Junk food can harm memory in a week - study found

Forget the damage to your waistline - over-indulging at Christmas could take its toll on your brain cells, too. Eating a diet loaded with saturated fat and sugar may have an immediate effect on the brain's cognitive ability and cause memory loss, a University of New South Wales (Australia) study has found.

''We know obesity causes inflammation in the body, but we didn't realize until recently that it causes changes in the brain,'' said Margaret Morris, the head of pharmacology at the University of NSW.

The team placed rats on a diet high in sugar and fat and compared their performance with rodents on a healthy diet. Researchers were able to ascertain that rats fed a diet high in fat and sugar had impaired memory after just a week. Interestingly, the results were similarly poor for the rats fed a healthy diet and given access to sugar water to drink. The cognitive impairment related to place recognition, with the animals showing poorer ability to notice when an object had been shifted to a new location. These animals also had inflammation of the hippocampal region of the brain, the part of the brain that is involved in memory forming and storing.

"What is so surprising about this research is the speed with which the deterioration of the cognition occurred," says Professor Morris. "Our preliminary data also suggests that the damage is not reversed when the rats are switched back to a healthy diet, which is very concerning."

Researchers said ongoing work will attempt to establish how to stop the inflammation in the brain of animals with unhealthy diets.

"We suspect that these findings may be relevant to people," Professor Morris said. "While nutrition affects the brain at every age, it is critical as we get older and maybe be important in preventing cognitive decline. An elderly person with poor diet may be more likely to have problems," she said.

Researchers said this study builds on previous work that has implications for obesity.

"Given that high energy foods can impair the function of the hippocampus, if you eat a lot of them it may contribute to weight gain, by interfering with your episodic memory," Professor Morris said. "People might be less aware of their internal cues like hunger pangs and knowing when they have had enough," she said.

The findings of the study, recently published in the journal Brain, Behaviour and Immunity, could lead to a really big difference with how much motivation we have to change the dietary patterns that we have. Because losing one's memory is all about the impact that it has on us on a very, very day-to-day life and a very personal level. And having a diet that optimises one's memory is going to be something that we'll all be very, very keen to be following.

Sources: http://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/ , http://medicalxpress.com/news/, http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/, http://www.ausfoodnews.com.au/, http://www.abc.net.au/news/

WANT TO BREAK JUNK FOOD ADDICTION? BE ACTIVE - recent study found

If you just overindulged in high calorie foods during the holidays, there is an unexpected way to defend yourself, at least next time: resisting the "sins" of gluttony through physical activity.
It is what researchers at the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Boston, found in a study published in Neuroreport last 4th of December.

In this search scholars observed that who did regular exercise had areas of the brain -the orbitofrontal cortex and the insula- less active at the sight of highly caloric food pictures.
This means that the brain of active people tends to be less "reactive" in front of "tempting foods".
Therefore exercise not only burns the extra calories, but can reduce our preferences for unhealthy high-calorie foods.

But there is some more evidence: another recent research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition studied the effects of high-intensity exercise on neural responses to images of food. Fifteen lean healthy men completed two 60-min trials—exercise (running at ∼70% maximum aerobic capacity) and a resting control trial —in a counterbalanced order. After each trial, a functional magnetic resonance imaging assessment was completed in which images of high- and low-calorie foods were viewed.
The study found that exercise significantly suppressed subjective appetite responses while increasing thirst and core-body temperature. Furthermore, exercise significantly suppressed ghrelin (the "hunger" hormone) concentrations and significantly enhanced peptide YY (a hormone made in the small intestine; it helps to reduce appetite and limit food intake) release.

Furthermore, as in the study of the Harvard Medical School, exercise was shown to increase neural responses in reward-related regions of the brain in response to images of low-calorie foods and to suppresse activation during the viewing of high-calorie foods.

Bottom line: physical exercise not only has many health benefits, including improved cardiovascular fitness, lean muscle development, increased metabolism, and weight loss, as well as positive effects on brain functioning and cognition; regular exercise also affects the responsiveness of reward regions of the brain to food stimuli and so can break the addiction to unhealthy foods.

Tips to have a slim and healthy stomach

Are you comfortable with the size and girth of your belly (abdomen)? Do you feel more fat than a year ago? Many men and women who want to have a lean belly and healthy, so it can look nice and comfortable. Indeed, having a slim belly is the dream of every person, and your dreams can come true with a few simple tips.

It is true that with increasing waist size with age makes us less confident. Doing sports activities and exercise is a solution to dislodge fat deposits in the abdominal area, but you should choose the type and proper exercise techniques and in accordance with the condition of the body or type of exercise that makes you happy. You also need to have the time to exercise alone or with friends and family.

 

                                 Slim and healthy belly. Image: womenshealthmag.com

If you want the focus to form a flat stomach and slender, then you could be some follow the tips below:

1. Begin by burning fat

Prior to forming exercise abdominal muscles, start with cardio exercise, such as brisk walking, jogging, and swimming. Effective cardio exercise improves the body's metabolism so that calories and burn fat faster. Wasted if you directly exercise belly muscles because the muscles forming the flab hiding under. Perform cardio exercise is fairly easy three or four times a week with a duration of about 30 minutes.

2. Continue to build muscle in your belly.

When the belly fat has shrunk characterized by a reduced waist size, you can begin to train your abdominal muscles. Besides sit ups, you can do yoga and Pilates movements that form the focus of the lower and upper belly muscles. Perform this exercise 3 or 4 times a week.

3. Do exercises with interval

 

Exercise to create a healthy stomach. Image: asianetindia.com

To obtain optimum results while reducing the risk of injury, do the above exercise intensity with intervals. Start by heating, proceed at high speed, and end with low speed. For example, when doing jogging, pleae start with a slow movement for five minutes to warm up. Then jog for ten to fifteen minutes with increasing speed. Then, do a quick run for two minutes. After that, reduce speed to a jog for five minutes back.

Before and after the exercise, make sure you consume enough water to avoid dehydration. Better results will be obtained if you apply a good diet. Adjust your diet and avoid foods that contain calories, salt, sugar and high-fiber foods and multiply.

Belly dance or yoga

If you have courage, you can also follow the activities of belly dance in my spare time, certainly very enjoyable. Many places or belly dance club whose purpose is to health or physical fitness, is certainly very suitable for women, especially if you want to get health , fitness and a sense of happiness because you dance accompanied by music with a beat that will make your body sway.

 

Yoga in Bali.Image: lembahspa.com

You can also practice yoga in Bali while vacation on this beautiful island. Yoga is a unique sport derived from ancient Indian culture. Many yoga movements that can help you to have a slim body and belly and healthy, and besides you will be taught meditation, so you get the inspiration to focus (konsestrasi). So, quickly find a yoga center in your city or practice yoga in Bali, then you open a yoga class in your town after returning from Bali.

 Slim stomach is a positive sign for the beginning of a healthier life. If you can manage your diet, lifestyle and exercise with proper portions, then you are guaranteed a fit and healthy life. If you live a healthy lifestyle, then you are not susceptible to certain diseases such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer and other dangerous diseases .

 Make sure you also enjoy a social life by the flurry you as an employee , entrepreneur or an artist , entertainer or other professions .

Most of the article is cited from www.fitday.com and other realiable sources.

THE TOP 10 FOODS THAT HELP BUST HOLIDAY STRESS

To overcome the winter and the holiday season without stress and without eating excessively, some foods can be helpful, in particular the ten foods listed by nutritionists of Washington University: these foods are a good aid for your health because they help to rest better and fight anxiety that causes eating too much and bad, especially when it's time to celebrate.

“Some foods appear to soothe us; others fight the inflammation that comes with stress,” said Connie Diekman, director of university nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis. “Stress eating, however, can be a problem this time of year. During stressful periods, there is the mental response of ‘I need to do something.’ And that ‘something,’ for some of us, is eating as much as we can as fast as we can. We have learned. ‘If I eat, I can avoid’ or ‘I can energize.’ The problem is, of course, once people do it, they realize it didn’t help.”

Diekman encourages to eat a healthy meal every three to four hours to maintain healthy blood-sugar levels. She also reminds that rest is very important: “Lack of sleep is a huge trigger for inflammation as well as overeating. If you don’t get a minimum of five hours a night, there is a higher probability you will overeat.”

Here are 10 foods to help fight stress during the holidays
These foods give you a greater sense of satiety, need to be chewed for a longer time, maintain the correct blood sugar levels or lower blood sugar, have anti-inflammatory effects and increase the levels of serotonin that has proven soothing effects. These foods also have beneficial effects on brain function. Finally, hot drinks facilitate sleep.

1) Whole grains
Diekman said whole grains, such as oatmeal, whole-grain breakfast cereal and breads offer a range of stress-busting benefits. “They help you feel full longer, require chewing, which releases anxiety, and maintain blood sugar levels,” said Diekman. “Starting the day with oatmeal is one way to fuel the body, warm the core and provide nutrients that keep the body strong.” Whole grains also boast serotonin, which is known for its calming effect.

2) Vegetables
Diekman said stress-eaters should stock a fridge full of crunchy veggies. Just the act of chewing vegetables like carrots and celery may relieve tension. “Raw vegetables generate lots of crunch, which is an aid to alleviating anxiety and prevents jaw clenching,” Diekman said.

3) Vitamin C-rich foods 
Foods loaded with Vitamin C help fight inflammation and keep the immune system strong. “Research shows foods with flavonoids help our bodies fight stress. What the research does not show, though, is that they prevent stress,” Diekman said. “So it’s important for people to realize this isn’t about finding a capsule that has their flavonoids. It’s about getting these whole foods that keep the immune system functioning on a normal keel. So grab some oranges, blueberries, strawberries or even some spinach.”

4) Nuts
Nuts, especially walnuts, almonds and pistachios, contain healthful fats, which can help the body fight stress-induced inflammation. Unfortunately, the unhealthy fats found in comfort foods such as french fries and bacon don’t have the same benefits. “A high-fat meal can put you to sleep,” Diekman said.

5) Dark chocolate
Dark chocolate, the healthiest variety of chocolate, both increases serotonin and reduces cortisol, the inflammation-inducing hormone triggered by stress. “Just remember to choose portions wisely,” Diekman said.

6) Oily fish
Oily fish can block and, in some cases, counteract stress biomarkers, Diekman said. “Oily fish like tuna, salmon and sardines are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help fight inflammation, a common result of stress, and they have a good variety of vitamins that keep the body strong,” said Diekman. “And oily fish also seems to enhance the brain’s functioning power.”

7) Avocados
Super-food avocados are loaded with potassium, which can lower blood pressure. “They can help keep the balance in muscle activity and fluid balance,” Diekman said. “In general, plant foods are just packed with compounds beyond the vitamins and minerals that play a huge role in the overall health of the body.”

8) Hot tea
Studies show tea’s plant compounds help us relax. But so does its warmth, Diekman said. “When we drink something cold, it causes the body to raise its core temperature; the opposite happens when we drink something really hot. But warm drinks appear to be calming to the body,” Diekman said.

9) Warm milk
Like a cup of hot tea, warm milk is soothing. Milk also boasts tryptophan, a key ingredient in making serotonin. “The milk sugars, like all carbohydrates, act on serotonin in the brain,” Diekman said. “Enjoy the milk with a graham cracker or another complex carbohydrate to get more glucose.”

10) Water
Think you can only get dehydrated in the summer? Think again. “You may not be sweating in the winter, but you are still losing fluids from the surface of the skin. That’s why your skin gets so dry,” said Diekman. “Hydration is essential to fighting stress since fluids keep fuel circulating in the body and the right balance of the electrolytes helps muscles and nerves perform their best.”


Sources: http://news.wustl.edu/news/

Why exercising WON’T curb holiday weight gain

People put on an average 2lb over the festive period and most never lose it again, according to a recent study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. This means that over a period of 10 years, the average person gains 20lbs.

Researchers at Texas Tech University, also found exercise does not help people lose the weight they put on during the holidays.
The team studied 48 men and 100 women between the ages of 18 and 65; half of the volunteers said they were serious exercisers, while the other half admitted to not taking any exercise.
The researchers found that the weight gained during the holidays very often won't be lost; they also found that the people who were overweight at the beginning of the research period put on the most weight - and saw the greatest increase in body fat percentage.

Furthermore they found that how much exercise the person did had no impact on the amount of weight they gained. The team admit they aren't sure why this was - and accept that while exercising did not prevent weight gain, it could be having other health benefits.

On the one hand, study author Jamie Cooper, Ph.D., said it could be that the study didn't have enough participants to detect small differences in weight change between exercisers and non-exercisers.
But she said the results could also mean that people were just eating far more calories than they could burn off, even with all that physical activity.

"If you think about going for a run, if you run for 30 minutes and you run three miles during that time, you burn about 300 calories. Well, one piece of pumpkin pie without anything on it is about 300 calories," Cooper said. "So, it's really easy to eat all those calories that you burn during exercise and then some." Exercise also boosts appetite, which can lead to even more overeating.

Cooper said that means there really is no substitute for moderation during the holidays, a time when foods are much more likely to be loaded with fat and sugar and hidden calories.
Dr Jamie Cooper said people may not think gaining 1 or 2lbs is a lot but that it could be an important factor in causing obesity if people never lose it again. She explained that if people put on 2lb every year for 10 years they will have put on a total of 20lbs.

Despite the disappointing results, one expert said the study shouldn't be an excuse for people to abandon their workout routines over the next few weeks.
"Exercise has numerous benefits beyond just regulation of weight," said Joy Dubost, a nutritionist and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
The study found that exercisers may have maintained an advantage over non-exercisers: their blood pressure tended to stay lower through the holiday hustle.

Dubost thinks that the problem with the holidays isn't just a big meal here or there, it's a mindset of indulgence that people tend to adopt between now and the end of the year.

"Typically what happens on Thanksgiving Day doesn't necessarily just stay for that day. It tends to trickle into an eating pattern that can stay with you through the holiday season," Dubost said. "Then you step on the scale and it's gotten away from you," she added.

Bottom line: we need to stay mindful of what we're eating, no matter how often we hit the gym. Because while it's OK to indulge once in a while, the only thing that should be completely stuffed this holiday is our stocking.







Sources: http://www.nhs.uk/news/, http://consumer.healthday.com/, http://healthcare.utah.edu/

DO YOU WANT TO CONTROL YOUR WEIGHT? DON'T COUNT THE CALORIES BUT CHECK THE QUALITY OF THE FOOD YOU EAT - study shows

Paying attention to calories is not the only precaution necessary to be able to lose weight; in fact, according to a recent research, the kind of foods that you choose to eat can be even more important.
The scholars showed that the index of the quality of the diet (IQD) is the parameter that makes the difference between being obese or lean, regardless of the number of calories consumed. It's like saying: no matter how much you eat, what you eat matters.

The news comes from the 7th Regional Congress of the Italian Society of Obesity (Sio) which took place at the University La Sapienza in Rome last 14th of December.

The study found that introducing 2,000 calories a day a person may be obese, but also lean. It's definitely a revolutionary approach because so far most weight-loss diets are always counting calories.

It is widespread a food culture that puts a lot of attention to the calorie content of a food: just think that by now there are few packages of food for sale not showing the number of calories of the product. However, a new approach to the problem of obesity and overweight is coming out: in this approach more than the calorie count, is important the quality of what you eat.

The IQD let us understand what foods make us fat, regardless of calories. Sugar, cheese, carbohydrates, glucides and saturated fats are usually foods that make you fat. But if these are combined with other foods such as vegetables, fiber and whole grains, you can reduce the negative effects produced by the first ones. To get the formula of IQD you must multiply the intake of carbohydrates to that of saturated fatty acids, the result is then divided by the amount of fiber.

Researchers have developed what might be called the ideal meal formula by studying the eating habits of 120 volunteers. Participants had different eating habits: 30 were lean and omnivorous, 30 were obese and omnivores, 30 were vegan, 30 were lacto-ovo-vegetarians.
Everyone involved had the same caloric amount for their meals and their physical activity had on average the same intensity. Each of the volunteers kept a food diary which allowed scholars to  compare the type of nutrition and food pairing.

Andrea Lenzi, who directs the Division of Medical Pathophysiology and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine in the University La Sapienza, explained that "with the same calories consumed daily by vegans, vegetarians that include milk and eggs, lean and obese omnivores, very different weights become evident". For the expert, therefore, obesity and being overweight is not determined only by the calorie intake, "but by how you build the menu, balancing the foods containing saturated fats or carbohydrates with the fibers".

A meal without fiber and vegetables, clarifies Lenzi, but "rich in saturated fat, especially red meat, not just make you fat, but facilitate the development of obesity-related diseases".
In summary, while assuming the same number of calories the weight can be very different, and there is a greater frequency of overweight or obesity among omnivores who neglect the veggies and promote a diet consisting of fatty meats and some types of cheese.
"At the same time, the indicators of diseases related to obesity and overweight follow the same trend in relation to the quality rather than the quantity of the food," commented Lucio Gilles of the Department of Experimental Medicine.

The quality index of the diet is still in the experimental stage but the scholars think to do more tests so that the system can become a common tool for everybody willing to follow a healthy diet and have a perfect waistline.






Sources: http://www.ansa.it/ , http://www.corriere.it/salute/

BROCCOLI: A HEALTHY FOOD YOU'RE PROBABLY EATING WRONG

Broccoli is one of the healthiest vegetables out there, containing many essential vitamins and minerals and significantly reducing your risk of developing cancers.
New research shows that people who don't cook it in the right way could be wasting their time.
Scientists found broccoli loses its cancer-fighting properties when it is boiled or microwaved.
The researchers, who presented their findings at the American Institute for Cancer Research Annual Research Conference, found the best way to cook the vegetable is to steam it for up to five minutes. They say steaming it until it turns a bright green colour can enhance its cancer-fighting compounds.

Researchers have long been writing about the health benefits of broccoli, particularly one of its ingredients - sulforphane, which is thought to have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer qualities. The authors warn that depending on broccoli powder supplements alone will not have anywhere near the same benefits, and neither will overcooking the vegetable. Researchers found boiling and microwaving broccoli, even for just one minute, destroys myrosinase, a key enzyme in the formation of sulforaphane. In contrast, they also discovered that steaming it for up to five minutes is the best way to retain the enzyme. "Past food processing has tended to focus on improving taste, visuals and microbiological safety," said Dr Elizabeth Jeffery, a researcher at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "Now our task is to go further. Processing can ensure that the bioactives – the cancer protective compounds – arrive in your digestive system in a form the body can use."

Study participants ate a broccoli supplement with no active myrosinase. When some of them ate a second food with myrosinase, their blood and urine levels of sulforaphane were significantly higher than those who did not eat the second food with myrosinase.
Jeffery also found that if you do eat well-cooked broccoli, you can still get sulforaphane to form by adding raw foods containing myrosinase to your meal.
"Mustard, radish, arugula, wasabi and other uncooked cruciferous vegetables, such as coleslaw, all contain myrosinase, and we’ve seen this can restore the formation of sulforaphane," Dr Jeffery said.

In another sudy, the same researchers also found a simple way to preserve broccoli’s cancer-fighting properties when industrially frozen.
Before broccoli is frozen and packaged, it is standard industry practice to first heat the vegetable to 86° C (187° F) in a process known as blanching to inactivate enzymes that can affect its color, taste and smell over its 18-month shelf life. Also in this case Elizabeth Jeffery and her team found that the process destroys the enzyme myrosinase. So the team did a test heating the vegetable to a slightly lower temperature of 76° C (169° F) and found that 82% of the enzyme myrosinase was preserved without affecting the frozen vegetable’s safety or quality.
Although the researchers hope food processors will adopt the lower temperature process, Jeffery says that until they do, consumers can help boost frozen broccoli’s health benefits by sprinkling it with a related cruciferous vegetable containing myrosinase before cooking.

"As we're learning, food processing isn't just what happens to food before it reaches the grocery shelves," AICR associate director of nutrition programs Alice Bender said in the news release. "This research highlights that what you do in your kitchen can make those fruits and vegetables on your plate even more cancer-protective."

So before preparing your meals, remind also that previous research has found:

• crushing or chopping garlic and then waiting 10 to 15 minutes before exposing it to heat allows its inactive compounds to convert into the active, protective phytochemical known as allicin;
• cooking tomatoes and other foods that contain lycopene allows our body to more easily absorb the beneficial phytochemical;
• boiling vegetables for a long time means you lose water-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C, folate and niacin that leach into the water.

Here's an easy, deliciuos recipe to enjoy all the benefits of broccoli

Steamed broccoli with mustard sauce

Ingredients - yield 3 servings

1 1/2 pounds broccoli
2 tablespoons butter, softened
4 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons coarse-grained mustard

Preparation

1. Trim the thick stems from the broccoli. Cut flowerets into small portions.

2. Steam over boiling water for about 5 minutes, until crisptender.

3. Meanwhile, place butter, lemon juice and mustard in serving dish and mix thoroughly. When broccoli is cooked, drain and place in dish. Mix well to coat with sauce and serve.

You may be interested in reading also "Stock your fridge with greens that boost your immune system and be protected from cancer"


Sources: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/, http://consumer.healthday.com/, http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/http://consumer.healthday.com/

Chemical in fries prompts FDA advice

Crispy french fries and crunchy potato chips were never health foods, what with all the calories, fat and salt. But consumers just got a reminder that there's one more thing to worry about when they indulge in such foods: a chemical called acrylamide that might cause cancer.

In a consumer update posted to its website, the FDA details the reasons to consider cutting back on acrylamide, a chemical that forms naturally in plant-based foods when they are cooked at high temperatures for a long time. In other words, it's usually found in fried foods, like french fries. It's produced from a chemical reaction from the sugars and an amino acid called asparagine, which is found in many grains and vegetables. (And potatoes have a particularly high amount of it, further exacerbating the french fry problem.)

Animal studies have shown that high levels of acrylamide are linked to an increased risk of cancer, although long-term studies have not yet been done in humans. Both the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization call the levels of acrylamide in foods a “major concern,” and call for more research.
Scientists first found acrylamide in food in 2002, and according to the Grocery Manufacturers Association, it's found in about 40% of the calories consumed in a standard American diet. Frying, roasting or baking tends to produce acrylamide, but boiling or steaming foods typically do not.

Here’s a short list of some of the foods acrylamide is often found in:

• potatoes (especially roasted or fried potatoes)
• cereals
• coffee
• crackers
• breads (especially toasted bread)
• dried fruits

What's a person to do? Must we all go raw if we want to stay healthy?
In fact, it does seem that once we venture away from uncooked or lightly steamed foods, we're headed for trouble. But of course, we're not all going to give up toast and stir fries and cappuccino tomorrow. More realistically, you can at least minimize acrylamide exposure.

French fries:  golden yellow  -            brown

One key is to limit potato intake, as the potato seems to have a particular affinity for acrylamide. The highest levels of the nasty chemical were found in potato chips and fries. Boiling or steaming potatoes is your best bet, or at the least, baking the whole potato. The FDA says that refrigeration actually increases the acrylamide levels in potatoes. The Agency recommends storing them in a vegetable drawer, slicing them, and then soaking them for 15 minutes in cold water before cooking. Apparently, the soaking decreases the acrylamide levels.

Toast:         light brown          -             dark brown

Also, don’t eat burnt toast. Same concept here: The dark brown or black areas on a piece of toast are more likely to contain acrylamide. Toast your bread to a light brown color instead.

As for other food items, it's better to sauté at low heats for short periods of time rather than stir fry on high. It's better to steam grains, if you choose to eat them, rather than stir-fry them before cooking. If you love the crunchy, crispy parts of your roasted vegetables, you might need to change your taste preferences as the acrylamides concentrate where the crunch is.

There isn't much you can do about coffee, since the beans get roasted before they reach your percolator, says the FDA. On the other hand, you might want to choose light roasts rather than dark, or better yet, switch to green tea (and not kukicha or genmaicha, which contain roasted twigs and roasted barley, respectively).

Bottom line: when you think about it, the rules don't really change with the acrylamide warning. Avoiding fried foods to the extent possible has long been a tenet of healthy eating habits, as has been lightly steaming instead of cooking vegetables to death in order to retain mineral content.









Sources: http://www.today.com/health/, http://www.usatoday.com/, http://www.myhealthwire.com/news/, http://www.forbes.com/

BENEFITS OF BROWN RICE

Rice, especially brown rice, is a major food staple consumed by over half the world's population every day.
The difference between brown rice and white rice is not just color: the process that produces brown rice removes only the outermost layer, the hull, of the rice kernel and is the least damaging to its nutritional value. Indeed the more processed white rice is simply a refined starch that is largely bereft of its original nutrients.

Brown rice is not only fiber rich, but also protein-rich with only a small amount of fat. It provides vitamin E and B vitamins and minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc. By eating brown rice every day as part of a well-balanced diet, you can help ensure your body's good health.

Nutritional profile

• A team of researchers at Cornell University, including WGC Scientific Advisor Rui Hai Liu shows that whole grains, such as rice, contain many powerful phytonutrients whose activity has gone unrecognized because research methods have overlooked them. Dr. Liu's findings may help explain why studies have shown that populations eating diets high in fiber-rich whole grains consistently have lower risk for colon cancer, yet short-term clinical trials that have focused on fiber alone in lowering colon cancer risk yield inconsistent results. The explanation is most likely that these studies have not taken into account the interactive effects of all the nutrients in whole grains—not just their fiber, but also their many phytonutrients. 

• Brown rice is good source of fiber. A cup of brown rice provides 14.0% of the daily value for fiber, which has been shown to reduce high cholesterol levels, one more way brown rice helps prevent atherosclerosis. Fiber also helps out by keeping blood sugar levels under control, so brown rice is an excellent grain choice for people with diabetes.

• Just one cup of brown rice will provide you with 88.0% of the daily value for manganese. This trace mineral helps produce energy from protein and carbohydrates and is involved in the synthesis of fatty acids, which are important for a healthy nervous system.

• Brown rice is rich in selenium, a trace mineral that has been shown to substantially reduce the risk of colon cancer.

• Magnesium, another nutrient for which brown rice is a good source, has been shown in studies to be helpful for reducing the severity of asthma, lowering high blood pressure, reducing the frequency of migraine headaches, and reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke. This is because magnesium helps regulate nerve and muscle tone by balancing the action of calcium.

• Complete amino acid profile proteins: amino acids are the building blocks of protein. A complete protein contains all 9 essential amino acids, that is amino acids that cannot be synthesized within the human body, thus need to be supplied by the diet. Protein in plants is notoriously thought to be incomplete. On the other hand, rice protein isolate is a complete protein with a 96% correlation to whey.

SOME BENEFITS OF BROWN RICE IN DETAIL

Brown rice and whole grains are good for weight loss
A six-week-long study published in "Nutrition Research" in February 2008 compared the weight loss benefits of a meal replacement containing white rice with one containing a mix of brown and black rice. Study participants who consumed only the mixed-rice meal replacement lost more weight and more body fat than participants who consumed only the white-rice meal replacement.

Whole brown rice lowers cholesterol

Here's yet another reason to rely on whole foods, such as brown rice, for your healthy way of eating. The oil in whole brown rice lowers cholesterol, as shown in a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Researchers from Louisiana State University suggest that the unsaponifiables present in rice bran oil could become important functional foods for cardiovascular health.

Brown rice reduces risk of metabolic syndrome

In one of the most recent studies, which appeared in Diabetes Care, researchers who analyzed data on over 2,800 participants in the Framingham Offspring Study, found that the prevalence of both insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome was significantly lower among those eating the most cereal fiber from whole grains compared to those eating the least.

The researchers concluded, "Given that both a high cereal fiber content and lower glycemic index are attributes of wholegrain foods, recommendation to increase wholegrain intake may reduce the risk of developing the metabolic syndrome."

Brown rice and other whole grains substantially lower Type 2 diabetes risk 

A study suggests regular consumption of whole grains also reduces risk of type 2 diabetes. (van Dam RM, Hu FB, Diabetes Care). Reasearch showed that risk of type 2 diabetes was 31% lower in women who frequently ate whole grains compared to those eating the least of these magnesium-rich foods. When the women's dietary intake of magnesium intake was considered by itself, a beneficial, but lesser—19%— reduction in risk of type 2 diabetes was found, indicating that whole grains offer special benefits in promoting healthy blood sugar control.

Lignans protect against heart disease
One type of phytonutrient especially abundant in whole grains including brown rice are plant lignans, which are converted by friendly flora in our intestines into mammalian lignans, including one called enterolactone that is thought to protect against breast and other hormone-dependent cancers as well as heart disease.

Fiber from whole grains and fruit is protective against breast cancer  

Researchers found a diet rich in fiber from whole grains, such as brown rice, and fruit offers significant protection against breast cancer for pre-menopausal women. (Cade JE, Burley VJ, et al., International Journal of Epidemiology).

In the study, pre-menopausal women eating the most fiber (>30 grams daily) more than halved their risk of developing breast cancer, enjoying a 52% lower risk of breast cancer compared to women whose diets supplied the least fiber (<20 grams/day).
Fiber supplied by whole grains offered the most protection. Pre-menopausal women eating the most whole grain fiber (at least 13 g/day) had a 41% reduced risk of breast cancer, compared to those with the lowest whole grain fiber intake (4 g or less per day). 

Brown rice helps prevent gallstones
Eating foods high in insoluble fiber, such as brown rice, can help women avoid gallstones, shows a study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology. Researchers think insoluble fiber not only speeds intestinal transit time (how quickly food moves through the intestines), but reduces the secretion of bile acids (excessive amounts contribute to gallstone formation), increases insulin sensitivity and lowers triglycerides (blood fats).

Warning: non-organic rice may contain traces of arsenic. Choose organically grown rice whenever possible. For any crop to be labeled as organic, including rice, stringent testing of soils for contaminants, including arsenic, must be passed.

Tips to cook brown rice and a deliciuos recipe

Tips when cooking brown rice

1. Soaking for about an hour or so helps the plump grains to absorb moisture, swell and cook faster.
2. One cup of rice requires about three to four cups of water/liquid to cook.
3. Using vegetable or chicken stock or even stock cubes greatly enhances the flavour if you are cooking it as a one pot dish.
4. Cooking the vegetables along with the rice makes the dish very flavourful.
 

Brown rice with chicken and pumpkin

Ingredients:
Brown rice - 2 cups
Vegetable stock (two stock cubes dissolved in 1 litre of water)White wine - 1 cup (optional, add one more cup of water to the vegetable stock if you omit this)
Boneless chicken cut into strips - 1 cup
Pumpkin - peeled and chopped - 1 cup
Onions -1 big sliced finely
Garlic - 3 cloves chopped
Cinnamon stick - 1 chopped piece
Bay leaf - 1
Cloves - 2
Oil - 1 tbsp
salt to taste
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Directions:
1. Wash and soak brown rice in water for an hour.
2. Heat up the vegetable stock and keep aside; heat it up a bit later, if necessary.
3. Take a large non stick pan, heat the oil and add the cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf. Saute 1 minute then add the onions and fry till it is golden brown.
4. Add the chicken pieces and fry on high heat for two minutes till it gets seared on both sides and cooks a bit. Sprinkle chilli powder, lower heat and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add the white wine, drain the soaked rice and add it to the pan. Saute for 3 minutes.
6. Add half the hot stock to the rice and cook for about 8 minutes, then add the pumpkin pieces, the remaining hot stock and salt to taste and cook further for 10 minutes or till the water is absorbed and the rice is tender.
7. If you think the rice needs more cooking, add hot water or vegetable stock half a cup at a time.
8. Serve hot.

Recipe from: Peppermill web

Sources: http://www.growingnaturals.com/whyriceprotein.php
http://wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/health-benefits-of-rice
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19083390
http://www.temple.edu/medicine/eguchi_brown_rice.htm
McKeown NM, Meigs JB, Liu S, Saltzman E, Wilson PW, Jacques PF. Carbohydrate Nutrition, Insulin Resistance, and the Prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome in the Framingham Offspring Cohort. Diabetes Care. 2004 Feb;27(2):538-546. 2004. PMID:14747241.
Anderson JW, Hanna TJ, Peng X, Kryscio RJ. Whole grain foods and heart disease risk. J Am Coll Nutr 2000 Jun;19(3 Suppl):291S-9S. 2000. PMID:17670.
McKeown NM, Meigs JB, Liu S, Saltzman E, Wilson PW, Jacques PF. Carbohydrate Nutrition, Insulin Resistance, and the Prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome in the Framingham Offspring Cohort. Diabetes Care. 2004 Feb;27(2):538-546. 2004. PMID:14747241.
Most MM, Tulley R, Morales S, Lefevre M. Rice bran oil, not fiber, lowers cholesterol in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Jan;81(1):64-8. 2005. PMID:15640461.
van Dam RM, Hu FB, Rosenberg L, Krishnan S, Palmer JR. Dietary calcium and magnesium, major food sources, and risk of type 2 diabetes in U.S. Black women. Diabetes Care. 2006 Oct;29(10):2238-43. 2006. PMID:17003299.
Vogt, T. M. Ziegler, R. G. Graubard, B. I et al. Serum selenium and risk of prostate cancer in U.S. blacks and whites. Int J Cancer. 2003 Feb 20; 103(5):664-70. 2003.
Cade JE, Burley VJ, Greenwood DC. Dietary fibre and risk of breast cancer in the UK Women's Cohort Study. Int J Epidemiol. 2007 Jan 24; [Epub ahead of print] . 2007. PMID:17251246.
Tsai CJ, Leitzmann MF, Willett WC, Giovannucci EL. Long-term intake of dietary fiber and decreased risk of cholecystectomy in women. Am J Gastroenterol. 2004 Jul;99(7):1364-70. 2004. PMID:15233680.