I was raised on white rice, and I love it. Do I really have to switch to brown rice? Isn’t all rice the same?
My Asian genes empathize with you! But, brown rice is so much better for your health than white. Researchers tracked nearly 200,000 men and women for about 15 years. Those who ate at least 5 servings of white rice per week had a 17 percent higher risk of Type 2 diabetes than those who ate less than one serving a month. In contrast, people who ate at least two servings of brown rice a week had an 11 percent lower risk of Type 2 diabetes than those who ate less than one serving a month.
Brown rice may protect against diabetes because it has more fiber, vitamins, and magnesium and other minerals than white rice. And it also raises blood sugar less than white rice. So save your white rice consumption for when you eat out once in a while at a Chinese, Japanese, or Thai restaurant and enjoy it. The rest of the time, add brown rice to the list of other whole grains you eat. Food is Medicine!
