People who eat rice have healthier diets, eat more fruits and vegetables, consume less added sugar and fat and are likely to have a lower body mass index than non-rice eaters, according to a new study presented for the first time today at a meeting of two key member groups of the American Dietetic Association.
The data suggest that including rice as part of a healthy, balanced diet can be linked to overall healthier eating patterns. The data also indicate that the rice eaters are more likely to eat a diet consistent with the 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines.
"What our study shows is that rice consumers choose diets that include more fruits and vegetables, less added fat and less sugar than those whose diets do not include rice," says Helen Jensen, the Iowa State University researcher who conducted the study. "The data show that rice eaters also consume more nutrients, such as folic acid, potassium and iron that are contained in rice products, and that they appear to manage their weight better than non-rice consumers. This is good news for Americans looking to make a change in their diet because it suggests that adding rice to the diet may promote healthier food choices."
The study looked at the 2001-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the most current nationally representative government data, along with the most recent Continuing Survey of Food Intake of Individuals (CSFII), from 1994-1996, which included over 35,000 Americans, to obtain a representative sample of the U.S. population. The survey identified those who consumed at least half a serving of white or brown rice and how rice consumers' diets differ from the diets of non-rice eaters. The data indicate that: