Rice is a popular food item in many Asian countries, but it is also quite prominent in other regions of the world, which superficially use it for unique recipes where rice cannot be substituted by another ingredient. Rice is important for the diet of many people around the world. In fact, almost half of the world’s population eats rice. However, while a lot of people eat rice, most of us don’t actually know if it is actually healthy.
Fortunately, rice is considered one of the healthiest ingredients that you can add to various dishes and recipes. To know more, here are important details about the health benefits of eating rice.
Great Source of Carbohydrates
The primary nutrient that you will get from eating rice is carbohydrates, which is one of the three macronutrients that we need in order for our bodies to remain fit and healthy. These three macronutrients, namely carbohydrates, protein, and fat, should be consumed and absorbed by our bodies daily, and one of the healthiest sources of carbohydrates is rice.
In terms of function, carbohydrates are responsible for giving us energy for work, school, or any other activity that we want to do throughout the day. Besides giving energy, carbohydrates are also capable of storing energy and other macronutrients for later use. You can visit riceselect.com/product/arborio to know more about the nutritional benefits of different rice variants like Arborio rice.
Provides Fiber
Fiber is an interesting type of carbohydrate that is primarily utilized to keep a person’s bowel movement stable. For people that constantly suffer from an upset stomach, consuming fiber will help them flush out all the digestive waste that makes their stomach hurt. Rice is a reliable source of fiber that you can eat at least once or twice a day if you want to have a much healthier digestive system. In addition to normalizing bowel movement, fiber is also effective in lowering blood sugar levels and bad cholesterol in the body.
Rich in B Vitamins
Rice is a great source of various B vitamins, which include niacin, folate, and thiamin. Niacin can help improve blood fat levels, while folate is utilized to create stronger red blood cells. On the other hand, thiamin is beneficial in enhancing our body’s capability to turn carbohydrates into useful energy. With just these B vitamins, we can already consider rice as a healthy food item, but of course, there are much more nutrients that rice can offer besides B vitamins.
Can Be a Good Source of Protein
Aside from carbohydrates, rice can also be a good source of another macronutrient, which is protein. Protein is primarily responsible for building leaner muscles in our body, as well as helping them recover faster after exercise or injury. This macronutrient is also effective in helping reduce muscle loss and maintain a healthier weight. If you are currently on a vegan diet, then you might want to try rice as a source of protein for your diet.
Has Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Rice has anti-inflammatory properties that are beneficial for those that constantly experience muscle pain due to inflammation. In addition, these anti-inflammatory properties are also helpful in hastening the healing process of wounds or injuries, as they can fight off infections that make wounds much worse.
Is Gluten-Free
If you have an allergy or high sensitivity to gluten, a family of proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley, and are looking for a great alternative to get carbohydrates, then you should consume rice, as it is gluten-free. Unlike most food ingredients that are rich in carbohydrates, rice doesn’t have gluten, so it is safe to eat for those that suffer from a gluten allergy, which often causes inflammation in the gut.
Promotes Good Heart Health
The anti-inflammatory properties found in rice are also beneficial in keeping our hearts healthy. In order for these properties to make our heart healthier, they help decrease the rate of atherosclerotic plaque that is usually deposited in the walls of our heart’s blood vessels. When this plaque builds up, it will cause severe problems in our heart, which will ultimately lead to heart attack and other diseases related to the heart. So, it is important to consume foods with anti-inflammatory properties so that we can control the plaque build-up in our hearts. Of course, it would also be great if we could decrease the consumption of foods that can cause heart disease, like food products that have too much sugar, salt, or fat.
Reduces the Risk of Cancer
A variant of rice called “brown rice” has three types of phenolics, which are antioxidants that are naturally found in some plants. These phenolics are effective in reducing the number of free radicals in the body, as these free radicals would typically damage cells and cause cancer. So, eating brown rice can help reduce the risk of cancer. However, it is important to know that white rice doesn’t contain these phenolics, as the bran (which contains the antioxidants) is removed from white rice. So, if you want to get antioxidants, you will need to purchase brown rice, which still has its bran intact.
Can Help Reduce Weight
Rice is one of the most effective food items for reducing weight, as it has low amounts of fat, sodium, and cholesterol, which are all causes of obesity when they are consumed in larger amounts. Furthermore, because of how rich in nutrients rice is, it is also suitable to incorporate in a healthy diet since it has little to no negative effects on the body. So, you wouldn’t feel guilty about eating rice during lunch or dinner because of how nutritious it is.
And, there you have it, the biggest health benefits that you can get from eating rice. As we have mentioned previously, rice is considered one of the healthiest food items in the world, so you should try consuming it at least once a day in order for you to have a much healthier diet. Also, be sure to know which variants of rice are perfect for the recipes that you plan to follow so that the dishes would taste much better.