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Why is brown and wild rice considered good for diabetics?

Brown Rice:

Brown rice is a whole grain that’s often considered a health food.

Unlike white rice, which only contains the starchy endosperm, brown rice retains
the nutrient-rich germ and bran layers of the grain.

Yet, while it’s higher in several nutrients than white rice, brown rice remains rich
in carbs. As a result, you may wonder whether it’s safe for people with diabetes.

This article tells you whether you can eat brown rice if you have diabetes.

Brown rice is a healthy addition to a balanced diet, even if you have diabetes.

Still, it’s important to monitor portion sizes and be aware of how this food affects
blood sugar levels.

In fact, brown rice has been significantly reduced post-meal blood sugar levels in
people with excess weight, as well as those with type 2 diabetes.

While the mechanism isn’t entirely understood, it’s thought that the higher fiber
content of brown rice is at least partially responsible for this protective effect.

Brown rice is higher in magnesium, which has also been linked to a lower risk of
type 2 diabetes.

To help reduce the overall GI of your meal, it's important to eat brown rice
alongside low GI foods, protein sources, and healthy fats.

Refined carbohydrates like white rice have a high glycemic index(GI), which causes
rapid spikes in blood sugar that increase diabetes risk.
Source: Is Brown Rice Better than White Rice?

Foods with a lower glycemic index, like brown rice(55), are digested more slowly,
causing a lower and gentler change in blood sugar.

What is glycemic index(GI)?

The glycemic index is a system of assigning a number to carbohydrate containing


foods according to how much each food increases blood sugar.

The glycemic index itself is not a diet plan but one of various tools such as calorie
counting or carbohydrate counting for guiding food choices.

Wild Rice:

If you're looking to cut calories and up your protein intake, wild rice is the better
option.

A serving of wild rice contains fewer calories and boasts double the protein
content of brown rice.

Both types of rice are great sources of fiber, antioxidants and nutrients like
manganese, magnesium and phosphorus.

Brown or wild rice, however, are healthier to eat by people living with diabetes.

These varieties of rice have significant fiber content which helps slow the rush of
glucose into the bloodstream.
Additionally, wild rice is a low glycemic index food, while wild rice can improve the
resistance in rats induced by high fat diet, and replace 50% of the refined rice.

The GI of wild rice is 57.

Eating whole grains is associated with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes.

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