January 28, 2023 | Awake & Dreaming

Rice is pretty much a staple food in India and a lot of Asian countries. Some rice farming tools from China date back 8,000 years, and some remains of ancient rice are up to 2,000 years older than that. It’s hard to find a home without rice in some form of the other. Where I live we mostly have either the starchy rice or white rice and, to a lesser extend, Basmati rice. But there are more than 40000 varieties of rice and many can be prepared and sold as brown rice. Brown rice means you’re eating the rice as a whole grain. That’s important because the less processed the grain, the more nutrients you get.

The bran and germ, the two outer layers of brown rice, contain most of the vitamins and minerals in the grain. Those layers get removed when manufacturers make white rice, and that’s why brown rice is the healthier choice.

Reduced Risk of Diabetes

Brown rice has a low glycemic index (GI), meaning it doesn’t cause your blood sugar to spike after you eat. Studies show that by eating three servings per day of whole grains like brown rice, you can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 32%. White rice, on the other hand, can increase your risk of diabetes. Another study found that people who eat a lot of white rice are about 17% more likely to develop diabetes than folks who eat less. Scientists estimate that by replacing about 50 grams per day of white rice with brown rice, a person can reduce their diabetes risk by 16%.Improved Heart Health

Many of the nutrients in brown rice help keep your heart healthy. It’s a rich source of dietary fiber, which can reduce your risk of death from heart disease. Brown rice also contains high levels of magnesium, which can help make you less vulnerable to heart disease and stroke.Overall, studies show that eating more whole grains, including brown rice, could reduce your risk of heart disease by up to 22% and your risk of stroke by as much as 12%.

Better Weight Control

As of 2020, four in every 10 Americans qualify as obese, and one in 10 is severely obese. Adding brown rice as a dietary staple may help people who are overweight to shed more pounds and reduce their body mass index, a common marker of healthy or unhealthy weight. Brown rice also contains more dietary fiber than white rice. Higher-fiber foods cause you to feel fuller longer while taking in fewer calories. If you replace white rice with brown rice, you will be able to eat less without feeling hungrier.

Manager Pep Guardiola called Nathan Ake an “exceptional guy” after he sent Manchester City into the FA Cup fifth round with the winning goal in a narrow victory over Premier League title rivals Arsenal. The Gunners have established an impressive lead in the league but it was City who shaded a tight contest thanks to Ake’s precise 64th-minute finish after good work from Jack Grealish. Arsenal had chances of their own, especially in the first half when City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, deputising for Ederson, saved well from Takehiro Tomiyasu and new signing Leandro Trossard. There was little to choose between the sides and their Premier League battle will come into focus once more when they meet at Emirates Stadium on 15 February.

City will view this as a psychological blow aimed in the direction of Arsenal, who manager Pep Guardiola has publicly recognised as the biggest threat to their hopes of retaining their title. City were again short of their fluid best but have a squad so rich in quality and versatility that there is invariably a match-winning moment, on this occasion provided by Grealish’s weaving run into the area and a clever finish from Ake. Erling Haaland was quiet but the fact that City got over the line against opponents who have become so formidable, and who have lost only one league game this season, will delight Guardiola.

It was victory that came at a cost, however, with defender John Stones – so outstanding for his club this season and for England at the World Cup – forced off on the stroke of half-time after pulling up clutching his hamstring. Stones has been an influential presence for City and Guardiola will hope the medical bulletin does not present a long-term problem. For Arsenal, this was a rare taste of defeat this season – but there was enough for manager Mikel Arteta to be encouraged by as they turn attentions back to the league. The Gunners put the shackles on goal machine Haaland, and in the first half – with recent £21m arrival Trossard prominent – they were a real threat going forward, with Ortega the busier goalkeeper. It was all achieved with key men Martin Odegaard, Oleksandr Zinchenko, William Saliba, Gabriel Martinelli and goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale held back from the starting line-up.