Not all rice is created equal.
Well, maybe it's created equal but it's not all equal by the time it ends up on your plate.
As Lisa Lambert, a registered dietician with Capital Care Medical Group, explained at the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women luncheon this week, when rice is cooked it actually loses a lot of the nutrients that were in it to begin with.
"If rice is well cooked and sticky," she said. "It's going to have a higher glycemic index."
For those of you who don't know, the glycemic index (http://www.glycemicindex.com/) is used to measure carbohydrates and how they affect our blood glucose levels. In other words, choosing carbohydrates with lower glycemic indexes is better for you and can promote a longer, healthier life.
Lambert said it is best to eat your rice al dente, or a little bit hard, to retain a lot of the nutrients in the rice no matter if its brown or white.
"Not always necessarily is it a white or brown comparison," Lambert said, explaining that how you cook the rice can make all the difference.
So, does this mean choose white rice over brown? It depends what you're looking to get from your rice, according to Lambert.
If you want to get the most nutrients possible from your rice, Lambert recommends a brand like Kashi rice, which contains 6 grams of fiber. She also said this rice is good especially for parents who want to make sure their children are getting the proper nutrients.
"That's more B vitamins and that's something kids are needing as well," she said.
posted @ Friday, May 29, 2009 9:56 PM