Eat Rice, Stay Healthy!?

A recently published study (Fulgoni. 2010) analyzing data from 25 374 eligible participants identified as rice consumers study on the correlation of rice-eating to several markers of metabolic health showed that people who ate at least one serving of rice (white or brown) a day tend to have

better health and diet parameters including less total fat, saturated fat, and added sugars; higher amounts of more than 12 essential vitamins and minerals, including iron, folate, and other B vitamins; more fruit and legumes; nearly 4 tsp (16 g) less added sugar; and 7 g less solid fats. For the 19- to 50-year-old subgroup, main results (P < .05) also showed rice consumption associated with reduced likelihood of being overweight or obese, 34% reduced risk of high blood pressure, 27% reduced likelihood of having an increased waist circumference, and 21% reduced risk of metabolic syndrome.

This, however, should not encourage you to just add one serving of rice to your bad diet habits, because the most important information coming from the study is the first one: Rice eaters tend to have better diet parameters. In other words their general dietary regimen is more healthy, no wonder they have a reduced likelihood of obesity and health issues. Overall, rice is still a very dense source of energy and overeating on it would not be advisable, both from a caloric, as well as (this is more important) from a nutritious point of view - with its high amount of carbohydrate one serving of rice may well amount to all the carbs you may eat, if you follow a heart healthy low carbohydrate diet. Bottom line: Moderation is the key!