Rice. It's a four-letter word that most Asians love to hear on a daily basis and eat. With many varieties to choose from for a wide range of uses, rice is an important part of the diet for many people who find it a tasty, nutritious and, well, versatile ingredient.
Out of all the varieties, we’re here today to focus on two of the most common ones: white and brown rice.
Filling and full of flavour as well as aroma, the grains of white and brown rice form the bases of many favourite dishes. But when it narrows down to the pick of white versus brown rice, which should fare well among you and your family?
What is brown rice?
Brown rice is called such due to its colour. It is a whole grain made up of three essential unprocessed components of the original grain: the bran, germ and endosperm.
Without being processed like white rice, brown rice is sold with the bran layer intact which provides the fibre and the germ layer for its vitamin and mineral-rich core. Finally, the endosperm layer, which is usually what white rice only has, is left as the carbohydrate component.
Nutrition: Is white or brown rice healthier?
Although white rice is considered to be enriched, it still misses the added benefits that brown rice has to offer. Below are what brown rice has to offer:
Fiber - The higher amount of fiber in brown rice works to keep you fuller longer, potentially reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol.
Phosphorus - This mineral not only supports healthy teeth and bones but also plays a major part in DNA and RNA production.
Folate - It provides B-vitamin which helps your body to produce healthy red blood cells, which can help reduce the risk of certain types of anemia.
Magnesium - The nutrient plays a major part in assisting bone, protein and DNA production as well as regulate muscle and nerve function.
Manganese - You get about 88% of your daily requirements from this mineral, which is also highly involved in collagen production.
A better understanding of its nutritional differences is portrayed as such in the image below.
Note: While brown rice can be substituted in almost every single white rice dish, it's important to know that the cooking time is significantly longer for brown rice.
White Rice
White rice may be the most popular type of rice but it is also the least nutritious. Also known as ‘polished’ rice, they go through an extra layer of the milling process which then strips the bran and germ layer. The process takes away most of the rice's core nutrition, leaving only the endosperm layer (carbohydrate) and with little to no vitamin, mineral or fiber content.
Plus, white rice has a higher glycemic index (GI) than brown rice. In general, the higher the GI, the quicker a food is likely to spike up your blood sugar.
Note: White rice has a GI of 89 while brown rice has a GI of 50.
A risk that white rice poses
For those who love to eat excess white rice; studies have shown that a diet high in white rice leads to an increased type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, high cholesterol and even cancer.
However, there’s no need to ban white rice altogether. When a rice label says “Enriched”, it means that B vitamins and iron have been added back in so the grains of white rice are not completely devoid of nutrients, but more or less have a fraction of what occurs naturally.
The Bottom Line
Truth be told, brown rice and white rice are a lot more similar than you may think. Both of them can be a part of a balanced healthy diet when paired with vegetables and lean proteins. It's just a matter of principles (and discipline).
If you’re looking for a source that has more complex carbs and fibre in it, then brown rice is the answer. But if you still prefer to eat the whites, then bear in mind that moderation is key.