Forbidden Rice and Its Wonderful Health Benefits
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Forbidden Rice and Its Wonderful Health Benefits


Bowl of cooked forbidden rice
A bowl of cooked forbidden rice / CC BY-SA 3.0 ElinorD

Are you looking for something new and healthy to add to your diet? Try adding some forbidden rice to your next meal. Forbidden rice also known as black rice or purple rice is a different rice variety and one of the healthiest foods you can eat, and it tastes good. You can have it as a side dish or use it as part of the main meal. No matter what your dietary preference, this special rice can perk up any meal.

We’ve been told to make our plates colorful and the more colors on your plate, the healthier it is. The different colors of our foods represent different types of antioxidants, flavonoids, and phytonutrients present in food. And these various phytonutrients are very healthy and boost our immune system to protect us from disease and sickness.

Even if you already eat a healthy diet or a well-rounded plant-based diet, you might not have heard of forbidden rice or black rice. You can find it packaged or in bulk at most grocery stores, and it is worthy of a place in your pantry.


The History of Forbidden Rice


Forbidden rice is also known as black rice or Emperor’s rice. It is called forbidden rice because it was once forbidden to everyone in ancient China except the Chinese Emperor to ensure their health and longevity. According to Chinese medicine, it is considered a tonic for the blood, kidneys, liver, and stomach.

Cultivated rice dates back 10,000 years from a single crop in China, which is the ancestor of rice today. But forbidden rice is unique because of its purple black color. The purple color is a result of its incredibly high amount of anthocyanin, a powerful antioxidant.

Japanese scientists discovered that the reason for these high amounts of anthocyanin is there was a change in the gene that controls the antioxidant in forbidden rice. [1]

Anthocyanin is the same antioxidant that gives other foods their blue and purple colors like blueberries, acai berries, and concord grapes.

Forbidden Rice Nutrients


Both brown rice and forbidden rice are much more nutritious than white rice. White rice is considered a refined grain. White rice has had most of the dietary fiber and nutrients taken out. 

Enriched white rice has some of the vitamins and minerals added back in, but enriched white rice is still not as nutritious as brown rice or back rice is.

Both brown rice and black rice are considered whole grain rice. The main difference between brown rice and black rice is the much higher antioxidant content in black rice. [2]

A ½ cup (100 grams) of uncooked forbidden rice has the following nutrients:

  • Calories: 368
  • Fat: 3.79 grams, including 18 amino acids, both essential and non-essential amino acids
  • Protein: 9.5 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 4.6 g
  • Vitamin E: 9 IU (20% daily value)
  • Calcium: 29 mg
  • Iron: 1.94 mg
  • Manganese: 2.8 mg (80% daily value)
  • Magnesium: 167 mg (25% daily value)

Another health benefit of black rice is that is also includes several B vitamins. One cup of cooked forbidden black rice has 17% of the daily value (DV) of thiamin (B1), 17% DV for pyridoxine (B6), 16% DV for niacin (B3), and 2% DV for riboflavin (B2) and folate (B9). 



The Wonderful Health Benefits of Forbidden Rice


The deep purple color shows you that forbidden rice is high in anthocyanin, a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.

Anthocyanins are found in colorful plant foods like black rice (forbidden rice), red rice, berries, kidney beans, black beans, eggplant, red cabbage, and many other fruits and vegetables. Forbidden rice is among the foods with the highest amount of anthocyanins. [3, 4]

As a comparison, here are some foods and their average anthocyanin content in mg per 100 grams:

  • Elderberry: 1,375 mg
  • Blueberries: 365 mg
  • Red cabbage: 322 mg
  • Forbidden rice or black rice: 295 mg
  • Red radish: 100 mg
  • Eggplant: 86 mg

Anthocyanin is a powerful antioxidant that removes free radicals from our body. Other health benefits of anthocyanins include:


In addition to the wonderful health benefits listed above, forbidden rice has even more health benefits.
Forbidden rice is gluten free, which means that anyone can enjoy this flavorful rice even if you have gluten intolerance.

Forbidden rice is a good source of healthy fiber, which is necessary for a healthy digestive system and good gut bacteria. Eating a diet high in dietary fibre can also reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, diverticular disease, hemorrhoids, and relieve constipation.

Adding Forbidden Rice to Your Diet


The color of forbidden rice is black before cooking and a deep purple color after cooking. I find forbidden rice has a richer flavor than brown rice with a slightly nutty taste.

Whether you eat a whole food plant-based diet or an omnivore diet, forbidden rice is an excellent way to broaden your choice of healthy foods and makes a great addition to almost any meal. Here are some tasty black rice recipe ideas:


Forbidden Rice Conclusion


Forbidden rice is a great way to add more healthy antioxidants, fiber, and color to your diet. It can be used as a side dish or made as the main dish, and as a rice pudding desert. Black rice is a good for heart health, reducing the risk of disease, and because of the dietary fiber, it can also help with weight loss.

© 2022 Sam Montana/Healthy Food and Life

About The Author

Sam Montana is a certified Food Over Medicine instructor from the Wellness Health Forum Center and certified in optimal nutrition from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

[3] PubMed - Ghasemzadeh A, Karbalaii MT, Jaafar HZE, Rahmat A. Phytochemical constituents, antioxidant activity, and antiproliferative properties of black, red, and brown rice bran. Chem Cent J. 2018;12(1):17. Published 2018 Feb 17. doi:10.1186/s13065-018-0382-9

Forbidden Rice and Its Wonderful Health Benefits