Eating Smart

Here’s a little quiz to start your day:

1. What is the most commonly eaten food in the world?

2. What food is grown on every continent except Antarctica?

3. What food does the United States export more of than it consumes?

If you answered “rice” to any or all of those questions, give yourself a pat on the back. Although rice often is served as more of a side dish or an afterthought in this country, more than half the people in the world consider rice to be their staple food. In fact, we have been told that in some Asian languages, the word for “eat” actually means “to eat rice.”

Whole-grain rice is an extremely nutritious food. Unfortunately, once rice grains are milled and polished to remove the bran (outer covering) and the germ (under the outer layer) to produce “white” rice, many of the most valuable nutrients are lost. In this country, some of the B vitamins (specifically thiamin and niacin) and iron are put back through an enrichment process. Much of the fiber, however, is gone forever.

Nonetheless, half a cup has only 110 calories and contains important complex carbohydrates. Unfortunately, in many places where white rice constitutes the majority of the diet, the lost vitamins and iron are not put back, and high rates of beriberi, a serious and often fatal vitamin deficiency, are not uncommon.

Brown rice, which has had only the husk removed, retains more fiber, folacin, iron, riboflavin, potassium, phosphorus, zinc and trace minerals than white rice. It is also the only form of rice with vitamin E. Although some varieties take longer to cook, the flavor is much richer and the texture chewier.

Rice is usually divided up according to the size of the grain: long grain (four to five times longer than it is wide), medium grain (twice as long as it is wide) and short grain (almost oval or round). All of these varieties come in either white or brown. The various types of white and brown rice have characteristics that distinguish them and determine their use.

* Long-grain white: the most popular rice in the United States and Canada. It has very little fiber.

* Long-grain brown: chewier and more flavorful. It retains about 2 grams of fiber per cup of rice.

* Medium- and short-grain white: includes some Japanese and Italian rices, such as arborio. Tends to be sticky when cooked. Works well in sweet dishes and risottos.

* Parboiled or converted: white rice that is not precooked but has been steamed and dried before marketing.

* Instant or quick-cooking (white or brown): has been cooked and dried. Cooks quickly in boiling water.

* Aromatic: White and brown, primarily long grains that are nutty in flavor. Includes basmati (from India and Pakistan), jasmine (grown primarily in Thailand), Texmati (a special hybrid grown in Texas), wehani (turns to a mahogany color when cooked), and wild pecan or popcorn (a tan-colored basmati hybrid).

* Wild rice: not actually a rice but a grass seed.

One of the reasons many Americans give for not eating more rice (aside from tradition) is that it seems mysterious and difficult to prepare correctly from scratch. Rice is actually remarkably simple to fix. Domestic packaged rice should not be rinsed before using so that nutrients in the starchy coating will not be lost. Imported rices, such as basmati and jasmine, should be rinsed before cooking, as should any rice purchased in open bins. You can use any liquid to cook rice, including broth, juice or wine. If you use an acidic liquid (such as tomato juice), dilute it to at least half-strength with water. The easiest method is to simmer on low to medium heat.

Inexpensive rice cookers are now very easy to find and take all the mystery out of the process. While you’re at it, why not make a double or triple batch? Rice will keep in the refrigerator for about a week. Leftover rice also makes great rice pudding or a breakfast cereal, and can be turned into a cool summer salad by adding vegetables and a light vinaigrette.

Dr. Sheldon Margen is a professor of public health at UC Berkeley; Dale A. Ogar is managing editor of the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter. Send questions to Dale Ogar, School of Public Health, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, or e-mail to daogar@uclink4.berkeley.edu.