Wishing you all a very happy spring! As a resident of New York City I can definitely say that while we have not quite reached our ideal spring temperatures, this should by no means hold anyone back from stretching their legs and getting outside. I love hitting the pavement and seeing everyone pulling their bikes out of storage, strapping on their skates or rollerblades and getting active outside. I hope you too can feel this same invigoration with the new season that is upon us and start spending more of your time with family and friends outdoors!

Best in Health!
~Amy~

Why brown rice is better than white rice?

Whenever I am home or eating out I will always try and substitute brown rice if possible because it is better for you and I have come to really enjoy this whole grain in my diet. There are so many wonderful benefits to eating brown rice and because I have often been questioned as to the difference and which is better, I decided this month to focus on why brown rice should be chosen more often than not over white rice in your diet.

Rice goes through various processes before it's ready to be cooked, and interestingly white rice goes through additional processing which removes many nutrients in the initial grain and also impacts our environment negatively. Once the grain has been harvested, the seeds are run through a rice husker for milling. This process is performed to remove the outer grain husks, which leaves you with brown rice – Yum!

To then turn the brown rice to white rice, additional steps are performed including removing the germ and the inner husk (also known as the bran). The grain is then polished using glucose or talc, which leaves you with the bright white grain you are used to seeing.

To be clear, the removal of the germ and inner husk causes white rice to have much lower dietary fiber content and it removes all if not most of the substantial nutrients including Vitamin E, Iron, Potassium, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Magnesium, and many other nutrients.

So why does the bran get removed? For the most part white rice is preferred taste wise by consumers; it cooks faster and provides a fluffier consistency, which is why making the switch to brown rice can be a bit of an adjustment. I liken it to being a hearty version of white rice and really enjoy using it with stir-fry’s, and in burritos. If you love your rice like I do I encourage you to introduce more brown rice into your meals and enjoy all the healthy benefits that come with eating this whole grain.

Recipe of the Month: Brown Rice Porridge with apple

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

• 2 cups Brown Rice
• ¼ cup water, milk, soy milk or rice milk
• 1 tbsp Maple Syrup
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 Apple sliced

1. Add rice, liquid, maple syrup, cinnamon and salt to a pan and cook over medium-low heat.
2. Add apple and mix well.
3. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer.
4. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes or until the apple is soft.
5. Place a slice of apple and blackberry on top for presentation
6. Enjoy hot.

*Courtesy of Integrative Nutrition

In the News

Could you imagine a drink alone totaling 616 calories? In a book entitled “Eat this not that” the menus of fast food restaurants across the country were studied and a list was then compiled of the 19 worst drive-thru foods in America. To check-out the extra unhealthy lineup visit: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/30038585/ Please note my use of the word “extra” unhealthy as I don’t want anyone to think that if one of their fast-food favorites didn’t make the list it makes it ok to eat.

Vegetarian for a Week Challenge

This past week, DietsInReview.com's senior editor Brandi Koskie went vegetarian. She accepted a challenge from her husband as a way to try new foods, and to see what it's like to live meat free. She gave up favorites like chicken and turkey for red lentils, black beans and tofu. The week was a success, and she chronicled the experience with a daily video in which she shared her menus.
Watch now, and consider a vegetarian challenge of your own.

Giving Back

One laptop per child foundation has a very simple mission and it’s to help get laptops in the hands our poorest children around the world to help create educational opportunities providing joyful, self-empowered learning. There are ways you can help even outside of contributing financially by helping to spread the word, here are some great examples of ways you can get involved and get the message out: http://www.laptop.org/en/participate/get-the-message-out.shtml. You can also get involved by joining a translation team or organizing a local event. All little goes a long way.

Action Items

• Whole grains do wonders for our bodies. Change one of your meals this week by introducing some brown rice instead of white rice
• Looking to learn about something new in the world of health or have a question? Please email me at [email protected].

Forward to a Friend

It’s such a pleasure to help those closest to us become happier and healthier. Please forward this newsletter to friends, family members or colleagues who might be interested and inspired by it.

Also, if there is something you are interested in learning more about or would like me to feature in an upcoming newsletter please contact me.

Eat, Live Laugh newsletters are intended for overall general wellness. If you have condition specific concerns please feel free to contact me.