Brown VS White Rice

luly727

I love rice! I can eat it all alone or in a dish. I am confused about why its better to have the Brown rice? I had never tried it, always heard it was hard, crunchy etc.

I bought some of the Uncle Bens Boil In Bags Whole Grain Brown Rice and I had some for dinner. It was good. Served it with some stir fry veggies & Chicken.
Looking at the label , it actually has more fat (2 grams) than the white ( 0 Fat) and its also a bit higher in the carbs ( not much)
So I dont understand WHY is it better for you?

I am trying to get my food plan down and if anyone can explain to me that would be great.

naturebaby

Brown rice and white rice have similar amounts of calories, carbohydrates, and protein. The main differences between the two forms of rice lie in processing and nutritional content.

When only the outermost layer of a grain of rice (the husk) is removed, brown rice is produced. To produce white rice, the next layers underneath the husk (the bran layer and the germ) are removed, leaving mostly the starchy endosperm.

Several vitamins and dietary minerals are lost in this removal and the subsequent polishing process. A part of these missing nutrients, such as vitamin B1, vitamin B3, and iron are sometimes added back into the white rice making it "enriched", as food suppliers in the US are required to do by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). [1]

One mineral not added back into white rice is magnesium; one cup (195 g) of cooked long grain brown rice contains 84 mg of magnesium while one cup of white rice contains 19 mg.

When the bran layer is removed to make white rice, the oil in the bran is also removed. Rice bran oil may help lower LDL cholesterol.[2]

Among other key sources of nutrition lost are small amounts of fatty acids and fiber.

In addition to having greater nutritional value, brown rice is also said to be less constipating than white rice.

HealthyChanges2010

Think of white rice vs. brown rice as you'd think of white bread vs. whole grain bread. White rice is very processed and all the good 'stuff' for you is removed. Same as rolled quick oats vs. steel cut oats.

It's more about how processed it is and far less of a natural state it's left in for us nourish our bodies.

I cook brown all the time and the only time I could see it being 'hard & crunchy is if it's eaten out of the bag before it's cooked:laugh: :laugh: . Not sure what 'hard and crunchy means regarding brown rice, it does have a chewier texture than white.

Hope that helps a bit in the understanding,
Becca:flowerforyou:

**Ninety percent of white rice made in the United States is then enriched with powdered nutrients, which, according to the USA Rice Federation, replace everything that has been lost during polishing, except the fiber.***

The above statement explains why white rice appears to have the same nutrition content as brown. Brown has fiber though and REAL vitamins and minerals not powered dumped back in after heavy processing.:noway:

HealthyChanges2010

Here's a good simple explanation:

Whole Brown Rice is rice in its original form with the bran intact; white rice is brown rice that has gone through at least one of several processes, including polishing, parboiling and/or pre-cooking. However, trying to discern nutritional differences from various labels is difficult. Although most nutritionists favor whole foods over processed foods, on the nutritional information labels, brown rice and white rice come out looking pretty much the same.

How does that happen? The answer is in the processing. When the rice comes in from the field, the hull is removed and the result is whole brown rice. In this unprocessed state, whole brown rice offers a natural concentration of vitamins and minerals, including potassium, riboflavin, [B.sub.6], niacin and thiamin, and it still has its bran, which is a natural fiber.

To render brown rice white, manufacturers remove the bran by polishing the hulled rice. Ninety percent of white rice made in the United States is then enriched with powdered nutrients, which, according to the USA Rice Federation, replace everything that has been lost during polishing, except the fiber. (It's because of this enrichment process that manufacturers recommend against washing white rice before cooking it.) So with a little help from science, white rice ends up with the same nutrient content as brown.

Parboiled rice lives somewhere between the classic forms of brown and white rice. It goes through an intense steam-pressure process that forces the vitamins and minerals into the grain before the hull is removed. Sometimes the bran is left intact for brown parboiled rice, which is often used in restaurants because of its ability to produce fluffy, separate grain and improved nutritional content; when the bran is removed, you've got parboiled (or "converted") white rice, which is actually amber in color.

luly727

oh OK thanks !!! I actually liked the brown rice, so I am permanantly switching and I could use the added benefit of fiber and lowering the LDL's

THanks guys !
Luly