Become a Rice$$ionista: U.S.-Grown Rice Provides Value and Nutrition for the Food Dollar

ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S.-grown rice is the little grain that could. It satisfies the need for taste, health, convenience, and great value -- a high priority for many Americans who are rediscovering home cooking and are eager for tips for healthy budget meals.

The dietary diva of the new home economy who knows how to dress up a meal for less and how to have it all is the Rice$$ionista. Discover your inner Rice$$ionista this September during National Rice Month and enjoy affordable meals that look like a million bucks, taste great, and are good-for-you, too. Get started with tips from registered dietitian Karen Buch, RD, LDN, Director of Lifestyle Initiatives at Weis Markets.

Buch, a great example of a Rice$$ionista, says:

"Rice is the little black dress of the kitchen pantry. Exquisitely versatile and always in good taste, you can dress it up or dress it down for any meal occasion. And, unlike that little black dress in your closet, you can brag about how much money you save by using rice."

Her other tips: U.S.-grown rice delivers taste and convenience. "Keeping cooked rice on hand makes it easy to jumpstart meals; it stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to a week, or frozen for up to six months, and can be added to soups, chili, and casseroles. Rice cookers are convenient for no-tend, perfectly cooked rice."

Rice delivers great value at just 10 cents per serving, and one pound of uncooked rice will double to make two pounds of cooked rice. "Making enough rice for leftovers is a great way to get extra mileage from an already affordable staple," shares Buch.

U.S.-grown rice delivers health benefits. Research shows that rice eaters have better quality diets, consume less sugar and saturated fat, and have a lower risk of high blood pressure and obesity, and may be less likely to develop heart disease and type II diabetes. Whether enriched white or whole grain brown, rice is a nutrient-rich complex carbohydrate that can help individuals maintain an active lifestyle and healthy weight. It's also naturally sodium-, cholesterol-, trans fat- and gluten-free. Buch adds that "rice makes it easy to make a healthy plate because it goes great with plenty of healthy options such as vegetables, lean meats, seafood, or beans."

One cup of whole grain brown or wild rice provides two of the three recommended daily servings of whole grains, while enriched white is a good source of many important vitamins and minerals like folic acid and iron that are lacking in the typical American diet. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends a healthy, balanced diet with 45-65% of calories from nutritious carbohydrates, like whole grains or enriched grains. Brown and wild rice and enriched white rice are examples of "good" carbs, along with fortified cereals and other grains.

More tips from the expert. "What I love about rice is that it can easily be paired with beans as a low-cost, low-fat protein combination or served alongside a protein like salmon, as a way to bring down the overall cost of a meal," shares Buch. She leaves us with one final tip, "reheating cooked rice is easy. For every cup of rice, add two tablespoons of liquid then cover and heat for about five minutes on the stove or one minute in the microwave."

U.S.-grown rice is the everyday grain that Americans can feel good about going back to again and again for health and value benefits. The good news is that this high quality rice is easy to find, just look for the Grown in the USA logo on packages of 100% domestically grown rice. Choosing U.S.-grown rice helps reduce food miles compared to rice transported from thousands of miles away and supports U.S. farmers and the economy.

For recipes and nutrition information, visit www.usarice.com.

Rice to Rescue Sweepstakes

September is National Rice Month. To celebrate, the USA Rice Federation is calling all Rice$$ionistas to enter their best tips for using rice to stretch those food dollars. To enter, log on to www.usarice.com/ricetotherescue. Prizes include grocery gift cards of $150, $250 and $500 dollars, and Aroma(R) Rice Cookers.

About the USA Rice Federation

The USA Rice Federation is the advocate for all segments of the U.S. rice industry, conducting programs to build awareness and usage of U.S.-grown rice. U.S. farmers produce an abundance of short, medium and long grain rice, as well as specialty rices including jasmine, basmati, Arborio, red aromatic and black japonica, among others. Farmers in Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Missouri grow some 19 billion pounds of rice each year.

CONTACT: Maggie Moon Anne Banville Pollock Communications USA Rice Federation 212-941-1414 703-236-1465 mmoon@pollock-pr.com abanville@usarice.com

SOURCE USA Rice Federation

USA Rice Federation

CONTACT: Maggie Moon, Pollock Communications, +1-212-941-1414,
mmoon@pollock-pr.com ; or Anne Banville, USA Rice Federation,
+1-703-236-1465, abanville@usarice.com

Web site: http://www.usarice.com/