Brown Rice, Good and black rice, even better. So say Zhimin Xu, Ph.D. of Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, after analyzing black rice grown in the southern U.S. Partially milled brown rice bran contains high levels of antioxidants, but brown rice appears to contain even more.(White rice, from which the bran is removed, is well known to have limited food value).
“Just a spoonful of black rice bran contains more health-promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than are found in a spoonful of blueberries, but less sugar and more fiber and vitamin E antioxidants, “Xu reports, asking, “If berries are used to boost health, why not black rice and black rice bran?”
Xu advocates a greatly increased role in our diets for inexpensive black rice, which at present is mainly used in Asia. Not only can it be served at the table, it can be also added to processed food to raise nutritional values. Moreover, black rice bran pigments, ranging in color from pink to black, might even replace the artificial colorants that are causative factors in cancer, children’s behavioral problems, and other undesirable effects.
Source: “Black Rice is Cheap Way to Get Antioxidants, “by Bill Hendrick, 26 Aug. 2010, http://www.webmed.com.
