Rhian Stephenson, nutritionist and founder of the wellness company Artah, says riceberry is actually more nutritious than your regular long-grain brown rice. “Riceberry is renowned for its antioxidant and phytonutrient content, particularly anthocyanins, which are beneficial for cognitive, cardiovascular, and metabolic health,” she explains. “It has a rich purple color and is high in multiple beneficial compounds like polyphenols and catechins [a particular type of antioxidant found in green tea]; far higher than levels found in brown rice. It’s also high in B vitamins, and notably, folate. While it’s higher in phytonutrients [than brown rice], it’s fiber profile is broadly the same.”
If you’ve got an obsessive personality like myself, you might be tempted to incorporate riceberry into every single meal from now on. Riceberry for breakfast! Riceberry for lunch! Riceberry for, somehow, dessert? But don’t go completely over the top. The rice is pretty expensive in comparison to other types, and not super easy to get hold of (the fact my local Thai takeaway does it feels like a small miracle). But still, if you find a reliable online stockist, it can be a great alternative to “less nutrient-dense foods like white pasta, white rice, white bread”, says Stephenson. And you don’t always have to opt for riceberry if you’re looking for similar benefits. “You can also go for black rice, red rice, and wild rice to mix it up and get similar phytonutrients [compounds found in plants that can have health benefits for humans],” Stephenson adds. And when you’re finally sick of rice? “You can also use black beans to get a good hit of beneficial flavonoids.”
So there you have it. A way to make those rice dishes a bit more interesting, while also feeling smug that your curry dinner is super healthy, actually. Plus, it looks pretty, which always helps, doesn’t it?