ARLINGTON, VA – All it takes is some brown rice and a little bit of spice to create a tasty, nutritious dish. And to give home cooks extra inspiration, USA Rice recently partnered with the McCormick Science Institute (MSI), the research organization behind McCormick spices, and MyPlate to create a video that presents recent nutrition recommendations through the lens of healthy and flavorful food such as culturally-inspired brown rice bowls.
MyPlate is the nutrition guide from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) that is based on the new 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). The DGA helps Americans construct a healthy eating plan and recommends whole grains as an integral part of a healthy diet.
The instructional video features McCormick’s Chef Rachel Gooding cooking U.S.-grown brown rice flavored five different ways. Chef Rachel talks about the versatility, affordability, and nutrient power of whole grain rice while showcasing other rice varieties as well. She starts with the basics, giving a tutorial on how to properly cook a cup of brown rice, before showing how to flavor the rice using the different spice blends, including an everyday salt-free blend, plus blends inspired by Creole, Hispanic, Asian, and Mediterranean cuisines.
Throughout the four-minute video, Chef Rachel emphasizes that rice is a great base to create culturally-inspired flavors that allow for customization and that by utilizing a versatile grain like rice, everything is interchangeable. “The beauty of adding flavor after the rice is cooked is that you and your family can ‘personalize your plate,’” she says. “And if Mom wants Mediterranean but the kids want Creole, you don’t have to make two totally different meals – just flavor your rice base differently.”
The final step in “building your bowl” encourages home cooks to use MyPlate suggestions to create a balanced meal by adding favorite proteins and vegetables to the whole grain rice.
“As a MyPlate Strategic Partner, we were happy to work with MSI and CNPP to help further communicate the new dietary guidelines and highlight the integral role rice plays in helping Americans maintain a healthy eating plan," said Cameron Jacobs, director of domestic promotion. “Chef Rachel’s multiple well-balanced meals made with U.S.-grown brown rice serve as a great example of personalizing MyPlate.”
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video will eventually live on
MyPlate.gov and is available with organizational attribution or unbranded.