Rice

Rice is a predominant staple food in Asia and the Pacific, North and South America and Africa. Yet, for each culture, rice is consumed in a variety of ways over color, texture and stickiness.

Now, in the 21^st century, rice is being grown in organic and eco-farms to enhance quality, nutrition, yield, and taste, while protecting our ecosystem.

During the milling and polishing processes to convert brown rice into white rice, more than half of the vitamins and minerals are destroyed. These processes also remove beneficial fiber and healthy fats from the rice (Table A).

Thus, brown rice in its natural unmilled state, is naturally higher in fiber, B vitamins, manganese, selenium, and magnesium, and carries the FDA approved health claim: “Diets rich in whole grain foods may reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers.”
 Most importantly, whole grains play an essential role in weight management by giving satiety feeling.

Brown Rice: With brown rice, only the husk is removed. This rice gives a nutty flavor and chewy texture. Adding it in ground meat or poultry gives extra body. Short grain brown rice is soft and clings together after cooking, thus best in recipes such as rice pudding and rice balls.

Wild Blend Rice: This rice is good in soups, stews, salads and casseroles for its beautiful colors, savory flavor, nutty texture and delicious taste. This long grain rice is a mixture of dark brown with black grains.

Basmati Rice: Basmati means “fragrant” in Hindu, and refers to its nutlike exotic aroma. This long grain rice provides a and drier texture, best for Indian style dishes flavored with spices and is also commonly served with curry.

Italian Rice: Italian rice is classified into 4 categories:

• riso comune (common rice)
• riso seminfino (half thin rice)
• riso fino (thin rice)
• riso superfino (super thin rice)

Riso fino, a round medium grain rice, is favored for risotto and minestra. Superfino is mostly recognized as Arborio rice outside of Italy.

Ref: www.lundberg.com

To maximize health benefits, mix your white rice with brown rice and enjoy varieties of rice in different ways. And, respect the delicate balances of nature by using rices grown in eco-farm.