把米饭作为主食对身体健康有益处吗?

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

许多人都把米饭作为主食，但是这种富含碳水化合物的谷物真的健康吗？

It depends on the kind of rice you choose.

这取决于你选择的是哪种米。

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.

白米饭被认为是一种缺乏营养的细粮，因为在它的加工过程中把富含维B、铁和膳食纤维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.

虽然白米饭是富含铁和维B食物的典型代表，但那些膳食纤维没有再被添加回来。

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

糙米和白米属于同一类食物，但是它属于全谷物，因为它只有最外层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过程中被保留了下来，因此它是人体抗氧化剂、维E和膳食纤维的更好来源。

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.

实际上，一碗煮熟的中等颗粒的糙米富含3.5克膳食纤维，同等量的白米含膳食纤维量却不到一克。

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.

有个有趣的事实：谷物里有一种叫亚糊粉层的成分，糙米含有但白米不含有，它可能对高血压及动脉粥样硬化有一定的预防效果。

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.

一项涉及几千人的大型试验结果也显示，用糙米替代白米可降低患2型糖尿病的风险。

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，菰米是水草的种子。它比糙米含有更多的蛋白质，而且研究表明它含有特殊的抗氧化剂，胆固醇含量也更低。

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，如果你比较关心卡路里和血糖，那就把你的谷物摄入量控制在半杯，因为米是高碳水高卡路里的食物。一般情况下，一碗米含有200多卡路里和50克碳水化合物。