The Natural Colour of Rice

THE NATURAL COLOUR OF RICE

 Do you know the real colour of rice? Do you know the health benefits of unpolished rice? Do you know why we polish the rice grains to get the white rice?

Rice is the staff of life over half the world’s population. Rice is a rich source of carbohydrates, protein, vitamins such as thiamine and niacin and minerals Zinc and phosphorus.

REAL COLOUR OF RICE

The real or natural colour of rice is Brown after harvesting. Red rice, brown rice and black rice represents the unique pigmentation in the bran. When the healthier outer layer of bran is removed, it is white in colour. The parts of the rice grain consist of a tough outer hull, bran, white rice and the germ or rice kernel. Inside all rice are white in colour. It is the rice bran which gives different types of rice their colour. During the process of milling or hulling, the rice bran is removed. This is the white polished rice that we usually eat.

WHY DO WE USE WHITE POLISHED RICE?

-A polished rice can be marketed easily and looks good than unpolished rice.

-Due to lack of certain nutrients bugs do not attack them easily so that polished rice can be stored for a longer time.

-Polished rice is ease of use as it is cooked quickly whereas unpolished rice takes longer time to get cooked.

-Polished rice is mild in flavour and soft in texture make it preferred by the consumer.

IS IT GOOD TO USE POLISHED WHITE RICE?

Polished rice has less mineral, vitamins, biotin and niacin content than an unpolished rice. Polished white rice is a processed food that removes various nutrients from the rice. The Thiamine content is present in the outer layer of the rice. During the process of hulling or milling, the vitamin B1 is removed from the rice which may cause beri-beri and lack of other nutrients.

WHAT IS UNPOLISHED RICE?

Unpolished rice is any rice that is not white in colour, which includes black rice, red rice and the rice varieties in which the outer bran layer is not removed. Unpolished rice is loaded with nutrients and fibre.

UNPOLISHED RICE- BENEFITS

·       Magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)are rich in unpolished rice.

·       As per nutritionists, the generic term for unpolished rice is brown rice. As the parts of the rice grain consists of the outer hull, bran, white rice and the germ,the bran contains 80 percent of minerals and the germ contains phytochemicals and antioxidants. The nutrients in the bran and the germ are not removed in the unpolished rice.

·       The fibres in the bran prevent various gastrointestinal and heart diseases.

·       The oil present in the bran of the rice grain reduces the cholesterol level and the risk of heart diseases.

·       It helps in weight management and helps to lower the risk of certain type of cancer.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Taking unpolished rice which is a wholegrain may lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer. It can help you in weight management. Even though cooking unpolished rice takes longer time as compared to white rice, it is rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre.

 Healthy isn’t a goal, it’s a way of living…