This morning I read an interesting article on CNN.com that sparked my enthusiasm to create a post! I am officially less than a day away from vacationing in California, but I thought I would leave you with this post for the weekend. Don’t forget about Operation Beautiful Week starting this coming Monday! Caitlin from The Healthy Tipping Point will be guest posting!
Okay, so back to my question: Is black the NEW! brown? You may be wondering what I’m referring to; shoes? clothes? hair? Think more along the lines of food though and what might be a main staple in most health minded people’s diets.
Suppose there's nothing really new about the little black dress...WRONG guess!
If you guessed brown rice, you are correct. Brown rice is a wonderful grain containing lots of fiber and iron, making it superior to traditional white rice. But what if I told you there was a grain that was even MORE superior?
Has anyone ever heard of BLACK rice?
Apparently, the Chinese cherish this rare and tasty grain so much so, that way back when, only Chinese emperors could get their hands on it! Where is it available today? While I have never seen it (nor have I looked for it) in our every day grocery stores, black rice can be found at health food supermarkets like Whole Foods.
Black rice is cultivated in Asia and appears black when in its raw form and turns a deep purple color once cooked. While black rice has similar health benefits as brown rice for fiber and iron content, black rice differs in that it contains the antioxidant: anthocyanins. These anthocyanins are the same pigments that provide berries with their dark red and purple hues and multiple health benefits! Anthocyanins are currently being studied for their role in the prevention of chronic diseases, due to their anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties! Think: heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease prevention!!!
In 2008, the Journal of Nutrition published a study that demonstrated how an extract from black rice helped lower levels of triglycerides and prevented the build up of plaque in the main arteries of mice. According to Kristie Leong M.D., in an article for HealthMad.com, black rice extract was also found to be as powerful as the prescription drug Simvastatin, in lowering cholesterol levels! That is pretty impressive! Talk about a way to help fend off heart attacks in a natural way!!
Given that I had never heard of this food before, I’m curious how many others have and are using black rice on a day to day basis?
I’m encouraging you to SHARE this post with fellow bloggers and get a tally on WHO is in the KNOW and WHO is NOT! Let me know!! Maybe we’ll start getting some new black rice recipes posted around the blogosphere!!
Can’t wait to hear your response!!
ps. Operation Beautiful Week begins in 2 days!!! (Oh and I’m leaving for CALIFORNIA tomorrow!!!)
I love black rice! It’s sooo high in antioxidants and it tastes lovely. I’ve only ever used it in rice pudding, but it sure is good. It’s actually great for rice pudding because it’s ever-so-slightly sweet! (If you can’t find any, I can try to send some your way if you’d like.
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Weird! I’ve never heard of black rice before!
I’ve never tried black rice, but I think I should.
Have a great time in California!
Have fun in San Fran!
I’ve never heard of black rice, but I definitely want to try it now! I wonder how it tastes?
I’ve tried this before at Whole Foods prepared foods section. They were giving out samples, and I liked it. Very chewy, with a distinct nuttiness.
I have heard of the black rice, but I have not cooked with it. Will be great to find it and try it out!
I saw some at Whole Foods yesterday and was very intrigued. Now even more so! I’m hoping to pick some up next time, and I will let you know if I have any success!
I’ve heard about black rice but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in the stores…I’ll have to start looking harder!
Enjoy your vacation!
I’ve never heard of black rice! I’ll definitely be on the look out now.
I’m TOTALLY making black rice this week!!! I never heard of it until now…I am so psyched!!! Totally giving you props on this one, girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Have a great Friday!!
I heard about that on the radio today. Interesting stuff. Have a great vacation!
I’ve heard of black rice, but have never actually seen it in the stores. But then again, I’ve never looked? Maybe it’ll be a new blogger trend?
This is definitely new to me! I’ve never heard of black rice. And it can help lower cholesterol and TG levels?? Amazing! I’ll have to tell my dad about this.
Regarding the GE job, I did not have to give a presentation. I know I have heard about other RDs who have had to do this, but for some reason I didn’t have to. Strange. You’ll do great. Just be yourself and be confident. Good luck to you!
Interesting! Until now I’ve never seen or even heard of black rice. I’d definitely be interested in seeing some recipes that incorporate it.. I wonder what it tastes like.