Does Brown Rice Make You Fat?

Does brown rice make you fat?

In this brief guide, we will discuss the following question, “does brown rice make you fat?” and other queries related to this topic.

Yes, brown rice can make you fat if you eat it in large quantities and excessively. Rice is a very widely used staple food because it is easy to cook and inexpensive. There are many different types of rice such as white rice, brown rice, black, and basmati rice. However, white rice is the most used worldwide.

Rice is rich in carbohydrates so eating it in moderation and introducing it to a healthy varied diet will not lead to weight gain or it will not make you fat.

What is brown rice?

Brown rice is a type of rice and is considered whole grain rice because it contains the 3 parts of the rice grain: the germ, the bran, and the endosperm, so it is very nutritious and rich in fiber. However, white rice has only two parts of the grain, the endosperm, and the germ.

By removing the bran, the white rice loses a lot of fiber from it, but the absence of the brain increases its shelf life and reduces its cooking time. Moreover, there is a type of brown rice called red rice. Red rice gets its color from an antioxidant called anthocyanin which helps in reducing inflammation and cholesterol in the body.

What are the health benefits of brown rice?

Since the bran of the rice grain is preserved in brown rice, fiber and the various nutrients in the grain have multiple health benefits. First of all, fibers are essential for both sex in a healthy diet. Men under 50 should consume 38 grams and women 28 grams per day. With aging men above 50 need 30 grams and women need 21 grams.

Moreover, brown rice is a good source of antioxidants such as phenols and flavonoids, minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, manganese, zinc, copper, and selenium, and vitamins such as thiamine (vitamin B1) and pyridoxine (vitamin B6).

So, fiber improves your heart health by decreasing your blood pressure due to its richness in magnesium. In addition, it reduces your cholesterol levels because fiber reduces the body’s ability to absorb fat to use them in bile formation, thus extra cholesterol will leave your body through the stools.

Furthermore, brown rice will help you lose weight if eaten in adequate quantities because the fiber in it will make you feel full for a longer time and help you lose the visceral fat which is a metabolically active tissue that causes inflammation in the body leading to some comorbidities. Also, it was seen that people eating brown rice have a lower BMI compared to white rice eaters.

Additionally, brown rice has a low glycemic index, which means that carbohydrates in this food are slowly digested and absorbed into your circulation.

So, fibers in brown rice help in the case of diabetes in the regulation of blood glucose because it reduces carbs absorption into the blood Besides all of those fibers can treat some digestive problems like constipation.

On top of that, the bran of the rice grain is high in antioxidants that protect the brain cells and reduces the incidence of developing Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Moreover, bran is high in minerals like selenium which is considered an important compound for the immune system and the thyroid function.

Also, manganese in the brain protects your bones and prevents bone demineralization, so manganese deficiency along with other deficiencies can impair growth in children and decrease the bone mass density in adults.

Finally, brown rice is gluten-free and appropriate for patients that suffer from celiac disease, also it is suitable for people with a wheat allergy.

What happens if you eat brown rice every day?

Even with all the benefits brown rice can have, eating it every day is not a very good choice. Brown rice is low in proteins and high in carbohydrates and calories, so it will not provide you with the essential nutrients you need for appropriate body function.

Moreover, bran is high in phytates which reduces the absorption of many nutrients such as iron and zinc. Low iron in the blood will lead to anemia, iron and zinc deficiency. In addition, eating large quantities of fiber leads to a reduction in nutrient absorption and as a result deficiencies that can be harmful to health.