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My detox and healthy eating clients often say to me it's very difficult to have brown rice  or wholesome food in a restaurant and it's not easy to sustain a healthy way of eating, unless they cook for themselves.  And I understand the challenge totally. 

What is brown rice?  All rice is brown rice (糙米) before it is processed into white rice (白米).  Brown rice  has been a staple food in China for 3000 to 6000 years, and some say rice was eaten as early as 9000 years. ago  The equipment to process brown rice into white rice is less than 200 years old. 

Brown rice is a "whole" food with complete package of nutrients (like most whole foods) designed and perfected by nature from a long time of interaction between human beings and nature.  (Brown) rice iis "neutral" in its food temperature and also has  been long recognised in Chinese culture as being essential to health and wellbeing.  The Chinese character for vitality  or "Jing" (精) is made up of the characters "米" (rice) and "青" (plant or vegetables).  The Chinese character for energy or "Chi" (氣) is made up of the characters "气" (breath/breathing) and "米" (rice) - so for ancient Chinese, they got the keys to vitality and energy figured out - plant food, proper breathing and (brown) rice!

Brown rice is now recognised  in the West as an all-rounded food and it is well regarded as superior to white rice in nutritional value and being non allergenic and safe for all (unlike wheat, rice is free of gluten).  Typically brown rice has 3 to 4 times the fibre of its white variety and 4 to 5 times the magnesium.  Many other nutrients like iron, selenium (an antioxidant) and most amino acids are lost in processing.   Brown rice is high in many B vitamins which are essential to healthy nervous function.  (Yes it helps you to stay calm in times of stress!)  Rice bran oil provides healthy fat and helps body to assimilate fat soluable nutrients and helps lower LDL cholestoral.  Almost all of these nutrients are lost in processing.  Brown rice has much lower glycemic index than white rice.  (The starch in it takes longer time to turn into sugar in the body and so it gives us steady energy.  Diabetics can eat brown rice but white rice is not recommended for this reason.)

If brown rice is so good for us, why do we remove the good parts from it and make white rice?
It's mainly been a result of industrialization.  White rice, with all its fat containing parts removed, has longer shelf life.  It costs more to process brown rice and polish it into white rice.  So sometime in history white rice had become a status symbol, and brown rice had become associated with peasant food.  Ironically it is until the West recognised it again as a healthy food that it has become known again for what it is in the East.  But it is definitely more widely available in some parts of North America than in Asia... Sadly in our part of the world, white rice is still being considered superior to brown rice.  Chinese farmers feed brown rice to the pigs and white rice to himself................

Then why is brown rice now more expensive than white rice?
Brown rice should not be more expensive than white rice in the long run as there's less work involved.  However as market demand is not large enough yet it is now a "specialty health food".  Most factories now are optimized to process white rice.  And brown rice has about half (6 month) the shelf life as white rice (one year).  So this is probably the reason why it costs a little more than white rice today.  However its cost to the environment is definitely less...!

But brown rice is harder to prepare, is it?
It's true that it will take longer to cook brown rice than white rice (and more water is needed too) but if the rice is pre-soaked (which activates the germination process and improves the protein profile and makes the nutrient even more absorpable) then it's really not that much more work - unless you are there watching the germination...!  (And you can't activate germination with white rice by soaking though because the fat containing germ is removed in processing)

But brown rice does not taste good...
I also grew up with white rice so it took me some time to adjust, but not too long.  Some people just like mixing it with white rice or other grains, like quinoa (another whole grain and very easy to cook) and it's okay too wherever one starts.  And I share what my clients have found: they have noted that when they have adjusted to eating brown rice, or other whole grain or whole grain products, they don't miss the refined version because the refined version seems bland and "empty" by comparison.  Also they notice the drop of energy after eating white rice (or other processed food) while it doesn't happen with brown rice (or other whole foods).  So it's really a matter of getting used to it and choosing what your body truly wants.  Afterall brown rice has been eaten for thousands of years, white rice less than 200 years.  To slowly adjust, mix brown rice with white rice (say 50/50 or even 30/70) to start.  Experiment and use more water.  Pre-soak brown rice for 2 hours. (Or soak it the night before if it's easier)  Brown rice requires more chewing as it contains more fibre.  Not only is the fibre good to increase as most of us don't take enough of it in our diet, the chewing action itself improves digestion and absorption of everything you are eating and activates production of enzymnes (metabolic catalysts) so you increase vitality by eating brown rice and chewing it properly!

I am not here to say everyone "should" eat brown rice all day long.  "Brown Rice" for me a symbol of whole food... Eating whole foods is the most natural thing to maintain health, as it is like giving your body the right fuel to run on.  It saves our medical bills in the long run.  And it costs the least to the environment as processing is minimized.  I think it would be a good start from making brown rice more available as its white counterpart is so prevalent in Hong Kong and many parts of the world with Asian people.  It's encouraging to  see brown rice being available at supermarkets so one can cook it at home now at least.  But with most restaurant staff that I have spoken to, there seems to be an indifference to requests like mine to include cooked brown rice on the menu. 

I questioned why I have been tolerating this.  I don't have to wait until restaurant owners see the economic value in offering geneuinely healthier and more wholesome options to people.  We can help them see the value of offering brown rice and we can show them the demand is there!

What would it be like if people have healthier bowel movements from having more fibre in their diet from eating brown rice instead of white rice and other starch? Perhaps colon cancer will be reduced dramatically if we simply replace white rice with brown rice?  Diabetics can be reduced too!  Fewer people will have to be drug-dependant for life simply from switching to brown rice! What would it be like if from the Vit B's, minerals and other nutrients we get from eating brown rice or other whole grain as our staple food, we collectively experience a more peaceful existence, and become more resourceful and adaptable to our otherwise stressful environment?  How would our living environment be if more of us are calm and peaceful?  What would the world look like if from eating brown rice or whole grain people are forced to eat slower and chew their food longer and experience health, vitality and inner peace as a result?

Would you like to join me and request brown rice in the restaurants you go to?   Ask them even you know they don't have it.  (In fact ask because of it)  Ask for it repeatedly.  If they tell you they don't have it, ask them why they don't offer it.  If they say not many people want it, tell them you and many friends you know want it.  If they say it will cost more, tell them you are willing to pay a little more.  (Now you know the benefits of it would you pay a little more for it to encourage restaurants to start  providing it?) Tell them you will bring more people there if they offer brown rice (and mean it!) If would be good to demand filtered water, higher quality cooking oil, etc, but let's just start with brown rice to make it simple for them...!

Would you like to join me and inspire people to try brown rice as an option to white rice while at home cooking or eating out?  Like I said mixing brown rice with white rice to start?  Or try using brown rice pasta instead of pasta made of white wheat flour?  (They are available in health food shops)  Would you like to accelerate the process of having wholesome food widely available?  I don't mean to push it on people, but just sharing with them your experience with switching to whole foods and inspiring them to try introducing whole grain in their diet and see how it's like for them?  And supporting those who are already "convinced" to demand whole foods like brown rice while ordering in a restaurant? 

Every choice that we make with our money and time is a vote.  If we unite we can make a huge difference.

Would you support pioneers who serve wholesome and natural foods before the majority dared to risk?

The restaurants listed at the top of this list offer brown rice and whole foods: http://www.integrative-living.com/resources.html?resourceID=40&typeID=7

Many shops here sell brown rice and whole grain products: http://www.integrative-living.com/resources.html?resourceID=6&typeID=7

Simply put, the Brown Rice Movement is a movement to make brown rice available wherever there is white rice.  The Brown Rice Movement is the start of easy availability of wholesome food for all. 

When I started formulating the idea of the Brown Rice Movement a black man was elected to head the White House...

Out with white pre-dominance...

YES WE CAN!

Please write to me if you would like to be in a volunteer team for the Brown Rice Movement.  To make it happen, we need to have people like you who share similar vision, and we need  strategies and consistent actions.  We need people giving their time and sharing their passion.  I hope I hear from you!