Rice is frequently consumed in combination with other foods, such as vegetables, beans, and meat. It is a low cost food, so it allows you to stretch your food budget.
There are many varieties of rice, many of which you are probably not familiar with, such as Arborio, black, red, jasmine, basmati, and then the more common wild, brown, and white.
All rice provides a variety of nutrients, including carbohydrates and protein. Plus, rice is gluten free. A one cup serving of wild rice even contains 156 mg of omega 3 fatty acids to help promote heart health and lower cholesterol.
The two most common include white rice and brown rice, so let’s by compare these two options.
White Rice vs. Brown Rice
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There is an overwhelming amount of information regarding what you should and should not eat available to you. Many times I see people try new diets or special foods to promote heart health. However, they don’t have the basics in place to promote a healthy heart. Therefore, making one particular change, such as eating more walnuts, won’t have as great an impact.
Here are five foundational pieces you need to have in place to promote heart health.
1. Reduce your intake of unhealthy fats
There are different types of dietary fats – saturated and unsaturated. Trans and saturated fats have been linked to a higher risk of heart disease, such as elevated cholesterol levels, and should be consumed in moderation. You want to replace the majority of the saturated fats in your diet with more heart healthy unsaturated fats.
How do you do this?
Potatoes tend to get a bad rap since this vegetable is processed in so many different ways (think French fries and potato chips). However, there are some redeeming nutritional values provided by potatoes. Let’s do a little comparison.
Serving Size: 1 medium potato with skin
Calories: 128 white potato; 103 sweet potato
Fat: 0.2 g white potato; 0.2 g sweet potato
The DASH Diet has been proven to lower blood pressure in as little as two weeks. Researchers are interested in the impact of the DASH diet on other aspects of heart health.
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