Yes, all rice (in its natural form) is gluten-free. Rice comes in varieties, such as white, brown, red, long or short grain, and fragranced or not fragranced. And all these are Gluten-Free.
Gluten intolerance (Celiac disease) affects over 3 million Americans every year. People with Celiac disease cannot digest gluten. It’s a protein found in grains, including wheat, barley, and rye. All rice is gluten-free in its natural form. Enriched white rice and brown rice are important staples in gluten-free diets.
This is a question that has become very recurrent. Especially nowadays, we pay more attention to our daily diet. Here, you will find out if rice has gluten and other questions about if it is terrible for you.
Every day on the table of Americans, rice is one of the essential elements of the diet in the USA. Along with beans, the two make up the basis of regular food in the country, with the addition of some meat or protein.
Thus, we must know what we consume daily. Thus, rice, beans, meat, fruits, and vegetables are getting more attention in our daily meals.
In particular, let’s talk about rice! Do you have any questions about this food’s properties, benefits, and types? We will answer them all below.
Table of Contents
What is gluten?
Dr. Arthur Agatston explains that gluten is a protein in the food industry. Food companies use it to enhance the volume and elasticity of food. He is an American cardiologist and M.D. from The South Beach Diet.
The experts explain that gliadin, glutenin, hordein, and scaling form this compound. These are proteins found in three bowls of cereal: wheat, rye, and barley. Oats can also contain traces of gluten due to cross-contamination.
Is rice a gluten-free food?
Yes, indeed! Rice, in its natural form, is gluten-free. It’s a suitable option for individuals with gluten intolerance or celiac disease. This includes 3 different brown, white, and wild varieties. Contrary to its name, even glutinous or sticky rice is gluten-free.
The term “glutinous” in this context refers to the rice’s sticky texture and not the presence of gluten. Rice is gluten-free. You can use it to replace gluten-containing grains in many recipes.
For example, in Japanese culture and diet, people use rice flour. In the West, these foods are generally made with wheat. We are talking about cookies, biscuits, bread, and even noodles. In this case, they are foods without gluten or with little presence of this compound.
In Oriental cuisine, there is also an alcoholic drink made from rice, such as sake, a gluten-free drink. Sake is an alcoholic Japanese beverage made from fermented rice. Sake is light in color, noncarbonated, has a sweet flavor, and contains about 14 to 16 percent alcohol.
Is gluten harmful?
Gluten is not harmful to most people. But, its impact varies depending on individual health conditions. According to the Harvard.edu 1, gluten is okay. Yet, gluten is usually found in foods bad for your health, such as pasta and wheat derivatives.
Gluten can harm only people with protein intolerance or celiac disease. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease. When one ingests gluten in food, it triggers an immune reaction.
“In these people, gluten ingestion can cause symptoms. Such as diarrhea, gas, irritability, and weight loss,” explains the nutritionist. He adds that diet therapy for these individuals involves removing gluten from their diet.
Benefits of Rice
There are the top 4 health benefits of rice:
Nutrient-rich
Rice is rich in minerals and vitamins essential for the body that help the body to work harder and better. Rice is a source of iron, potassium, and magnesium. When it comes to being a source of nutrients, it’s a bit behind beans.
Rice is rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, and E. These vitamins help form red blood cells and stimulate cell regeneration.
Balances blood pressure
Daily rice consumption (especially wholegrain or black rice) balances blood pressure well. But to achieve this benefit, paying attention to complete feeding is necessary.
It’s no use betting on rice to reduce high blood pressure and to eat it with super fatty meat, for example.
Controls cholesterol levels
Rice can also control the body’s cholesterol level and balance high blood pressure. Carbohydrates, fiber, and proteins form the basis of this composition, causing this.
It prevented diabetes
Rice helps prevent type 2 diabetes. This is due to the starch present in the cereal’s composition. Starch provides energy for the body and helps control glucose.
What is the healthiest type of rice?
People consider brown rice or black rice to be the healthiest options. It would help if you were looking into eating wholegrain rice. Many believe white rice is the best (and most nutritious) rice. This food doesn’t need much elaboration and additions to its preparation. Nutritionist Sidrack states that white rice becomes refined through processing. As a result, it loses many of its nutrients.” He explains.
He explains: “Brown rice is the least processed rice, being only husked. In this way, it maintains a large part of its nutrients and fibers. They help in the functioning and intestinal transit and decrease rice’s glycemic index.
Parboiled rice undergoes arborization in its processing. This pre-cooking step involves immersing the husked rice in water above 58ºC. This gelatinizes the starch and dries the rice.
The expert says this process concentrates a large part of the rice’s nutrients in its interior. So, even if it loses its husk, it maintains its nutrients. Thus, the process makes rice richer in vitamins and minerals.
What are the other types of rice?
Also, white, brown, and preboiled rice, the other 3 types of rice, have become famous in fit and healthy diets. Let’s talk a little about them. First, it is necessary to emphasize that all types’ caloric values are very similar.
On a broad scale, 100 g of cooked rice is 100 to 130 calories. But, the benefits of each type are different. Understand:
Black rice
This type is quite beneficial. Black rice has antioxidant properties. It helps prevent diabetes, cancer, and heart problems.
It can be an even healthier option than brown rice, but it’s not easy to find or cheap. Black rice has more protein and almost double fiber than brown rice.
Red rice
Red rice variety aids digestion. It contains monocline, a digestive substance. Red rice is also indicated to reduce cholesterol levels and prevent heart disease.
Wild rice
Wild rice is not authentic rice but a grain-like cereal. Wild rice is rich in protein, amino acids, and fiber and has less fat than rice.
Does a gluten-free diet lose weight?
Yes, People who adopt a gluten-free diet often lose weight. In this article, you saw that rice has no gluten. You also learned more about the types and benefits of this popular cereal in the USA. But you may still wonder about gluten consumption and whether to do so. Now, let’s talk more about the gluten-free diet.
The gluten-free diet has become a fad among many people in the last five years. This is because it is a restrictive diet made by famous people who end up losing weight.
But, the nutritionist says that removing gluten does not cause weight loss. Remove high-calorie foods like cookies, cakes, and pizza from your diet. This will reduce your calorie intake and help you avoid gluten.
The removal of gluten by itself does not make you lose weight or harm your health. We only recommend this restriction for celiac patients. Thus, removing gluten from the diet, thinking it will lose weight, is a mistake. In the end, what makes you fat or slim is the calories, not the properties of the food.
A healthy and balanced diet is always the best option to lose weight.
My name is Ellie Lauderdale, MD and I am USA based professional Nutritionist .
I am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and board certified specialist in sports dietetics who is trained in integrative medicine. I have worked with hundreds of clients, from those suffering with chronic disease to professional and olympian athletes. My goal is to help optimize you from the inside so that you can feel, perform, and look your best on the outside.