Brown rice is whole grain rice. It has a mild, nutty
flavor, and is chewier and more nutritious than
white rice, but goes rancid more quickly because the bran and germ which are removed to make white rice contain fats that can spoil. Any rice, including long-grain, short-grain, or sticky rice, may be eaten as brown rice.
Brown rice and white rice have similar amounts of calories and
carbohydrates. The main differences between the two forms of rice lie in processing and nutritional content. When only the outermost layer of a grain of rice is removed, brown rice is produced. To produce white rice, the next layers underneath the husk are removed, leaving mostly the starchy endosperm.
Several
vitamins and dietary minerals are lost in this removal and the subsequent polishing process. A part of these missing nutrients, such as
vitamin B1, vitamin B3, and
iron are sometimes added back into the white rice making it "enriched", as food suppliers in the US are required to do by the Food and Drug Administration.
One mineral not added back into white rice is
magnesium; one cup (195 g) of cooked long grain brown rice contains 84 mg of magnesium while one cup of white rice contains 19 mg.
When the bran layer is removed to make white rice, the oil in the bran is also removed. Rice bran oil may help lower LDL
cholesterol.
Among other key sources of nutrition lost are dietary fiber and small amounts of fatty acids.
Brown rice is the talk of the town and, according to many in the health and wellness field, a much better option than white rice hands down. Brown rice comes when the outermost hull of the grain is removed and plenty of nutrients left. Brown rice has:
Fiber – it’s an excellent source of dietary fiber which helps to keep the colon healthy.
Manganese – Keeps bones healthy and helps the people with insulin resistance maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
Selenium – found in nuts, selenium helps to counter the effects of free radicals.
Magnesium – like manganese, it promotes health bones but it also helps with proper blood circulation.
Brown rice is more nutritionally dense and has a flavor that some people don’t like; instead of boiling in water, some choose broth or even coconut milk.
Read More at Wikipedia
