Black Rice

At a recent cooking class I was asked, “why black rice? Is it any better for you than brown?” I said something about how different colors mean different nutrients and how a variety is always best. It was a decent answer, but too generic, so I did some digging. Turns out that black rice is some pretty cool stuff. But let’s start at the beginning with a simple explanation of rice…

Whole grain rice is an excellent food to incorporate into your diet. It’s easy to prepare, incredibly diverse, and gluten-free for anyone interested. You can put almost anything on rice and it’s tasty – marinara sauce, homemade salad dressings, cheese and milk (think macaroni and cheese, but with rice), coconut milk, etc. I encourage you to think outside the box with rice (and any grain for that matter) – you can basically use it like pasta.

When choosing a rice, always go for a whole grain rice. You can buy brown versions of basmati or jasmine, but they’re just that… brown, not white. White rices are made by removing the bran and germ layers from the grain, which leaves behind the endosperm. The endosperm is mostly just carbs. When you remove the bran and germ, you’ll also removing good fiber, vitamins B1, B3 and E, iron, magnesium and whole slew of other vitamins and minerals. What you’re left with is something that provides very little nutrition – it’s mostly empty calories. in fact, I would consider white rice to be the white bread of the rice world. Just as white bread, white rice is often enriched because it’s so nutrient poor.

Black Rice and Antioxidants

Now, back to the original question… what’s up with black rice? Like all rices, the bran found in black rice is extremely high in antioxidants. However, black rice (and purple rice) has a bit of an antioxidant advantaged when compared to other rices. The black coloring is caused by the presence of red and purple pigments called anthocyanins – antioxidants unique to dark-colored fruits and vegetables such as blueberries, grapes and acai. These potent antioxidants are important for defending our bodies against free-radicals that can cause cellular damage. So let’s have a big “yay” for black rice’s combative abilities!

When I learned of the antioxidative properties of black rice I couldn’t help but think back to my days of working in a plant physiology lab. I worked with a professor who just so happened to study anthocyanins in galax – a low-growing herb. Amazingly enough, anthocyanins perform the same function in plants as they do in our bodies – help protect the plant from cellular damage. But, this is besides the point. This professor had a great talk that he delivered at a number of universities entitled, “Better Red Than Dead.” So, maybe you too can remember this title and apply it to your food choices. Antioxidants are an important part of our diet, so be sure to choose foods that are a variety of colors. Eating a variety of colors will guarantee you’re getting a whole range of nutrients, antioxidants, and phytochemicals in your diet. Because as we all now know… Better to eat red than be dead!