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Brown rice is often the choice of many people who are on a diet or who are switching to a healthier lifestyle. In general, brown rice is considered healthier than white rice. However, is eating brown rice every day really recommended?
The content of brown rice
Brown rice is a whole grain that is richer in nutrients and fiber than white rice.
Brown rice is a source of carbohydrates that are low in calories, high in fiber, gluten free, and do not contain trans fats. Reporting from the Panganku page, brown rice contains various other nutrients such as:
- Water: 64 grams
- Energy: 149 cal
- Protein: 2.8 grams
- Fat: 0.4 grams
- Carbs: 32.5 grams
- Fiber: 0.3 grams
- Calcium: 6 mg
- Phosphorus: 63 mg
- Iron: 0.8 mg
- Sodium: 5 mg
- Potassium: 91.4 mg
- Zinc: 0.9 mg
- Copper: 0.20 micrograms
- Vitamin B3: 1.6 mg
- Vitamin B1: 0.06 mg
In addition to these nutrients, brown rice contains flavonoid antioxidants, such as anthocyanins (anthocyanins) apigenin, myricetin, and quercetin. Anthocyanins are a group of phenolic compounds that give them their red and purple colors like cabbage, onions, and others.
Anthocyanins belong to the strong antioxidant class. Antioxidants are compounds that can protect the body from oxidative stress due to free radicals. If left untreated, oxidative stress can damage cells and cause inflammation.
Anthocyanins are even believed to increase eye visibility and inhibit tumor growth. Of course you can get this benefit if you eat brown rice every day.
A study from Japan published in the Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences found that brown rice's flavonoid antioxidant content was higher than brown rice, so it was also more effective at fighting the effects of free radicals in the body.
Therefore, brown rice has many health benefits such as:
- Lowers cholesterol
- Promotes a feeling of fullness that lasts longer
- Prevent the formation of blood clots
- Reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes
Seeing the benefits and nutrition of brown rice, it is a healthy food that can be an alternative source of carbohydrates besides white rice.
Is it healthy to eat brown rice every day?
If most of the nutrients in brown rice are very good for the body, then can you eat it every day? The answer, of course, is okay. There is no problem if you make brown rice as a substitute for white rice every day.
Eating brown rice can be a good choice to supply a variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants for the body every day. You can complement brown rice dishes with various other sources of nutrients such as protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals from green vegetables, eggs, meat or poultry, and nuts.
Apart from that, you can also add herbs and spices such as turmeric, chili, or cumin to enrich the taste of plain brown rice without adding calories.
But remember: because brown rice contains a lot of fiber, don't forget to balance it with drinking lots of water. Drink 8 glasses of water per day to help smooth the digestive system so you won't experience constipation to bloating.
You also still need to be diligent in exercising so that your digestion and body stay healthy. This is because excess fiber makes the intestines more gassy, causing discomfort.
Alternatively, you can mix brown rice and white rice every day for a healthy daily diet.
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