“My body is made of brown rice.”
Dirk Benedict
I’ve never really thought much of brown rice. No one ever ate it around me as a child, so in my experience, it was white rice or none at all.
But just because I haven’t tried something in the past doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t try it now. Times change, and it is always best if we change with them.
I’d heard that brown rice had some qualities that would make it a healthier, more effective rice to add to my diet. While the taste is reputed to be a bit different, brown rice contains all of the things that have been stripped out of white rice. Basically, brown rice is the equivalent of whole wheat, while white rice is the equivalent of white flour.
Brown rice, like whole wheat, is healthier, because it hasn’t had essential nutrients stripped from it before we ever get it.
With this in mind, I decided to try a small bag of brown rice. I cooked up a small batch with some egg for breakfast this weekend to try it.
Have you ever noticed that, when you eat white rice, you never stay full for very long? That no matter how much you pig out, you’re always starving a short time later?
That doesn’t happen with brown rice. I ate a small bowl this morning and I still feel full and satiated several hours later. The only other food I’ve had that has made me feel full for so long has been old-fashioned oatmeal.
I am pleasantly surprised.
The taste is a bit nuttier compared to white rice (which is actually rather bland). It’s a pleasant taste. I can tell that, for savory meals, that brown rice is definitely the way to go. Why cook multiple times when you can cook once and it leaves you full for longer?
Now that I know just how effective brown rice is at eliminating hunger, I will definitely be incorporating it into my diet. It is a healthy, economical way to fill your belly.
Right now, my favorite ways to eat it are by cracking an egg on it at the very end of cooking and mixing it in. The heat from cooking the rice cooks the egg quickly. I like adding the egg and small chunks of whatever pre-cooked meat I happen to have available. I’ll begin to add vegetables to it when I go to the store, and a bit of soy sauce at the end will add a bit of spark to the dish.
Have you ever cooked with brown rice? How do you eat it? Do you have any simple recipes to share? If so, please share your stories in the comments below.
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I’ve written a lot of books sharing my odd view of life in hopes of helping others. My most notorious book is titled The Shoestring Girl: How I Live on Practically Nothing and You Can Too, but The Minimalist Cleaning Method is pretty popular as well. You can find them at the following places:
Barnes and Noble
Apple iBooks
Smashwords (non-DRM)
So great to have you back, Annie. Have missed your insights. We discovered brown rice a while ago and it’s delicious! Please keep writing. Looking forward to your next book. If it’s possible to “wear out” an ebook I’m pretty sure I have done that with Shoestring Girl!
Aww, thank you! That means so much to me! You are awesome!
I like both brown and white rice, but you’re right that brown is more filling and better for you. Brown rice takes longer to cook, cooked brown rice keeps 4-6 days in the refrigerator and re-heats nicely and can also be frozen for up to 6 months (according to the very useful website StillTasty.com).
For a simple and inexpensive way to jazz up plain brown rice, search for “Seasoned Rice” on BudgetBytes.com.
Happy experimenting!
Thanks for the tip! I will definitely do that!
Mom always preferred brown rice so wore rice was rarely used if ever. One of the things we did was make it a cereal in the morning much like you do with oatmeal. Cook it up, add butter, sugar, cinnamon and a dash of salt. Milk and nutmeg if desired. A simple, easy, nutritious and delicious breakfast! Rice is so versatile! Sweet, savory, binder, pudding… You can also make non food things such as paper. I’ll look up how but the stuff is great!!
I haven’t tried brown rice as a breakfast food yet but I will remember that and try it. Thanks for the tip!
Hey Annie, just heard about the floods in Kentucky and wanted to check in with my fave self publisher to see how y’all are doing! Blessings and peace from 🇨🇦
Carla
Hello, Carla! I haven’t floated away. I am hoping that the rain stops soon. If it doesn’t I will definitely be on flood watch but for now I’m okay.
Thank you SO much for caring enough to ask!
Annieq, are you okay? Not sure if you are near the horrible flood areas.
I’m okay, Karen! I gather the big issue here in KY is flash flooding. My concern is the river level, which rises far slower than the creeks in my area. That said, I’m watching the level of the river. While it hasn’t escaped its banks yet, if it keeps raining, I will definitely be concerned.
I am following Dr. Furhman’s nutritarian diet and need to lose weight so I eat very little rice. But, when I do eat rice, I opt for brown rice, yes. I think it tastes better than white rice. Oatmeal can sub in for rice in many dishes. You mentioned adding vegetables to your breakfast. Good idea! I enjoy a savory oatmeal in the morning. I saute onions, garlic and mushrooms and add that to my oatmeal, and then stir in a tablespoon of ground flax seed. For an additional flavor punch and to get some of the enzymes from raw food, I sprinkle on some minced raw garlic and onions. Yummy!
That sounds good! I will have to try that. Thank you!