Black Rice - Complete Look at Benefits and Nutrition

The world today is loaded with harmful elements that can bring lots of diseases to the body. With all the stress, pollution, different lifestyles as well as unhealthy foods available, we all really need a sure way to prevent these from creating complications in our body.

Perhaps you have made up your mind to bid rice farewell for a healthy regime, how about considering black rice as a healthier option?

Related - Superfoods List: 5 Essential Foods for Better Health

Black rice is gradually becoming more popular these days as one of the most recent and effective superfoods on the market. It has a history rooted in ancient China, where only the Chinese Emperor and his favorites in court or the Royal family, were only allowed to eat black rice since it was tasty, uncommon and nutritious.

It became forbidden for the masses to eat black rice.

Although you may have little to no knowledge about black rice, this variety of Asia's staple food has been grown for centuries. Most people in Asian countries use black rice as a condiment, dessert ingredient, and in recipe dressings. However, due to the technological advancement in food preservation, this ancient super food is expanding in popularity outside the region.

Some basic facts about black rice:

• It is the most nutritious and healthy of all rice variations.
• Its preparation time is approximately 30 minutes.
• It is purplish in color when cooked, and also has a lower yield.
• The dark coloration is due to anthocyanin, an effective antioxidant also found in dark grapes and the Acai berry. This antioxidant is responsible for coloring some plants black.
• The flavor of black rice is delicious and feels much stronger than brown rice.

What makes black rice unique?

Rice is generally a good source of fiber, carbohydrates, and other vital minerals and nutrients. But what you get from black rice is extremely more substantial.

Of all the colored rice, black rice has been studied - and even confirmed - to be better in terms of health benefits. It retains all its original natural properties since it does not undergo a polishing process.

Black rice is also denser compared to white rice, which makes it harder to cook. More importantly, it is high in fiber, vitamin E, amino acids, iron, and antioxidants among many others.

Let us consider a few of its constituent nutrients and their health benefits.

Iron ? Black rice is rich in iron, which is known to give energy. Therefore, taking black rice will give you more energy to get you through the whole day. Iron also keeps you from being stressed.

Amino acids ? As mentioned earlier, black rice is a good source of essential amino acids. Amino acids are responsible for the repair of damaged cells during metabolism.

They are extremely important to young or growing kids because they act as protein storage even though protein synthesis exceeds the protein breakdown. Amino acids also take part in essential processes in the body.

Fiber ? This is another great nutrient you can find in black rice. Consuming fiber helps to promote good bowel movement. In addition, the fiber present in black rice prevents constipation, bloating, and other digestion issues.

Other minerals ? Black rice has a good proportion of magnesium, manganese, selenium, and phosphorus. Manganese is an essential mineral required by the body to perform many functions. Minerals like phosphorus and magnesium are part of a variety of processes in the healthy functioning of the body.

Other benefits of black rice

Protection against inflammation ? Inflammation can result from a host of reasons, but black rice can be beneficial in protecting or reducing it much like flax seeds and fish oil. This implies it can potentially help your body combat asthma, allergies, and other diseases linked to inflammation.

Antioxidant properties - While white rice is a pure starch known to cause increased insulin and blood sugar, black rice is absolutely not. The unrefined version, which is recommended, is loaded with antioxidants that help lower cancer risks.

As a matter of fact, one spoonful serving of black rice gives more antioxidants than blueberries of the same amount. However, black rice has lesser sugar content. Black rice is also present in several anti-aging products.

Prevents heart attack ? Black rice is rich in anthocyanins, which helps to lower the risks of heart attack by getting rid of plaque buildup in the arteries - the most common cause of heart attack. In addition, they help in controlling the level of cholesterol in the body.

Detoxifier - Due to its richness in antioxidants, consumption of black rice helps in body detoxification by cleaning the liver of dangerous toxic buildup.

Low glycemic index (GI) - Black rice is a great choice for a clean eater, with a low glycemic index (GI) to help manage weight and blood sugar.

Weight loss - If you are looking to lose weight, eating black rice can be very effective for better results. It easily makes you feel full, controls calorie intake, and helps to clean the intestines of those unwanted products, thereby resulting in weight loss.

That is not all!

Black rice can also help combat deadly diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and can reduce the risks of kidney complication. If you are diabetic, you don't have to worry about eating rice.

Black rice will help you to lower down your blood sugar count. In fact, the benefits of black rice are so enormous that it can even help with memory loss. With all these benefits, it is no surprise why black rice is considered as a super food.

Furthermore, the magical thing about black rice is that it can do all of these without any damaging adverse effects like those you may find in current prescriptions from your doctor.

How to prepare black rice

The preparation of black rice is a bit different from that of brown and red rice. The cooking recipe of black rice in the oven is as follows:

• Take two cups of boiling water and pour it over 1 cup of black rice.
• Add ½ tablespoon of salt and other flavorings you wish.
• Cover the baking dish and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
• Remove and let stand for about 15 minutes before serving. You can add other colored rice to the black rice for a great meal.

Where can I get black rice?

The best place to purchase black rice is to either order it from an online health food store or an Asian market. Sometimes it is sold under the label of ?Indonesian Black Rice,? "Black Rice? or the more interesting name of "Forbidden Rice."

Black rice has made an unbeatable record of nutritional benefits among the different varieties of rice. Its deep fruity, sweet, nutty taste and chewy texture are extremely different from other food types, making it a great addition to your diet.

Also, bear in mind to include all nutrients (without any exemption) to your diet. Not only will black rice make you healthy, but it will also keep you healthy and make you look healthy.

If you like eating rice and these health benefits of black rice amaze you, why not get this forbidden rice?

Regardless of all its health benefits, black rice should not be seen as an alternative therapy. Rather, it should only be used as a complementary therapy in conjunction with your doctor?s prescribed diet to get better results.