Rice Today Vol. 12, No. 3 Nourishing a nation

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11Rice Today July-September 2013

T

his year, the Philippinesis celebrating its NationalYear of Rice, which isfocusing on achieving riceself-suciency, improving

the income of rice farmers, andpromoting beer health amongrice consumers. As part of theNational Year of Rice, the Philippinegovernment is encouraging Filipinosto eat “just the right amount of rice”and expand their diets to include bananas, sweet potatoes, and maize.

12009 World Rice Statistics.

2 Agricultural Indicators System (AIS) Report: Food Consumption and Nutrition. 2011. Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, Department of Agriculture.

Also, in July, the countrycelebrates Nutrition Month whenthere is added aention on reducinghunger and malnutrition. The sloganfor Nutrition Month is “Together we

can end hunger and malnutrition,”a clear demonstration of theircommitment to improving nutritionamong Filipinos.

So, what does rice have tocontribute towards a healthy diet?

Rice is the leading source ofsustenance for all Filipinos. In 2009,

the country had an average annualrice consumption of 123 kg perperson1—among the highest in theworld. Filipinos spend more on ricethan any other food, according to

the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics(BAS).2 The BAS survey showed,Filipinos, especially those from low-income households, are dependingsolely on rice more than ever for theirdaily dietary energy supply anddietary protein because it remains themost aordable food in the country.

Nourishinga nationby Alaric Francis Santiaguel

More than an agricultural commodity,

rice is the Filipinos’ must-have food and

primary source of nourishment



13Rice Today July-September 2013

Habito, former director generalof the Philippines NationalEconomic and DevelopmentAuthority, reported on brownrice consumption in his columnNo Free Lunch in the PhilippineDaily Inquirer.4 Dr. Habito’sarticle explains that before rice

mills were introduced to thePhilippines and neighboringcountries a century ago,pounding the grains was theonly processing available andso people ate only unpolishedor brown rice. The advent ofmodern mills made poundingof the grains unnecessary andeventually Filipinos shiftedto eating polished or whiterice. Brown rice disappearedfrom dining tables as more

Filipinos shifted to eatingwhite rice. It was soon seen asan inferior, ‘dirty’ product. Whilewhite rice was considered ‘modernand sophisticated,’ brown rice wasassociated with poverty. But in recentyears, the tables have turned in favorof brown rice.

Benefts o brown rice“Brown rice is rich in minerals,vitamins, and antioxidants,

particularly the pigmented rice,”says Cezar Mamaril, former IRRIscientist and currently a consultant atPhilRice.

He is also a rice farmer who sells brown rice and he says business isgood as more Filipinos are realizingthe product’s health benets. “Mysupply of brown rice does notlast into the next season and wesometimes run out of stocks to sell.”

Brown rice is popular amongwell-informed, middle-class

professionals, but not the vastmajority of Filipinos. However, Dr.Mamaril feels more Filipinos shouldeat brown rice.

“Based on testimonial evidence,people consume less rice when theyeat brown rice,” he says. This couldlead to lower per capita consumption

of rice and could help solve thecountry’s perennial rice shortage.”

He admits that some barriersexist that make consumers shy awayfrom brown rice, but he believesthese can be overcome. “Many peopledon’t like the rough texture of cooked brown rice. This is probably due toimproper cooking,” Dr. Mamarilsays. “People who cook it for the rst

l a n i e

r e y e s

BasMati riCe h mdm Gi.

Brown riCe jygd y mghh-cc bc hgh fb d c.

4 hp://opinion.inquirer.net/32743/win-win-with-brown-rice.

time follow the usual way ofcooking white rice where theyadd water to rice at a ratio of1:1. It should be a 1:2 ratio ofrice to water. They should alsosoak it in water for at least 1hour before cooking.”

Dr. Mamaril says using

the right variety with theright amylose content is just asimportant. Amylose content isthe chemical characteristic thatmakes cooked rice dry andaky, or moist and sticky. Ricewith high amylose contenttends to be dry and less tenderand it becomes hard uponcooling when cooked. Lowamylose makes cooked ricesoft and sticky.

“Most of the brown rice

sold commercially is likely amixture of dierent varieties

with dierent amylose content givingthe product an uneven texture,” heexplains. “But, if you use one varietywith medium amylose content, youdon’t even have to soak it in water.You need more water and the time ofcooking may be longer but the cooked brown rice will be soft.”

But it is the price of brown ricethat is really preventing more people



14 Rice Today July-September 2013

isagani serrano

i r r i

Filipinos eat vg 123kg c vy y, hm m ' m h c.

suppleMentinG c-bd dh dvy h -chd cv y g d.

from buying it, Dr. Mamaril says.

Brown rice is more expensive becausethere is a smaller supply; plus it hasa shorter shelf life. According to him,adding to the cost of production isthat most mills in the country arenot set up to process brown rice, sothe cost of milling brown rice—eventhough it requires less processing—ishigher.

White rice and diabetes: act orfction?Although brown rice is the darling of

many nutritionists, polished or whiterice has sometimes been placed onthe opposite end of the spectrum. Ithas been blamed by some as beingone of the worst foods for diabetics.

All foods are assigned a GlycemicIndex (GI) number, which measureshow rapidly food can raise bloodsugar after consumption. High-GI foods can increase the chancesof geing diabetes, and makemanagement of type 2 diabetes

dicult, while foodswith a low GI areconsidered healthier.

“Rice haspreviously beenclassied as ahigh-GI food,”says Melissa

Figerald, formerhead of IRRI’s grainquality research.“But this single GIclassication for allrice is turning out to be ill informed.”

In 2011, Dr.Figerald’s IRRI teamand her colleagues atthe CommonwealthScientic andIndustrial Research

Organisation inAustralia publishedresearch thatshowed the GIs of235 varieties of ricefrom dierent rice-growing countrieswere more variedthan previouslythought.

“Our researchshowed that there was large

variability in GI between thedierent varieties of rice—rangingfrom a low of 48 to a high of 92, withan average medium GI of 64,” Dr.Figerald says.

The identication of low-GI ricevarieties makes it possible to conductstudies on the eect of low-GI rice on

people with metabolic health issues.This information will be useful indeveloping long-term public healthstrategies and management plans forpeople with diabetes.

Eating smartIn the Philippines there is a popularsaying that goes “if you haven’t hadyour rice today , then you have noteaten.”

The good news is that rice can bepart of a healthy diet. Consumers can

choose brown rice or low-GI rice foradditional health benets. Plus, ricecan be combined with other healthyfoods to provide complete nutrition.And, with the potential coming ofhigh-nutrient rice – even consumerswith limited choices who are likely tokeep eating high quantities for rice,may be able to get a more nutritiousdiet.

Mr. Santiaguel is a writer at IRRI.

Rice Today Vol. 12, No. 3 Nourishing a nation

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