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Rice is Nice
by author Sandra Tonn

In many cultures, rice means “life”. Perhaps that’s why it has been a staple of substantial importance for centuries in many countries, including India, Korea, and China. Its arrival in North America is linked to the import of slaves from Africa in the mid-1600s. A further influence is the immigration of people from rice-producing countries, resulting in an 80 per cent increase of rice purchases by Canadians, over the past two decades. Today, rice is a staple in most Canadian homes. In fact, a recent survey shows that 91 per cent of us eat rice regularly.

Brown Rice is Twice as Nice

As if the good taste, versatility, and convenience weren’t enough reason to eat rice, it is also extremely nutritious. Brown rice is by far the star of the rice family, containing high amounts of B vitamins as well as iron, protein, calcium, phosphorus, selenium, and a variety of hard to obtain trace minerals.

Combine brown rice with beans or vegetables and we have a complete protein, supplying all the essential amino acids the body needs to function. Whole grain rice is low in fat, with only about five to 15 per cent coming from fat; and most of it from the good, essential omega-6 family. Rice is an excellent source of carbohydrate, an important source of food energy, and it provides a good balance of starches and fibre along with many other nutritional benefits. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, eating a low-fat diet including 10 per cent of dietary fibre from rice bran reduces blood cholesterol levels by 15 per cent. The B vitamins in rice make it a soothing food for the nervous system and brain. Brown rice is also the easiest grain to digest, making it good for those with food allergies.

Not Nice-White and Instant Rice

The choice of brown rice over white results in the intake of three times more fibre. Whole grain rice contains all the grain’s nutrients. White rice, however, has been processed. White rice is simply brown rice that’s been processed to be a quicker cooking, longer lasting product. White rice is brown rice with its bran, husk, and germ removed. Even after it is “enriched,” white rice has less fibre, vitamin E, phosphorus, and calcium than brown rice. To make matters worse, white rice no longer contains the nutrients needed for its own digestion; therefore the body must rob itself of enzymes, vitamins, and minerals to digest it. It was the deficiencies in white rice that originally led to the original discovery of B vitamins.

Unlock Your Minerals

Rice, as with all whole grains, cannot be eaten raw, and proper preparation involves more than cooking. Our ancestors soaked or fermented grains before using them because grains contain phytic acid. As an organic acid in which phosphorus is found, phytic acid blocks absorption of our important and necessary minerals, including calcium, iron, and zinc. Soaking or fermenting grain is the only way to make the valuable minerals available and to allow easy digestion of the rice. Prepared properly, rice is one of our most nutritious foods. Soak one-part rice with one-part water for approximately eight hours. Then add another one-part water and cook. Bring to a boil, turn down, and simmer. The soaking lessens the cooking time to about 30 minutes.

Variety is the Rice of Life

There’s no reason to get bored with rice. It’s no longer just a side dish to replace the potato. It’s suitable for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. Try it in cereals, soups, as a base for salads, in chili, ethnic dishes, and more. There are plenty of kinds of rice to choose from.

Try Basmati rice. This fine, long-grain rice is not only nutritious, it tastes and smells wonderful. Basmati originates from the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains, adding an international flare to even the simplest dish. A grass-related grain, wild rice is a traditional food of the Ojibwa, Chippewa, and Winnebago Indians. It is rich in protein and contains many minerals and B vitamins. Brown rice, truly, is twice as nice.

Source: alive #253, November 2003