Brown rice

Q. Is brown rice healthier?

A. Surely those who eat brown rice are eating correctly, taking in everything that rice food can offer them. Let's start from the assumption that only the skin (husk) is removed, which is woody and cannot be eaten, and compared to white rice, it retains mineral salts, vitamins, oils and the precious bud (or germ or embryo) which is the living part of the grain and which is therefore able to germinate and give birth to a new plant. All these parts are missing from white rice, the "poor" part remains, that is, starch (carbohydrates for 80-90%), some protein.

Q. Why do they recommend eating whole grains and in particular brown rice?

A. Because by eating brown rice we take in fiber, oil, mineral salts, vitamins that we would not take in by eating white rice. We can also realize this by cooking 80 grams (which represents a normal portion) of white rice and 80 grams of brown rice. Eating the second course will make you feel like you've eaten more because it "satisfies" you better than white rice.

Q. Why do we consume so little brown rice and don't make, for example, risotto with brown rice?

A. Because brown rice has a cooking time of 40-45 minutes and is therefore "discarded" for this reason. White rice is certainly quicker to cook, and if you think that sometimes (white) rice is put in second place compared to pasta precisely because of the cooking times ...

Q. Is brown rice suitable for everyone?

A. Like all foods, if there are no contraindications from the doctor or serious pathologies, brown rice (like white rice) can be consumed by everyone. Perhaps I would exclude children under 2-3 years old for safety reasons as the whole grain is always rather "crunchy".