Food, glorious food!

This week’s assignment asked me to choose one food that I enjoy and do a little research to find out more about it. Where does it come from? How was it grown? What are the environmental impacts? What are the health effects? These are some of the questions that I’m going to answer about the one food that makes up most of my diet…rice! Basmati rice to be exact. I know, how boring is that, but I’m curious to find out more information about something that eat almost on a daily basis.

Basmati Field in India

Where and How is it grown?

I buy my rice in bulk from Winco, and I was able to find out that the rice is imported from India (roughly 65% of basmati rice is imported from India). It was difficult to find out anything more specific, like exact location etc...

Because, the rice isn't labeled organic and an inability to find out enough information, I'm going to assume that it wasn't grown free of pesticides, etc..., but i'm not 100% sure.

What are the environmental impacts of rice cultivation?

Apart from requiring large, flooded areas for growing, which limits overall water availability, one of the biggest problems with growing rice is that it accelerates global warming. Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and warmer temperatures cause rice plants to release copious amounts methane gas among others, an even more potent greenhouse gas that carbon dioxide, although its not the rice itself that is causing the problems. Flooded soil provides anaerobic (without oxygen) conditions, and this is just the environment that methane-producing bacteria thrive in. The more rice paddies, the more abundance of methane-producing bacteria, the more methane being released, all of this leads to an acceleration of global warming.

What are the health effects of consuming rice?

•  Rice is loaded with carbohydrates; thus, it is a great source of fuel for the body, helping with normal functioning of the brain
• Rice doesn’t contain cholesterol or harmful fats. This reduces the risk of obesity and associated conditions.
• Rice is low in sodium. It is one of the better foods for reducing blood pressure.
• Contains loads of antioxidants needed to scour the body of cancer causing free-radicals
• Rich in Vitamins and minerals: Vitamin D, calcium, fiber, iron, thiamine, riboflavin. These are important in the regulation of metabolism and organ system functioning
• This is probably the most interesting thing I learned researching basmati rice. Typically, we are told to stay away from “white grains”. They contain large amounts of starch which is metabolized and causes high fluctuations in blood glucose levels, so they score high on the glycemic index. However, basmati has a relatively low glycemic index (56) compared to other grains and products made from white flour (89). 
• Contains resistance starch. Unlike most starch, which starts to break down in the mouth, rice starch reaches the bowels in undigested form, regulating your microbiota, which aids in digestion.
•          Prevents chronic constipation
  
  (source: https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/cereal/health-benefits-of-rice.html)

        Overall, I would say that rice has many benefits and is indeed healthy!