Brown Rice is a whole grain food in which only the first outer layer (husk or hull) is removed through milling. It still retains its fiber and the germ (the germ of a cereal is the reproductive part that germinates to grow into a plant; it is the embryo of the seed) which contains many of the most vital nutrients.
Ofada Rice is our local, unpolished rice which is non-genetically modified. It is the short, robust and brown rice planted mostly in Ogun State and some other states in western Nigeria. It is identified with brown stripes because it is unpolished and when it is cooked, it emits a unique aroma.
White rice on the other hand is brown rice that has first been milled to take away the bran and much of the germ to become white in colour. This reduces the fiber and many nutrients. It is further polished to take away the remaining layer of germ which contains its essential oils. When rice is milled it loses about 60% of iron, 90% of vitamin B6, 80% of vitamin B1 and 67% of vitamin B3.
Brown rice aka ofada rice is every weight watcher’s dream food primarily because it retains all its natural nutritional value which have amazing fat loss and health benefits.
Below are some health benefits:
1. It has about twice the fiber content of regular white rice. Fiber plays a significant role in our digestion process. Because of this high fibrous content, brown rice is known to be one of the most effective natural colon cleansers which aids weight loss.
2. It lowers the level of LDL cholesterol aka bad cholesterol.
3. In general, the higher a food’s fiber content, the lower it tends to be in available calories. That is why you can eat a very large serving of salad, which is almost all fiber, and still eat very few calories. And high-fiber diets also tend to be less “energy dense,” which means they have fewer calories for the same volume of food. Thus when you eat brown rice, you are actually eating fewer calories.
4. Brown rice controls blood sugar and diabetes. It does this because of the presence of soluble fiber. Soluble fibers swell up upon contact with water and forms a viscous gel. This slows down the passage of food along the alimentary canal and gives the body ample time so that the nutrients from food is properly absorbed. It slows down the release of glucose into the blood.
