Brown Rice: The Healthy Grain

So what's so special about brown rice? There are some health benefits of brown rice you may not have heard about. One benefit of brown rice is weight loss. Eating foods that will keep you full longer make losing weight much easier. Brown rice is one of these foods. Why will eating brown rice help you lose weight? It's because of brown rice's high fiber content.

Brown rice is different from white rice. The production of brown rice removes only the hull, leaving a lot of the fiber. The bran, which is the brown skin, is still intact on the rice grain. White rice contains just the starchy middle of the grain, which is much less nutritious. White rice lacks much of the vitamin B6 and other nutrients found in brown rice. It also lacks virtually all of the dietary fiber, which is what we are concerned with.

Fiber helps you lose weight by keeping you full. To see the benefits of the brown rice fiber, eat a large bowl of brown rice washed down with generous amounts of water. The brown rice will keep you full for much longer than many other foods. A cup of cooked brown rice gives you 14 percent of your daily value for fiber! Not too many other foods can compare.

You can complement your brown rice diet by eating lots of other high fiber, low fat foods-and lots of water. You can try plain, boiled or steamed vegetables with your choice of various seasonings. Also, you can eat lots of fruits along with brown rice.

Another thing that will help you stay fuller longer is eating a diet high in lean protein. For instance, you can eat a lot of tuna fish (packed in water, not oil) or super-lean chicken breasts or eggs. Plain boiled eggs are also a tasty way to pack protein.

Brown rice can also help you besides losing weight. Eating brown rice and other high fiber foods will decrease the risk of colon cancer by keeping your colon healthy and polyp-free. The brown rice works because its high fiber content increases bowel movement, reduces constipation, and decreases the amount of time that dangerous cancer-causing agents are exposed to your colon cells.

So grab some brown rice. Many people actually find brown rice tastier than white rice. And it's good for your health too and will help you lose weight at the same time.