Ms. Muscles Fitness Blog: Populations Who Consume Rice Tend To Be Healthier

Populations Who Consume Rice Tend To Be Healthier - Why?

Rice has a higher quality of protein than wheat, rye, and barley which makes it less toxic and easier for humans to assimilate

"But there is also this: rice protein is very digestible. Human beings can actually break it down and absorb it (so can rats)."

"It has a "biological value" of 83, which is comparable to beef which is at 80. White flour though, has a value of 41! Even purified wheat gluten is at 69. But some of the proteins in gluten just don't digest, which is probably one reason why the "toxic peptides" exist at all: they weren't broken down properly in the digestive tract. Rice has less protein in it, but the protein that is there is more human-friendly."

http://www.goya.com/english/nutrition/basics_rice.html

Proteins, unique among the energy nutrients because they contain nitrogen, are composed of amino acid units that are linked in chains. Essential amino acids cannot be manufactured by the body; therefore, they must be provided by dietary protein. All of the eight amino acids must be present at the same time and in the right proportion in order for protein to be synthesized. The protein in rice is well balanced because all eight amino acids are present and in proper proportion. Therefore, rice is a unique cereal grain. The protein content of rice, while limited (ranging from 2.0 to 2.5 mg. per 1/2 cup of cooked rice), is considered one of the highest quality proteins to that provided by other cereal grains.

Biological value is a measure of protein quality, assessed by determining the extent to which a given protein supports nitrogen retention. The most perfect protein by this standard is egg protein (biological value 100); this has been designated the reference protein by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Rice protein has a biological value of 86. Fish fillet protein has a biological value of 75-90. Corn protein has a biological value of 40. Generally, a biological value of 70 or above indicates acceptable quality.

Peoples who eat rice as their main source of calories don't develop protein deficiency: the protein in it is complete enough to sustain a person. White rice is low in B vitamins though, which isn't a problem if there is in fact supplemental food. And a diet of rice seems to lesson hypertension!

This is execellent news. I feel great adding rice to my arsenal of healthy carbs for "off" days.

Thank you, Off the Food Grid