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E-BRAND-AID
A grocery guide to healthy brands
Instant Rice: Naughty or Nice?
by Kerry McLeod, The Brand Doctor
Some rice is nice, some is very nice, and some is just downright bad for you! But how do you know which is which?
There's brown rice, white rice, instant rice, slow-cooking rice... the list goes on and on.
Well, have no fear. The Brand Doctors are here with the instant breakdown.
For starters, white rice isn't so nice. Over-processing has removed all the nutritional benefits like germ and bran.
Plus, it's a quick-release carb, which causes mood fluctuations and adds empty calories to your meal. Total buzz kill.
Brown rice, on the other hand, is just plain nice! It's the kind of carbohydrate you want to spend some time with and get to know a little better.
It's got everything you'd ever want in a whole grain. It's naturally low in fat, it's rich in fiber, and it's packed with vitamins and minerals.
Plus, brown rice is a slow-release carb and that helps to increase production of the brain's happy juice,
a substance scientists like to call serotonin. So, with just a half cup, you'll feel fuller and happier longer -
and you'll be fighting heart disease! Perhaps brown rice just might be the new Prozac. Hmmm....could there be a grain of truth to that sentiment?
Reality Check
Here's the rub. Although the slow-cooking brown rice provides the most nutrition, it's also going to take the most time to cook.
Got 30-50 minutes or more to wait for your next meal?
Don't fret. Your trusty Food Sleuths cornered a gem of a product in the rice aisle.
It's a truly healthy fast-cooking brown rice that will get you to your happy place in about 90 seconds!
BestBrands
Uncle Ben's Ready Rice Whole Grain Brown
(1 cup, 220 cals, 3g fat, 5mg sodium, 2g fiber, 5g protein)
Ingredients: Water, Parboiled Whole Grain Brown Rice, Canola Oil and/or Sunflower Oil.
This variety from Uncle Ben's Ready Rice line is a great choice when convenience is a must. Here's why:
The ingredients are few and there are no chemical additives.
It's extremely low in sodium and it has a good amount of fiber (2 grams) and protein (5 grams).
And here's the best part - it cooks up in about 90 seconds in the microwave. Or, if the stove top is your preference,
you're only looking at a few minutes!
We think Uncle Ben's Ready Rice Whole Grain Brown Rice is a keeper! So, be sure to stock up so it'll be on hand when you're pressed for time
or you just need a shot of happy!
Caution: Most of the other varieties of the Uncle Ben's Ready Rice line are full blown Healthy Food Imposters PACKED with sodium and chemical additives. Be sure you're choosing the BestBrand - the Whole Grain Brown Rice variety.
Sign up now for eBrandAid's free newsletter and you'll receive a newly updated BestBrands list with over 250 healthy brands by food category -- full of
products that all free of harmful or questionable junk ingredients -- free!
Kerry McLeod is the chief Brand Doctor at eBrandAid.com.
Kerry's mission in life is to teach food shoppers how to cut through the clutter at the grocery store in order to find
the truly healthy brand-name foods. If smart food shopping appeals to you, click here to subscribe to eBrandAid.com's free newsletters.
Also, receive for free an e-Report of eBrandAid’s Grocery Store Survival Guide.
*The opinions stated aren't necessarily those of MommaSaid or its principals. Seek professional advice before beginning any health program.
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