most Indian homes. Different varieties of Rice available in India :
Basmati Rice, Brown rice and White rice.
Lets take a short view......

WHITE RICE:
The milling and polishing processes of white rice removes most of the important vitamins and other nutrients from it. So WHO suggests and recommends that white rice be fortified with important vitamins and mineral premixes, as polished rice is nothing more than refined starch. Further research is required to build the evidence-base on the use of fortified rice and to develop global technical guidelines for rice fortification.

Health benefits include:
Gastrointestinal: White rice is one of the easiest and quickest foods to digest and requires only an hour to completely digest. Since white rice is low in fibre, it is very soothing to the digestive system and easily digested. So, it is great for relieving digestive disorders like diarrhoea, dysentery, colitis and even morning sickness. It is the best food for infants, young children and old people.

Overall energy: the body needs carbohydrates to function and white rice is an excellent source of energy.
Protein: Every 150g of rice has about 5 grams of protein.
Rice powder is also used externally as a soothing powder in cases of skin inflammation such as small-pox, measles, prickly heat, burns and scalds.


BROWN RICE:
Brown rice has several health benefits. However, it is not very commonly used in Indian households mainly because people are ignorant of the health benefits of brown rice and secondly that it is costlier compared to white rice.

Nutrients In Brown Rice:

1 cup or 195 grams of brown rice provides the following major nutrients:

• 216 Calories, which is about 12% of the daily requirement.
• 88% of the daily value of Manganese.
• 27% of the daily requirement of Selenium.
• 20.9% of the Magnesium requirement.
• 16% of the Phosphorus needs.
• 9.5% of the daily Copper requirement.
• 8% of the Zinc daily value.
• 14% of the daily dietary fiber requirement.
• Over 12.5% of the Vitamin B1 daily needs.
• 14.9% of the Niacin requirement.
• 4.5% of the Iron required daily.

 The health benefits include:

• Reduces Risk Of Diabetes 
• Controls Weight
• Protects And Reduces Risk Of Cancers
• Reduces Risk Of Colon Cancer
• Prevents Gallstones
• Makes Bones Healthy
• Reduces Cholesterol, Prevents Atherosclerosis
• Brown rice has heart protective effects.

Benefits Of Excellent Manganese Levels

Brown rice is extremely rich in manganese. 1 cup provides 88% of the daily requirement. This provides wonderful antioxidant protection against free radical damage and helps to keep the nervous system healthy, helps in synthesis of fatty acids and also in energy production.


Benefits Of High Selenium Levels
1 cup of brown rice provides about 28% of the daily value of this mineral which reduces risk of colon cancer. Selenium also reduces risk of heart disease and reduces inflammation thus reducing asthmatic symptoms and pain and inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis.

Reduces Childhood Asthma
In studies, it was found that whole grains like brown rice and fish reduced wheezing and asthmatic symptoms.
However, wheat consumption should be avoided as it a common allergen for asthma, even though it is a whole grain.




BASMATI RICE:

Basmati rice is another unique species of rice originating from India. Basmati rice is also one of the varieties of rice used in many families. There are different variants of Basmati rice available in the market at varying costs. Just like all species of rice, basmati is available in white or brown versions, depending on the extent of the milling process.

Brown basmati rice is comparable to other types of brown rice in nutrient content (although it does contain about 20% more fibre compared to most other types of brown rice), and white basmati rice is comparable to other types of white rice. The health benefits of fibre has already been discussed earlier in the article.

Basmati rice and Jasmine rice are long-grain varieties that have been cultivated to bring out distinctive flavour profiles. Long grain of the rice gives a royal look to the rice recipe prepared, be it plain jeera rice or vegetable pulao.

Basmati rice has a typical, unique aroma. In the case of basmati, this aroma is due to the presence of a chemical called 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, which is found in basmati rice at about 90 parts per billion. That's about 12 times more than in other types of rice, giving basmati its special aroma.