Brown Rice vs. White Rice

So someone was making a joke the other day about a Mexican restaurant that specializes in extra large burritos offering the choice between brown or white rice - "WOW! Those 15 calories I'll save by choosing the brown rice will really make a difference in losing weight!! Ha ha ha ha..." (BTW, he was wrong about the calorie difference - just saying :-D )

The truth is that the difference in calories is negligible in these choices - brown or white.  What IS important is another couple of things (I think they're more important than the actual calories): Glycemic Load and Nutrient Density!  


Some definitions first:
1) Glycemic load (in conjunction with the glycemic index) is basically the effect of the carbohydrate on blood glucose or blood sugar (how fast and how much it gets raised) and has been used for a number of years to help diabetics control their blood sugar.  The higher the number, the higher the effect=spike in blood glucose which would trigger insulin release, etc.  The best idea is to maintain a fairly leveled blood glucose amount to prevent problems.  Anything higher than say 20 is considered HIGH and anything with a 10 or less is considered LOW.

2) Nutrient density is pretty self-explanatory but just in case... it's the most nutrients you can get for the least amount of calories.  Comparing a Hershey chocolate bar to an apple - the apple is more nutrient dense because it has more vitamins and fiber than the Hershey bar per calorie.

Now back to the brown rice vs. white rice...

In case you don't know, it's all rice, right?  The difference is the brown rice still has its bran and germ (the nutritious and fibrous parts).  The white rice has been processed and the bran & germ has been removed to make it faster to cook.  Yeah, that's the thing - it's faster to cook, meaning it's also faster to digest and you'll be hungry sooner.

A side by side comparison shows us the following (per the USDA Nutrition website):
1 cup of brown rice = 218 kCalories; 4.52g of protein; 3.5g of fiber; 20mg Calcium; 1.03mg Iron
1 cup of white rice =   169 kCalories; 3.51g of protein; 1.7g of fiber;   3mg Calcium;  .24mg Iron
        White rice has 49 kCalories less than brown rice but look at how much less of the nutrients too!

And what's the glycemic load on them? According to the "Death to Diabetes" website:

1 cup white rice (boiled): Glycemic index of 64, with a glycemic load of 23

1 cup Brown rice (boiled): Glycemic index of 55, with a glycemic load of 18

So, while calories (intake and usage) are important, it's also important to not overlook the nutrients and the effect certain things might have on our bodies' glucose levels.  Too many glucose blood level spikes aren't good, so choose smarter.

(For more information on white rice vs. brown rice, read the article on Livestrong.com!)



All information on this blog is my own pursuit of information on the road to getting my BS in Nutrition Science and as a mode of studying. 

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Nutrients

You've heard the word or at least seen it - nutrient.  What is it exactly?  Obviously, it has something to do with nutrition - right.  Nutrients are, basically, chemicals derived from food that our bodies use for energy, structural materials (bone, etc.), and regulating agents for growth, maintenance, and tissue repair.  Hmm, pretty important stuff those darn nutrients.  Nutrients are broken down into various categories, depending on what is being discussed:

• Macronutrients are those nutrients that our bodies need in large amounts such as carbohydrates, fats, and proteins (macro=large);
• Micronutrients are the nutrients that our bodies need in smaller portions such as vitamins and minerals (micro=small);
• Essential nutrients are nutrients (chemicals) that we require from outside our bodies.  In other words, our bodies can't produce them or we produce them in too small quantities to meet physiological needs -- there are approximately 40 essential nutrients, by-the-way;
• Organic nutrients - no, not like organic produce but it relates to the nutrients that contain at least 1 carbon molecule.  These are the vitamins of which there are 13.
• Inorganic nutrients are nutrients that do not contain any carbon molecule.  These are the minerals and there are only 16 of them that are known to be essential in human nutrition.

Now that we have all of that cleared up, I'd like to discuss these nutrients :D  You knew that was coming, right?  Right.

There are six classes of nutrients required by our bodies.  They are:

1. Carbohydrates - macronutrient; provides energy; organic
2. Lipids (aka fats) - macronutrient; provides energy; organic
3. Proteins - macronutrient; provides energy; organic
4. Vitamins - micronutrient; organic
5. Minerals - micronutrient; inorganic
6. Water - inorganic

 NOTE: There are other compounds in foods that our bodies utilize (fibers, phytochemicals, etc.) but these are not considered nutrients...just wanted to clarify that.


Macronutrients. When the body uses carbohydrates, fats, and proteins for energy or fuel, the bonds between the nutrient's atoms break and releases the energy into our bodies.  Some of the energy is released as either heat or it's used to send electrical impulses (messages), to synthesize body compounds, and to move muscles.  If either of these macronutrients is not used up in the body, what do you think happens?  Yep, it gets stored in the body for some day in the future when the intake is inadequate or during the night while you sleep or even for in-between meals.  Speaking of which, your body continues to use energy (your brain especially) while you sleep therefore depleting stored reserves and helping you to lose weight - that's why it's so important to get enough hours of sleep if you're trying to lose weight!  And, did you know that our brains (since we've sidetracked a bit about that fine organ) use glucose for fuel and that our bodies produce that from the carbohydrates we eat?  The only animal product that has enough carbohydrates for this are dairy products...take that, Atkins dieters. Click here to learn more.  These same macronutrients (carbs, protein, & fats), also provide the foundational materials to build tissues and regulate many of the body's activities/functions. (FYI - Protein is NOT a major energy provider but is more of a structural building block. It also helps to regulate digestion and metabolize energy.)
 
Vitamins. Obviously, vitamins don't directly provide energy to the body but they do play their part. These little (micronutrients) powerhouses help the macronutrients release their energy and they do a bunch of other things throughout the body too.  Each of the 13 vitamins has a starring role in the body because almost every action in the body requires the help of vitamins.  Also good to know - vitamins can only function properly if they are intact.  Their molecular organic complexity makes them vulnerable to being destroyed by heat, light, and chemical agents!  This is why steaming veggies for a very short time (or eating them raw) is a preferred and healthier method of preparation.  Just for fun, here are the 13 vitamins: 

1. Vitamin C (water soluble);
2. Eight (8) B vitamins (water soluble) - thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B6, B12, folate, biotin, and pantothenic acid;
3. Vitamin A, D, E, & K (fat soluble).

 Minerals. These also don't fuel the body's energy needs but they are important to the body's structures.  There are only 16 known essential minerals in human nutrition, even though they are studying others to figure out if they have a significant function.  Being inorganic, minerals are pretty much indestructible but they can bind to other substances that might get in the way of the body being able to absorb them.  They can also be lost during food-refining processes or when cooking because they seep into the preparation water that is thrown out. Major minerals are equivalent to macronutrients in that they are needed in large amounts and trace minerals are needed in smaller amounts.

1. The major minerals are: calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, chloride, magnesium, & sulfate.  For more information on the major minerals, go here.
2. The trace minerals are: iron, iodine, zinc, chromium, selenium, fluoride, molybdenum, copper, & manganese.  To learn more about trace minerals, go here.

 Water.  Everyone has heard of how important water is to the proper function of our bodies, right?  It must be really important if a 150lb body contains about 90lbs of water! It's used in metabolic reactions, helps transport vital materials to cells, helps carry away cell waste products...it's really important.  We can go (on average if we're healthy) about 8 weeks without food but we can die in a matter of hours without water.  

So, drink your water and make sure you're getting all of your nutrients!

All information on this blog is my own pursuit of information on the road to getting my BS in Nutrition Science and as a mode of studying. Most information and data was taken from my textbook "Understanding Normal and Clinical Nutrition" by Rolfes, Pinna, & Whitney, ISBN-13: 978-0-495-55646-6

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Calcium and Being Vegan

*NOTE: I am not a health or medical professional but am sharing what I learn on my journey to becoming one and the journey to find my own better health.

We're always hearing about how "Milk does a body good" and how eating all those dairy products are supposed to keep us from getting osteoporosis, right? This is an important subject that I've been forcing myself to learn more about especially since my own bone density test came back two years ago with a diagnosis of osteopenia in my lower back. My first reaction was, "but I eat cheese, yogurt, etc.". Yes, that was my pre-vegan time. So, now with being vegan, I figure I might be in a lot more trouble bone-wise than before and hence the in-depth reading. I have to give a push for the best book with all types of nutritional information that has become my so-called "vegan bible"...Becoming Vegan by Davis & Melina! I highly, and greatly, recommend this book even for non-vegans/vegetarians!

Anyway, back to what I've discovered about our bodies, our food, and calcium...

First off, did you know that calcium isn't just for helping to build bones? Its uses in the body are phenomenal - essential in blood clotting in injuries, relaxing muscle fibers after contraction, enabling nerve signals, and it regulates cell metabolism! Plus, they're seeing signs that it even helps with preventing high blood pressure! Wow, that's one little amazing mineral, right? It does all of this with only about 1% of the calcium stored in our bodies. Now, if we are experiencing bone loss already, what do you think happens to those other calcium functions? Ya, it doesn't look good, does it? But it does.

It's not all about how much calcium we take in but more about the balance of that amount, the absorption of it, and the excretion or loss of calcium. For example, North Americans (according to the RDs who wrote the book "Becoming Vegan") absorb about 30% of the calcium in their diet but once you look at the amount that is excreted, the actual retention is as low as 10% of what was in the food to begin with. Now the question is, what affects these calcium losses.

The things that make our bodies excrete high percentages of calcium that could've been otherwise used for bones and/or any of the other calcium functions are things that will likely surprise some of you:
Protein. Yes, I said protein but namely the sulfur amino acids in it. These amino acids cause a pH imbalance in the blood causing the body to restore this balance by depleting calcium from the bones (acts as a neutralizing agent). It's approximated that for every gram of protein we consume/absorb that 1 mg of calcium is used then disposed of in the urine. Now we know we need protein for many physiological functions but the game is to not overdo it or to stay away from those proteins that have a higher amount of sulfur amino acids. Meat, by-the-way, is a highly concentrated source of these (considered highly acidic) and dairy products are not that far behind (considered moderately acidic)...just putting it out there. The other culprit that creates havoc with our calcium absorption/stores?
Sodium. That just has a bad rep all around, doesn't it? Well, in this case, when the kidneys have to process out all the extra salt, the body also loses about 23-26mg of calcium per gram of sodium removed. This one is definitely a red alert for vegans since a lot of prepared foods come with a lot of sodium in order to make certain things taste better, like those "meat" substitutes.
Soft drinks & coffee. Here is another repetitive health alert for these things, though coffee is only shown to be a possible culprit after 3 cups a day. Soft drinks, on the other hand, do their damage with their phosphoric acids (see the word "acid"? What does the body use to neutralize acids?)

All right, so now we know what's not pro-calcium balance so what does a vegan do to get balanced? Well, it's recommended that an adequate intake (AI) of calcium a day (for an adult) be between 1000-1200mg, while trying to maintain a ratio of calcium(mg) to protein(g) of 16:1 to 20:1 and to get less than 2400mg of sodium per day. Mumbo jumbo translated: for every gram of protein you eat, you should eat 16-20mg of a calcium rich (or enriched) food but keep your daily sodium allowance under 2400mg. Plus, research has shown that we absorb calcium better when small amounts are taken at a time (instead of a giant calcium supplement). Also, don't forget the important roles that vitamin D and magnesium have on calcium absorption - make sure you get enough of those too. I take a vegan vitamin D supplement (VegLife) every morning because I was extremely low and a fizzy magnesium drink every night before bed (Natural Calm)...just make sure to have your blood tested for vitamins & minerals first before adding any supplements to your daily routine. Don't forget weight bearing exercise like jogging or weight lifting, that also helps build bone!

And, just for good measure, here are 10 of some of the high calcium plant foods (calcium mg per 100 calories of the food - nutrient density):

1)Cooked collard greens (1/2cup)...457mg per 100cals
2)Raw kale (1/2cup)...270mg per 100cals
3)Raw romaine lettuce (1 cup)...257mg per 100cals
4)Raw seaweed (1/2 cup)...360mg per 100cals
5)Calcium enriched tofu (1/2cup)...471mg per 100cals (this may fluctuate so read labels)
6)Vegan ground round (2oz)...76mg per 100cals
7)Flaxseed (2tbsp)...56mg per 100cals
8)Figs (5)...83mg per 100cals
9)Oranges (1med.)...85mg per 100cals
10)Blackstrap molasses (1tbsp)...366mg per 100cals (this one is the biggest surprise for me)

Looks like I'll be buying some Blackstrap molasses, though it's hard to find sometimes since most people prefer buying the dark corn syrup but I'll find it! Most of the foods on the previous list are things I already enjoy eating so I think I'm on the right track but only next year's bone density test will prove it or not :D

Want a quick comparison to dairy products for a gauge?
1) 2% milk (1/2cup)...208mg per 100cals
2) Cheese (3/4 oz)...152-182mg per 100cals
3) Yogurt (1/2cup)...291mg per 100cals

If you have a moment, let me know what your experience with increasing your calcium intake has been like!