White Rice or Brown Rice or Millets: What is healthier?
When it comes to health matters, individuals, regardless of age, have become more proactive compared to what they used to be. While professional health care is usually still practiced in response to disease, latest trends show an increasing interest in preventive measures, especially among urban Indians.
As good diet, combined with physical activity is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle, people generally look for healthy diet alternatives that can help them reach and maintain a healthy weight, reduce risk of chronic diseases (like cancer, heart diseases, etc.) and promote overall health. Towards this, people seek answers on what is healthier for everyday consumption? White Rice or Brown Rice or Millets?
Read on to make your everyday diet healthier.
WHITE RICE
White rice is staple food in many Asian countries. In most part of South India, white rice is consumed as the main food for several times in large quantities every day. However, an unfortunate fact about white rice is that it is not white naturally. The grains of rice is refined to make it white and in this refining process, most of the minerals and nutrition are lost in the rice grains.
However, we cannot blame or avoid white rice completely. There are some advantages and disadvantages in consumption white rice.
ADVANTAGES OF WHITE RICE
DISADVANTAGES OF WHITE RICE
Long shelf life: As white rice is resistant to oxidation, it takes longer time for white rice to get rancid. Meaning; it remains fresh for long time even after being cooked.
Contains carbohydrates: White rice naturally contains high percentage of carbohydrates. Though its consumption gives quick energy, it increases blood sugar. Diabetic doctors often advice patients not to take too much of white rice.
Great energy source: As white rice has simple carbohydrates, which can be easily converted into energy by our body, it giving us quick energy (in less time).
Processed Food: Processed food is bad for health and white rice comes under the processed foods. Over consumption of white rice, rich in empty calories, may lead to chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes
No cholesterol: White rice contains no sodium and cholesterol. This property of white rice actually helps in cutting down the risk of high blood pressure and heart ailments.
Digestive Problems: White rice contains starch, which is harder to digest. This may lead to indigestion. And, due to over processing, there is very little fiber which plays a major role in bowel movements and digestion.
BROWN RICE
Brown Rice is unpolished and unrefined whole grain that is produced by removing the husk of rice kernel thus retaining the germ layer and nutrients of the grains. This results in making brown rice chewier than white rice, as it contains more fiber.
Germinated Brown Rice
Another form of brown rice include germinated brown rice that contains more nutrients compared to normal brown rice. Germinated brown rice is obtained by soaking and sprouting brown rice.
Advantages of Brown Rice
While brown rice is not so famous and not tasty either when compared to white rice, recent studies show brown rice is far better than white rice in terms of diabetic health.
Some Nutrition Facts
For every 100 grams of brown rice, the nutrients and their values include:
Protein: 2.74 grams | Calories (Energy): 123 Kcal | Sugar: 0.24 grams | Fat: 0.97 grams | Fiber: 1.6 grams
Apart from proteins and fiber, brown rice also has essential minerals like Iron, Manganese, Calcium, Magnesium and Phosphorus. Brown rice also contains vitamins such as vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin E, Vitamin K and vitamin B6.
Other advantages include:
Prevents Obesity: As brown rice has Manganese that helps in synthesis of body fats, it is helpful in reducing fat and body weight.
Diabetes Control: Brown rice helps diabetic individuals as it contains low glycemic index that reduces insulin and maintains blood sugar levels in the body.
Decreases stress in lactating mothers: Sprouted brown rice helps improve mental and physical health of lactating women. Its consumption decreases depression, fatigue and mood disturbances in nursing mothers.
Maintains Cholesterol levels: Brown rice contains naturally occurring oils that help maintain healthy levels of cholesterol. As it has nutrients that help in glucose and lipids metabolism, brown rice helps in controlling cholesterol levels.
Improves Digestion: As brown rice contains nutrients that includes fiber, it helps regulate bowel movements thus making digestive system better. This helps reduce constipation problems.
Boosts immunity: As brown rice also has significant presence of minerals and vitamins, it helps boost our immune system and nourishes our body enhancing the body’s ability to fight infections.
MILLETS
Millets are cereal crops and small seed grasses that is grown in semi-dry regions that are widely used in Asian and African countries. These small crops, for ages, were produced as fodder for animals and for human consumption as well. Millets, unlike white rice or brown rice, are not like a single grain or seed. There are different types of millets like:
Jowar: When most of the Indians think of Jowar, they get Jowar rotis in their mind. Jowar rotis are most popular for weight loss which is why most of the elderly individuals in India prefer Jowar rotis over regular wheat rotis. Jowar contains rich protein, fiber and iron.
Ragi (Finger millet): Ragi is considered as a very good replacement for rice and wheat due to the nutrition contents in it. It is also used as an alternate of store-purchased baby food. Ragi is a rich source of calcium including other minerals.
Bajra (Pearl millet): Bajra contains high iron that is approximately eight times higher compared to that present in white rice. Bajra is also rich in fiber, protein and minerals.
MILLETS’ ADVANTAGES
Advantages of millets does not come to an end here. There are numerous vitamins and proteins in millets that gives endless advantages for our health.
Conclusion
After reading both advantages and disadvantages of white rice, including the benefits of both brown rice and millets, any health conscious individual will prefer brown rice or millets in their diet. Keeping the health benefits of millets and brown rice, now the question is, whether to go for brown rice or for millets?
While both brown rice and millets have numerous health benefits, choosing among them can be confusing and hard too.
The best advice would be to include both millets and brown rice into your diet. However, for starters, try both millets and brown rice alternatively and continue with the one you like the most. In addition, as there are many types of millets, you can make a cycle in the diet.
In addition, try different delicious recipes with millets and brown rice so you can enjoy various delicious food in a healthier way.
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