OFADA RICE; A PLUS IN YOUR DIET!

Ofada rice, has been linked to protection against atherosclerosis, ischemic stroke, diabetes, insulin resistance, obesity, and premature death. In addition to the matrix of nutrients in their dietary fibers, the whole-grain arsenal includes a wide variety of additional nutrients and phytochemicals that reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Compounds in whole grains that have cholesterol-lowering effects include polyunsaturated fatty acids, oligosaccharides, plant sterols and stanols, and saponins. Ofada rice also important dietary sources of water-soluble, fat-soluble, and insoluble antioxidants.
The long list of cereal antioxidants includes vitamin E, tocotrieonols, selenium, phenolic acids, and phytic acid. These multifunctional antioxidants come in immediate-release to slow-release forms and thus are available throughout the gastrointestinal tract over a long period of time.
The benefits of eating brown rice such as ofada rice are many and outweigh eating the polished one. Most of the health benefits attributed to brown rice are scientifically proven and are not just a folk lore. What is more, scientists indicated that consuming brown rice is far better in the prevention of diabetes as compared to white rice.
Diabetes is a condition where the body finds it difficult to regulate blood sugar. The sugar comes from the digestion of starchy foods like bread, rice, yam and noodles. Increase in glucose level in the blood progressively damage the eyes, kidney, nerves, heart and major blood vessels (arteries).
A 2010 study in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, which was the first to specifically examine white rice and brown rice in relation to diabetes risk among Americans, estimated that replacing 50g of white rice (just one third of a typical daily serving) with the same amount of brown rice would lower risk of type 2 diabetes by 16 per cent.
But when white rice is replaced with other whole grains, such as whole wheat and barley, the risk of developing diabetes was reduced by 36 per cent.
Ironically, eating brown rice is not associated with ethnicity, but with a more health-conscious diet and lifestyle after the researchers adjusted for a variety of factors that could influence the results, including age, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol intake, family history of diabetes, and other dietary habits.
Brown rice is superior to white rice when it comes to fiber content, minerals, vitamins, and phytochemicals and it often does not generate as large an increase in blood sugar levels after a meal. Milling and polishing brown rice remove most vitamins and minerals. In addition, milling strips away most of its fibre, which helps deter diabetes by slowing the rush of sugar (glucose) into the bloodstream.
According to a consultant endocrinologist, white rice has high glycaemic index, causing fat to be deposited in the body. The excess carbohydrate, in turn, causes an increase in insulin resistance of cells in the body.
Glycaemic Index (GI) measures how quickly glucose (carbohydrate) is released into the bloodstream after eating.
The body absorbs carbohydrates from different foods at different rates. This leads to varying effects on levels of blood glucose and the hormone insulin, which converts glucose into energy.
Because high—glycaemic index foods increase blood glucose levels significantly, they increase the body’s demand for insulin. This can contribute to problems with the pancreas (which produces insulin) that may eventually lead to diabetes.
In addition, high—glycaemic index foods can directly decrease the body’s response to insulin by increasing the production of fatty acids after meals.
Foods high on the glycaemic index, such as rice and other simple carbohydrates like white bread and noodles cause a rapid spike and then a drop in blood glucose. But high-fibre foods such as brown rice and beans, which makes people feel fuller longer, keeps blood sugar levels more stable.

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