Today we’re starting a new blog series on grains. There are good and bad things about grains, and there’s even a fairly unknown superfood that’s actually a grain!
As a young boy, the typical Sunday dinner at our house featured a meal often consisting of white rice, gravy, and the other accompanying foods such as green beans, corn, sweet potatoes, something fried, and homemade biscuits. Mom was an excellent cook, and I savor those memories of Sunday meals with my family and Mom taking great joy in feeding us all. We had a large table, and it was always full of friends and family.
So, what does this have to do with this mystery superfood? Well, nothing. I wanted to share a little nostalgia I was experiencing while writing this piece. White rice was the only rice I knew until my later adult years.
Later I was introduced to brown rice, black rice, long grain, short grain, jade rice, etc. And then, I learned the secret of the most essential information about rice.
What are the parts of a grain kernel?
When we think of rice, brown rice, or any rice, we typically think about the whole grain. However, rice and grains have multiple components that make the grain.
Parts of a Grain Kernel
As a simple explanation, a grain kernel consists of the outer husk, the bran, the endosperm, and the germ. The bran is the outer coating just under the grain husk, and the germ is on the bottom edges. Approximately eighty-five percent of the nutritional benefits of the rice kernel are in the bran and germ.
For this article, when I use the term bran, it also includes the rice germ.
Introducing Rice Bran
What if I asked you what one of the most nutrient-dense foods in the world is? Would you have guessed I’m talking about rice bran?
It takes about 30 pounds of brown rice to make one pound of rice bran and rice germ. Ounce for ounce, few foods have as deep and rich of a vitamin, mineral, essential fatty acid, enzymatic, phytonutrient, and antioxidant content as rice bran.
The polyunsaturated oils in rice bran have made selling it as a nutritional food source difficult. The oils turn rancid quickly. However, technology developed a few decades back made it possible for us to take advantage of the powerhouse of nutrition in rice bran through an enzymatic process that stabilizes the oils. Because of this, they do not go rancid as quickly. As a result, rice bran is now available.
If you want to get on the right path with your health, please consider adding a whole-food, fiber-rich supplement containing rice bran, such as Vive Shake, to your wellness routine. For more information on Vive Shake, contact us today at info@viveshake.com or 877-878-3009.