把米飯作爲主食對身體健康有益處嗎?

Rice is a staple food for many, but is the carbohydrate-rich grain a healthy one?

許多人都把米飯作爲主食，但是這種富含碳水化合物的穀物真的健康嗎？

It depends on the kind of rice you choose.

這取決於你選擇的是哪種米。

White rice is considered a nutritionally inferior "refined grain" because its bran and germ are removed during the milling process, which strips away B vitamins, iron and fiber.

白米飯被認爲是一種缺乏營養的細糧，因爲在它的加工過程中把富含維B、鐵和膳食纖維的糠和胚芽都除去了。

Though white rice is typically enriched with iron and B vitamins, fiber is not added back.

雖然白米飯是富含鐵和維B食物的典型代表，但那些膳食纖維沒有再被添加回來。

Brown rice is the same thing as white rice but is a "whole grain," because only its inedible outer husk is removed.

糙米和白米屬於同一類食物，但是它屬於全穀物，因爲它只有最外層不能吃的皮被去掉了。

Since brown rice retains its bran and germ, it's a better source of antioxidants, vitamin E and fiber.

它的糠和胚芽在加工過程中被保留了下來，因此它是人體抗氧化劑、維E和膳食纖維的更好來源。

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In fact, a cup of cooked medium-grain brown rice has 3.5 grams of fiber; the same amount of white rice has less than 1 gram.

實際上，一碗煮熟的中等顆粒的糙米富含3.5克膳食纖維，同等量的白米含膳食纖維量卻不到一克。

And here's an interesting fact: Research has suggested that a part of the grain known as the subaleurone layer, which is present in brown rice but not in white rice, may provide protection against high blood pressure and atherosclerosis.

有個有趣的事實：穀物裏有一種叫亞糊粉層的成分，糙米含有但白米不含有，它可能對高血壓及動脈粥樣硬化有一定的預防效果。

One large study involving several thousand men and women also revealed that substituting brown rice for white rice may the lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.

一項涉及幾千人的大型試驗結果也顯示，用糙米替代白米可降低患2型糖尿病的風險。

What about wild rice? Interestingly, wild rice is the seed of a water grass. It has slightly more protein than brown rice, and studies have revealed that it has specific antioxidant and cholesterol-lowering properties.

那菰米呢？有趣的是，菰米是水草的種子。它比糙米含有更多的蛋白質，而且研究表明它含有特殊的抗氧化劑，膽固醇含量也更低。

Also, if you are watching calories or concerned with blood sugar, limit your portions to a half-cup, since rice is calorie- and carbohydrate-dense. One cup typically contains over 200 calories and up to 50 grams of carbs.

此外，如果你比較關心卡路里和血糖，那就把你的穀物攝入量控制在半杯，因爲米是高碳水高卡路里的食物。一般情況下，一碗米含有200多卡路里和50克碳水化合物。