The Benefits of Rice

Considering that more than 3 billion people around the world rely on rice as a main dietary component, it should come as no surprise that rice is a nutritious food source that provides over 15 needed vitamins and minerals. Rice is the second most produced crop after corn in the world.

In addition to the vitamins and minerals, rice is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates. It is these carbohydrates that are good for the body as they are stored n the muscles and provide the human body with energy when it is needed. When compared to other grains, rice contains high quality proteins  which is unusual for high carbohydrate foods. It also contains eight of the essential amino acids: leucine, lysine, methionine, isoleucine, phenylalanain, theronine, trytophan, and valine. It is these acids that help to build and maintain the tissues in the muscles and also helps to produce enzymes, hormones, and antibodies. The human body can not produce these things without the enzymes naturally.

If the body does not get enough of the essential amino acids, the body will begin to suffer, including the muscles until the amino acids are provided. The body is not able to store extra amino acids as it can with fats and starches, allowing the body to use it as necessary. Instead, the amino acids need to be included in the foods we eat each day.

Different types of rice have different health benefits. In the United States, white rice is the choice for the most consumers. However, many of the nutrients found in rice are lost during processing. Thiamin and niacin as well as iron will be added in again but this process is what is makes rice known as enriched rice. White rice is not a provider of Vitamins A or C and it does not provide calcium. White rice does provide iron but only about half as much as brown rice does. Both white and brown offers vitamin E and choline. Brown rice also offers six times as much thiamine, three times as much riboflavin, five times as much niacin, and twice as much vitamins B6 an K that white rice does. Brown rice also provides the body with important nutrients including magnesium, zinc, and manganese. White rice also offers these nutrients but in much smaller quantities. Brown rice also contains approximately 4 times as much fiber as other types of rice.

Another benefit of rice consumption involves the keeping the bowels healthy. Rice contains a resistant starch, which means it reaches the bowel undigested and helps with the growth of necessary bacterias that keep the bowel healthy.