White Rice and healthier alternatives.........

 Rice is a staple food in the diet of most people.....and the need to make informed choices on the type of rice to consume cannot be over emphasized.

WHITE RICE

                     
                   

            This is rice that has been milled to remove the husk, bran and germ and also polished to produce the white grains.

   Sadly, the process of milling rice strips it of a huge chunk of its Vitamin B1, B3, and

B6.....destroys part of the manganese ,phosphorus and iron content......completely strips it

of the beneficial dietary fiber and essential fatty acids.

   What we then have is a shadow of what ought to be.... In fact consuming the UN enriched white rice as a staple can make one develop Beri- Beri... a neurological disease

      So read the food label to see that it has at least been enriched with thiamine..

                        ....Personally I will just delete it from my diet...Shikena.

    PARBOILED RICE

                           

This is rice that has been partially boiled in the husk , then steamed  and then the fiber is discarded before it is dried........

During the processing, nutrients...especially THIAMIN are transferred from the bran to the endosperm

It also contains a type of starch which can act as a prebiotic and benefit our digestive system......WOW.....I avoid this rice for its starch content....BUT NOT ANY MORE.....

Parboiled rice is said to have 80% of the nutritional value of Brown rice........Hmmnnnn......

                 BROWN RICE

     

This is whole grain rice ; it has a nutty flavour and chewy texture and also takes the longest time to cook.

Brown rice is a good source of Selenium ...(  which has been shown to substantially reduce the risk of colon cancer).......

It is also loaded with fiber which is highly beneficial for our intestines....

Brown rice contains natural oil which can help lower bad cholesterol in our body......as a result of the oil contents Brown rice can go rancid easily.....so it has a short shelf life.....

It is a very good source of vitamin B1 ,B3 , Iron , Magnesium , phosphorus ,Manganese among other vitamins and minerals......

#You can make it tasty by adding stock to cook it and a little butter#

# Just soak it in hot water for like 30minutes then bring to a boil and simmer till it's cooked#

BLACK RICE

This is the  healthiest of all rice ......It is more purplish than black when cooked......and has a nutty flavour and chewy texture like Brown rice....

When I first saw this rice I nearly freaked out ..lol....BUT  It soon became a favourite for me 

.........I mix it with Brown so my children won't go on hunger strike anytime I make rice.

This rice is native to Asia and used to be cultivated only for the Emperors' consumption....It is still rare but available although it might be a little pricey

It is loaded with vitamin E and researchers have concluded it has more anthocyanins antioxidant than blue berries.......IMAGINE THAT?......

I feel so happy that our good old parboiled rice is not the worst on the list.....What do you think blog visitors?