The Nutritional Advantage

Nutrient rich and gluten-free…containing eight essential amino acids, U.S. rice contains no cholesterol, sodium or fat. Brown rice is a slow-burning complex carbohydrate that provides long lasting energy. All rice is gluten-free.

Rice also offers mood-enhancing properties. The brain and nervous system rely on carbohydrates for energy. Carbohydrates such as rice enhance the synthesis of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is the brain chemical that regulates mood and controls appetite. Mood disorders such as “winter blues” or its more severe version, Seasonal Affective Disorder, may be due in part to inadequate serotonin synthesis. Carbohydrates like rice have been shown to alleviate the symptoms of this common winter disorder.

What are the benefits of the vitamins and minerals in rice?

Brown rice contains:

• Fibre, which promotes healthy bowel habits and prevents constipation. Fibre may also help lower cholesterol levels.
• Phosphorus, which aids in the formation and maintenance of bones and teeth.
• Zinc, niacin, pantothenic acid and vitamin B6, which are all factors in energy metabolism and tissue formation.
• Thiamine, a B-vitamin which helps turn carbohydrates into usable energy for the body.
• Magnesium, which is a factor in energy metabolism and bone development

Magnesium is needed for bone, protein, and fatty acid formation, making new cells, activating B vitamins, relaxing muscles, clotting blood, lowering blood pressure and forming ATP — the energy the body runs on. Insulin secretion and function also require magnesium.

Thiamine or Vitamin B1 is needed to process carbohydrates, fat, and protein. Every cell of the body requires vitamin B1 to form ATP — the fuel the body runs on. Nerve cells require Vitamin B1 in order to function normally.

Niacin or Vitamin B3 is used by the body in the process of releasing energy from carbohydrates. It’s needed to form fat from carbohydrates and to process alcohol. The niacin form of Vitamin B3 also regulates cholesterol.

Vitamin B6 is the master vitamin in the processing of amino acids — the building blocks of all proteins and some hormones. Vitamin B6 helps to make and take apart many amino acids and is also needed to make serotonin, melatonin and dopamine. Vitamin B6 also aids in the formation of several neurotransmitters and is therefore an essential nutrient in the regulation of mental processes and possibly mood. In combination with folic acid and Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6 lowers homocysteine levels — a substance linked to heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Pantothenic Acid is involved in the cycle of energy production and is needed to make the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. It is also essential in producing, transporting and releasing energy from fats. Synthesis of cholesterol (needed for Vitamin D and hormone synthesis) depends on pantothenic acid. It also lowers blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides.

Iron is part of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying component of the blood. Iron-deficient people tire easily because their bodies are starved for oxygen. Iron is also part of myoglobin, which helps muscle cells store oxygen. Without enough iron, ATP (the fuel the body runs on) cannot be properly synthesized. As a result, some iron-deficient people become fatigued even when their hemoglobin levels are normal.

Phosphorous is a mineral which helps build strong bones and teeth. Phosphorous is also involved in the release of energy from fat, protein and carbohydrates during metabolism and in the formation of genetic material, cell membranes and many enzymes.

Reviewed by Cara Rosenbloom, registered dietitian.