Health Benefits of Brown Rice Diet

Several people consider brown rice as a health food. In fact, brown rice is healthier for us than white rice. While both these types of rice come from the same plant, the difference between the two is that white rice is milled and brown rice is allowed to retain its various nutritious layers. In brown rice, only the outermost hull is removed. But when the rice is milled, and the germ layer and the bran removed, then we get white rice.

This rice is then polished and the aleurone layer is also removed.

When all these layers are stripped off from a grain of rice, it looses its nutritional value and the rice we get is just refined starch. In the milling process, a grain of rice loses about 60% of iron, 90% of vitamin B6, 80% of vitamin B1 and 67% of vitamin B3. Essential fatty acids as well as natural dietary fiber are also removed in this process. That is the reason brown rice is more nutritious than white rice. A brown rice diet is widely considered to be one of the best and most effective methods of detoxifying the body. However, it must be noted that there is no actual scientific evidence to support the theory that brown rice actually plays any part in the detoxification of the body even though most experts agree that it does tend to have that effect on the human body. One of the biggest advantages that brown rice has when it comes to the brown rice diet as well as the brown rice diet to lose weight is the fact that it has about twice the fiber content of regular white rice – which is something that helps significantly in the digestion process. Because of the high fibrous content, brown rice is known to be one of the most effective natural colon cleansers and there are a number of brown rice diet menus that can be found through a number of sources such as the internet as well as the health and living section at your local bookstore.

Brown Rice For Weight Loss, Constipation

Brown rice is rich in manganese. Manganese can help to keep our bones healthy and strong. It also helps to synthesize fatty acids and cholesterol. People with insulin resistance can benefit from the manganese in brown rice as it can maintain the level of blood sugar.

And for those who want to lose weight, brown rice is an excellent food product than can help them to either maintain their weight or reduce their weight. The 7 day brown rice diet is one such diet plan that allows a substantial amount of flexibility as long as one sticks to a correct list of fruits and vegetables to consume. One of the unique aspects of the 7 day brown rice diet is the fact that there are no predetermined portions sizes that one should consume and, instead the focus is more on eating until the point you feel about 80% full. It is important to chew the rice slowly and thoroughly as this will slow down your eating process – thereby giving your body enough time to allow the stomach to tell the brain that it is full. Eating at a frenetic pace will rob the body of this important amount of time and by the time the brain receives information from the stomach that it is full, the individual will already have consumed food to make him or herself 100% full or even over. The brown rice diet to lose weight as well as the brown rice detox diets are very different to almost any other low fat diet that you are likely to consume as they do not specify any kind of quantitative element on the food you are consuming, instead the focus is primarily on the overall stress you place on your stomach in terms of overall quantity as well as choosing the right foods for consumption. The recommended timeline to follow the brown rice diet is for a period of two weeks as this will allow the body the required amount of time to clear out all the waste from the digestive tract. It is important to make sure that you drink large amounts of water over the course of the day because of the fact that its combination of rice will make it a very effective diuretic as well as laxative.

A good source of fiber, brown rice is also known to lower the level of LDL cholesterol. Fiber is important for the body as it can help in digestion and can cure constipation and intestinal blockage.

Brown rice is known to be rich in selenium too. Selenium is good for the body as it can protect your cells from damage caused by free-radicals and abnormal thyroid functions. Magnesium is important for building healthy bones and muscles, as well as for proper blood circulation.

Rice bran oil derived from rice bran contains unsaponifiable compounds and other components that lower the level of LDL cholesterol. Brown rice is also known to have a nutty flavor and is tastier than white polished rice. Considering its health and nutritional properties, as well as the taste factor, brown rice makes for a great meal component. You can use brown rice to cook delicious and healthy meals for your family.

Submitted on January 16, 2014