Brown Rice and the 17 Day Diet



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When you reach the second cycle of the 17 Day Diet, you can have some starchy carbs every other day.  Dr. Mike Moreno stresses having brown rice instead of white rice due to its low glycemic load.  If you are still on the fence about switching over to brown rice, try different types and accept that this change is good for your health, not just your waistline.  I Love California Basmati Brown Rice and will never go back to white rice.  It smells like popcorn when it is cooking and cooks fluffy and light. Still not convinced?  Read my article below for the full health benefits and types of brown rice available. Keep an open mind and, in time, you'll learn to love brown rice better than its unhealthy, stripped-of-nutrients, bleached cousin!



Brown Rice and Your Health



What kind of rice are you serving with your meals? If it is that same boring white rice, there are many benefits to switching to one of the healthier brown rice choices.



The Difference between White Rice and Brown Rice



Both white and brown rice are gluten-free, and contain no trans fat or cholesterol, however, the

differences between the two can be monumental in regard to many diseases and health conditions.



The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that the foundation for a healthy diet be three servings daily of whole grains. Brown rice is 100% whole grain, with the bran and inner germ layer still intact. It is not milled like white rice which removes the fiber, the plant-based carbohydrate part of the food our bodies don't digest. Fiber can relieve constipation and prevent several conditions such as gallstones, kidney stones, hemorrhoids, and diverticular disease, a condition in which small pouches develop in the colon that become infected and cause painful digestive problems.



Health Benefits of Eating Brown Rice



1. Lower Blood Glucose.  Diabetes tells us in their Fall 2010 magazine edition that eating five or more servings of white rice weekly increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, while two or more servings of brown rice actually lowers that risk. Their article, "Brown Rice for Lower Blood Glucose," states "replacing 50 grams of white rice (one third of a serving) with the same amount  of brown rice would lower type 2 diabetes risk by 16%.



Physicians consider a healthy diet one that includes foods low in saturated fat, cholesterol and made with whole grains. Selecting brown rice in place of white rice as a whole grain choice has several benefits for your body.



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