Experts urge consumers to eat more brown rice

Experts are urging consumers to eat brown rice, saying it offers lots of benefits to the human body, as well as to the economy. Since brown rice is known for its high nutrient content, it could very well be a solution to the increasing incidence of malnutrition among Filipinos.

Brown rice is an excellent source of dietary fiber, magnesium, lysine and protein, says Dr. Marissa V. Romero, food chemist of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice). It contains more nutritious than polished white rice because polishing removes 68-90 percent of the calcium, phosphorus, riboflavin, and thiamin content. The protein content is also reduced by 15 percent when the bran layers are removed.

Any rice variety can be milled into brown rice, but Dr. Cezar P. Mamaril, a PhilRice consultant who practices his own brand of farming, says it is better to use aromatic varieties with good taste. He mills an IR841 line for brown rice because it is acceptable or has a good eating quality, aromatic, and has a tender texture. 

In addition to its nutrient content, brown rice helps address the malnutrition problem in the Philippines. A report of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) stated that almost four million (31 percent) of the preschool population in the country, three million (19.8 percent) adolescents and five million (13.2 percent) adults are underweight and chronically energy-deficient.

Likewise, brown rice could help provide enough rice for every Filipino, according to National Scientist Dr. Emil Q. Javier, current president of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and chairman of the Asia Rice Foundation (ARF). He says that brown rice can fill up 10 percent of the country’s rice supply deficit.

“Through brown rice we can easily make up with rice shortage,” says Dr. Mamaril since the milling recovery of brown rice is higher by 10 percent than polished white rice. Moreover, less rice is consumed with brown rice because its dietary fibers can easily make consumers full and, hence, they would no longer order for extra rice.

Dr. Romero says brown rice can be paired with nutrient-rich foods like vegetables, fruits, lean meat, and sea foods. Since it is more difficult to cook and has harder texture than well-milled white rice, soak the brown rice in water for 30 minutes before cooking. The proportion of brown rice to water is usually 1:2.

Newly milled brown rice can also be germinated to produce sprouted brown rice or rice toge, which contains a high amount of nutrients. 

The experts advise consumers to buy only a few kilos because brown rice gets rancid after sometime unless refrigerated.      - Sosimo Ma. Pablico