In Spain it has a reputation as a healthy place.

Not all products all my life They are necessarily healthy, although we usually think that this is the best we can accept. And an example of this is white rice, a food item that we should consume. taking into account certain aspects of its composition. First, it’s a product that’s already in the hands of the food industry: Naturally, rice is a whole grain and wrapped in a husk that reduces its impact on blood sugar.

Yes, white rice is related to increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes for this reason. Just like lately this has been associated with pasta or white bread, which are also part of our regular diet. Although rice is a different grain than the wheat used to make pasta and bread, the process that makes them more unhealthy is the same: refining. The bran, the husk, is removed from the white rice grain and consists solely of the germ and endosperm.

Cleaning rice makes it more marketable because both the color and texture are more pleasing, but also, cleaned rice cooks faster. The endosperm, which makes up the vast majority of hulled grains, It consists almost entirely of starch. This substance is a very simple carbohydrate that very quickly breaks down into sugars, which penetrate into the blood at high speed, that is, it has a very high glycemic index. Rice bran protects against exactly this.

Less risks

Scientific studies and experts have repeatedly warned about this. In 2022, it was published in a scientific journal. BMJor British Medical Journalreview of up to 19 studies that link white rice to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. This metabolic disease, in turn, is one of the main factors of cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, high glycemic index foods have also been linked to obesity in other studies.

In the conclusions section, the study confirms that “white rice consumption is associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.” But he does not condemn rice and in fact explains that “for my part, “brown rice is associated with a lower risk of developing this disease”. Come on, this grain doesn’t have to disappear from our diet if we want to improve the quality of our diet, we just need to opt for the whole version. These options are easy to find in any supermarket.

in his book What is healthy eating? (Planet, 2020), Miguel Ángel Martínez González, professor of preventive medicine and public health at the University of Navarra, explains that Our body has a special mechanism for breaking down starch. The resulting simple sugars cause blood glucose levels to spike, causing the pancreas to redouble its efforts to release enough insulin. This hormone helps normalize blood sugar levels, but its excess production can have consequences.

More benefits

Although starch is also present in brown rice, the fiber content of the bran causes it to enter the body more slowly and steadily. Thus, the pancreas also produces insulin, but does not generate production peaks, which can be particularly harmful. Our body can generate type 2 diabetes when the pancreas is too damaged and also when the body generates insulin resistance.

Of course, this is not the only benefit of eating whole grains, but also Whole grains contain more protein. Now, as is the case with almost all plant protein sources, brown rice sources are incomplete. That is, they lack some essential amino acids that are typically found in legumes. For this reason, when cooking animal-free lentils such as chorizo, it is recommended to add a handful of rice.

With more fiber, more protein, and a lower glycemic index, brown rice makes us feel fuller after eating than white rice. So brown rice causes us to lose weight by preventing us from continuing to eat afterwards. However, the calorie counts between whole wheat and white wheat are very similar. Either way, we should consider cutting back on portions: According to Harvard University’s Healthy Eating Plate, whole grains should not make up more than a quarter of our meals.