For any of you who like rice but hate preparing it, I can't stress strongly enough how excellent the Zojiruchi cooker is. Easily the best appliance we've ever had.
On the basis of my family, rice either helps digestion or rice constipates! White or brown or wild rice.
Why would you need another appliance for an item you can cook in a saucepan? I'm not being a smart-aleck, but you can make a pot of rice in 20 minutes on the stove-top.
The second phase of my "No Flour, No Sugar" diet is the "White Out" diet. Eat nothing white. No potatoes (Sweet potatoes are OK) No milk. No Rice. I eliminate these in moderation. If I needed to lose weight, I would eliminate them completly.
That being said, I love rice. It contains complementary protiens when served with beans (refied or "Ranch Style"). It also is the perfect media to hold a nice beurre blanc sauce. I also bake it with butter, garlic, chicken broth, parsley, thyme and bay leaf. (I'm getting hungry!)
To me, there is no such thing as an unhealthy food. A piece of cheese cake is not unhealthy. A piece of cheesecake everyday is an unhealthy diet. Fitness and weight loss is a lifestyle thing. Fads don't work.