A brief review of rice. Is brown or white better for you? What kind should you be eating?
Anatomy of Rice
Brown rice is a whole grain; white rice is basically naked brown rice. During the milling and polishing process the bran (the “brown” of brown rice) and germ are removed, leaving only the endosperm. The bran is a protective layer that contains some fiber, vitamins, and minerals. The germ contains a little bit of fat, protein, and some other micronutrients.
Nutritional Comparison
Utilizing the USDA FoodData Central database, I generated the table below for side-by-side of 100g cooked long grain brown rice versus 100g cooked enriched long grain white rice. Numbers noted in parenthesis are the percentage of the US Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) for each vitamin and mineral. Vitamins and minerals that had a value of zero or in cases where there was no difference between white or brown the two were omitted so that we can focus on differences.
Fiber: White rice has less fiber than brown rice, but overall rice is generally a lower fiber food. Eat vegetables and fruits regularly and the amount of fiber in serving of white or brown rice will play a minor role in your daily fiber intake. That being said, foods containing fiber are generally more more satiating and blunt glycemic response, so brown rice may be a better option if you are working on losing weight or are at risk of Type 2 diabetes. Less fiber can also be a good thing; white rice is friendlier to digest if you are having gut issues.
Vitamins and Minerals: As you can see it’s a mixed bag with brown having higher content of certain vitamins and minerals in some cases, and fortified white in other cases. If you have a relatively balanced diet and/or take a multivitamin, I would not be too concerned with these differences as you decide what type of rice you want to eat.
Glycemic Response: Glycemic Index (GI) and Gycemic Load (GL) are gauges to understand the impact of a food on blood sugar levels. GI is a comparison against 50g of a reference food (glucose, score 100), whereas GL is a more practical because it takes into account the portion size of a food. Glycemic Load = GI/100 multiplied by the net grams of carbohydrate in the serving (net excludes dietary fiber).
GI and GL are slightly higher for white rice, which you may want to take into consideration if you are at risk of Type 2 diabetes. Based on current research, eating brown rice helps support lower blood sugar levels and reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes. However, it’s also important to place GI and GL within context of practical eating. These measurements are taken on isolated foods – I don’t know about you but when I have rice, I’m not just eating rice. I’m usually eating it with vegetables, meat, or other things. These “mixed meals” have a high influence on digestibility and therefore can change/blunt the glycemic response.
Other Notes
The naturally occurring metalloid Arsenic is found in both white and brown rice, but is higher in brown rice. Arsenic is toxic to humans and associated with certain cancers, heart disease, and Type 2 diabetes. Presently, consensus is the benefits of rice in our diet outweighs the Arsenic risk; eating rice in reasonable amounts is acceptable. As a risk mitigation ensure your diet is not based too heavily on rice, and reduce exposure level by thoroughly pre-washing your rice (Arsenic is water soluble). Arsenic aside, I wash my rice anyway because it provides a fluffier texture.
Brown rice contains lignans, natural polyphenol compounds that some studies indicate protect against heart disease and can lower total cholesterol. Other health-protective benefits may come to light as further research is conducted.
Key Takeaways
Both white and brown rice are excellent carbohydrate sources. There is no reason to restrict yourself to one type as a healthy adult in a balanced diet.
Brown rice is more micronutrient dense, however these differences do no warrant selection of one type of rice over another.
If you are trying to lose weight, brown rice may be a better option as the high fiber content can provide a greater feeling of fullness.
If you are are risk for Type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease, or have high cholesterol, studies indicate that brown rice may be a better option provided consumption is within recommended servings.
Like all foods, eat reasonable portions and do not rely on rice as a main source of nutrition.
Wash all rice before cooking.
References:
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169704/nutrients
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168878/nutrients
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