6 reasons brown rice is a better choice for you!

Find out some reasons to include brown rice in your diet.

By: Sameer Jha | | Updated: February 25, 2015 5:43 pm

Rice is a staple food in India, and many other parts of the world. However, white rice is rich in calories and carbohydrates and many people who want to lose weight or have diabetes are advised to avoid it and consume brown rice instead as it is healthier. What makes it healthier? Brown rice is like an unrefined version of white rice and has the hull and bran intact making it high in fibre and giving it a lower glycaemic index. Besides this, here are some more benefits of brown rice.

1. Helps in weight loss

Brown rice is slightly lower in calories than white rice but that is not what makes it so good for weight loss. The high amount of fibre in the hull and bran of brown rice, helps clear your bowel movements and also speeds up your metabolism making it easier for you to lose weight. Also, the same dietary fibre makes you feel full even if you eat a small amount of it. Read more about losing weight in our simple weight loss mega guide.

2. Helps reduce cholesterol

Heart disease is a serious problem affecting youngsters in urban India today. In order to keep your heart healthy, it is important to reduce cholesterol which blocks up your arteries and can cause atherosclerosis. The bran of brown rice is rich in unsaturated oils which help in keeping your cholesterol levels in check. Here are a few more foods to reduce cholesterol.

3. Helps prevent diabetes

Brown rice has a lower glycaemic index than white rice, which makes sure that your blood sugar levels don’t rise as rapidly when you eat it. Also, according to a study conducted by researchers at Harvard, eating brown rice regularly helps cut risk of diabetes by as much as 20%. You could also eat these foods to prevent diabetes.

4. Great for your nervous system

Manganese, a nutrient present in brown rice helps in producing fatty acids and hormones that keep your nervous system in great shape. Since, the human brain is one of the greatest gifts available to us, it is important that we take care of it.

5. Prevents gallstones

Besides so many benefits, brown rice can also help in preventing gallstones as it is high in insoluble fibre because of the presence of its hull and bran. According to a study published in American Journal of Gastroenterology, eating foods rich in insoluble fibre lowered the risk of gallstones in women. Read more about gallstones and how it is treated.

Read more about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of gallstones.

6. Good for your bones

Just a cup of brown rice contains 21% of your daily requirement of magnesium which is great for your bones. It also balances the effect of calcium on your nerves and muscles and keeps you relaxed.

All of these reasons make brown rice a great addition to your diet, and definitely something you should add to your cart the next time you are at the supermarket.

References:

1. Caloriesecrets.net

2. Fitday.com

3. whfoods.com

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