The Case for Brown Rice

Why should you eat brown rice?

Although there are numerous types of rice grown all over the word, not all share the health benefits that you would get by eating brown rice. 

According to the George Mateljan Foundation for the World’s Healthiest Foods, brown rice’s health benefits are, to a certain degree, due to the way it is prepared, which is different from white rice. Unlike white rice, brown rice retains most of its nutritional benefits and is whole-grain. This means that brown rice still contains the fiber-contained layer called the bran, the core rich in nutrients called the germ, and the starchy layer known as the endosperm. In comparison, white rice is a refined grain, which means that the important layers of the bran and germ have been removed, stripping away a lot of the fiber and nutrients. 

Overall, the health benefits that you get by consuming brown rice are due to the fact that it is whole grain. Whole grains improve cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Additionally, some of the phytochemicals and minerals found in whole grains are associated with a lower risk of certain cancers, according to the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH). 

The fiber stored in the bran helps lower your cholesterol, moves waste through the digestive tract, prevents the formation of blood clots, and stimulates fullness as well. Some of the nutrients contained in brown rice includes B vitamins, folic acid (helps the body form new cells), iron (helps the body carry oxygen in the blood), magnesium and selenium (a mineral involved with the immune system). Moreover, brown rice is considered a low glycemic index food with a rating of 55, which means that it does not cause your blood sugar to spike after consumption. 

In order to maximize the health benefits of brown rice, we’ve given you the step-by-step instructions on how to ferment it. Fermenting brown rice helps remove the natural occurring phytic acid, which is a substance found in plant seeds that impairs the absorption of iron, zinc and calcium when consumed. So by removing the phytic acid from brown rice before consumption, you’re sure to received beneficial gut bacteria and increased health benefits!

Here’s how to do it: 

Essentially, in order to maximize the amount of phytic acid that gets removed during the fermentation process, you can add a tenth of the soaking water used in a previous fermentation every time you cook your brown rice.

Step 1: 

Soak the brown rice in dechlorinated water for 24 hours, with a pot to cover, at room temperature without changing the water, and reserve 10% of the soaking liquid. 

Step 2:

Keep the reserved 10% soaking liquid in a glass container, close the lid and store it in a fridge. 

Step 3:

Cook the rice with the other 90% soaking liquid and eat. This will break down about 50% of the phytic acid.

Step 4:

The next time you make brown rice, use the same procedure as above (reserving 10% each time) with a fresh batch of dechlorinated water, but add that 10% soaking liquid from the last batch. This will break down about 65% of the phytic acid in 24 hours.

Step 5:

Repeat the cycle of adding the reserved 10% soaking water from the last batch, every time you make brown rice. This process will gradually improve until 96% or more of the phytic acid is degraded in 24 hours. Around 4 rounds will be needed until 96% is removed.

Happy fermenting!