The benefits of consuming brown rice regularly are well documented. Brown rice is a whole grain, meaning that it contains three parts of the grain kernel: the outer, fiber-filled layer called the bran, the nutrient-rich core called the germ, and the starchy middle layer called the endosperm.

The main health benefits of consuming brown rice are:

• Fiber in brown rice helps lower cholesterol in the body, moves waste through the digestive tract, and may help prevent the formation of blood clots.
• Low glycemic index food. Glycemic index (GI) refers to how quickly and how much a food raises a person’s blood sugar after eating. Low-GI foods have a rating of 55 or less. The average GI for brown rice is 55 compared to white rice’s index of 64.
• Research has shown a link between a high-GI diet and type 2 diabetes.
• Phytonutrients, chemicals produced by plants to keep themselves healthy, are found to be associated with a lower risk of certain cancers.
• Vitamins and minerals are found in abundance. Just to name a few: Vitamin B, folate, iron, magnesium, selenium and so much more.
• White rice, in contrast, is a refined grain, with the bran and the germ have been removed, leaving just the endosperm.
• The complete milling and polishing that converts brown rice into white rice destroys 67% of the vitamin B3, 80% of the vitamin B1, 90% of the vitamin B6, half of the manganese, half of the phosphorus, 60% of the iron, and all of the dietary fiber and essential fatty acids.
• A fact that many people are not aware of is that fully milled and polished white rice is artificially enriched with vitamins B1, B3 and iron.