Americans Value the Nutritional Essence of Brown Rice

Half of the world's population regards rice as part of their traditional diet. However, Americans are still on the process of appreciating the nutritional importance of rice. Some consumers are not yet aware that brown rice is a whole grain which gives a lot of health benefits like reducing the risk of heart illness and some cancers.

The 2007 workshop series entitled Rice Utilization Conference delivered by USA Rice Federation and ARS Southern Regional Research Center (SRRC) is one of the key factors that led more Americans to appreciate the value of rice. The planners of the workshop were inspired by the daily whole-grain consumption cited in 2005 Dietary Guideline for Americans. After the workshop, the USA Rice Federation submitted a petition to FDA to allow brown rice to qualify for the whole-grain health claim.

To further encourage the consumption of brown rice, ARS food technologist Harmeet Guraya developed a brown rice with reduced cooking time. Traditional brown rice usually takes up almost an hour to cook; but this new treated rice only takes 20 minutes, just like the cooking duration of white rice.

See the complete news report at http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/apr10/rice0410.htm.