Brown rice and other whole grain foods are widely recommended to consumers by the public health community including the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society and the "2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans" for their protective effects against heart disease and certain cancers. In fact, the Dietary Guidelines recommend "making half of all grain servings whole," or three daily whole grain servings in a standard 2,000-calorie reference diet. Still, data from a recent consumer survey conducted by Eating Well magazine and the USA Rice Federation show that the majority of Americans (65%) are not meeting their whole grains quota.
Consumers can now be on the lookout for brown rice labeled with the FDA whole grain health claim: "Diets rich in whole grain foods and other plant foods and low in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers."