Is brown rice always better than white rice?

spinachdiva

Any opinions? I usually eat brown rice because it has more fiber and protein.

karinaes

i love brown rice!
unless you fry it of course lol

sneezles

Whole grain is always better.

Acg67

nope

Comparison of the nutritional value between brown rice and white rice

Callegaro Mda D, Tirapegui J. Arq Gastroenterol. 1996 Oct-Dec;33(4):225-31.

Cereals are considered an important source of nutrients both in human and animal nourishment. In this paper nutritional value of brown rice is compared to that of white rice in relation to nutrients. Results show that despite higher nutrients contents of brown rice compared to white rice, experimental data does not provide evidence that the brown rice diet is better than the diet based on white rice. Possible antinutritional factors present in brown rice have adverse effects on bioavailability of this cereal nutrients.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9...ubmed_RVDocSum

Effects of brown rice on apparent digestibility and balance of nutrients in young men on low protein diets

J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 1987 Jun;33(3):207-18. .Miyoshi H, Okuda T, Okuda K, Koishi H.

The effect of brown rice with low protein intake was studied in five healthy young men. Feces were weighed, the digestibility of nutrients was determined, and blood tests were made. Each subject followed a diet consisting mainly of polished rice for 14 days and one consisting mainly of brown rice for 8 days. Both diets contained 0.5 g protein per kg of body weight. The brown rice diet had 3 times as much dietary fiber as the polished rice diet. On the brown rice diet, fecal weight increased, and apparent digestibility of energy, protein, and fat decreased, as did the absorption rates of Na, K, and P. The nitrogen balance was negative on both diets, but more negative on the brown rice diet. The phosphorus balance on the brown rice diet was significantly negative, but other minerals were not affected by the diet. The levels of cholesterol and minerals in the plasma were not significantly different on the polished rice diet and the brown rice diet. Comparing these results with data on standard protein intake (Miyoshi, H. et al (1986) J. Nutr. Sci. Vitaminol., 32, 581-589.), we concluded that brown rice reduced protein digestibility and nitrogen balance.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...ubmed_RVDocSum

tigersword

Nutritionally the differences are pretty minimal. Unless you're eating plain white rice with nothing else (very unlikely for the most part) white rice does not spike your blood sugar. Add beans, meat, or vegetables to your white rice (which is how most people eat rice anyway, as a side dish) and there's no difference between white and brown at all.

Keep in mind, brown rice has 3 times the calories and 3 times the carbs of white rice. Brown rice also has more sugars and a higher fat content in addition to the higher protein and slightly higher fiber (it's still less than 2 grams of fiber per serving, not a high enough serving to justify the negatives IMO.)

NoAdditives

Brown carbs are always better than white carbs. When I had gestational diabetes white rice was the only thing that raised my blood sugar above normal levels.

dumb_blondes_rock

so....i totally learned something today.....I HATE trying to cook brown rice....its never gets soft enough, even if i follow the instructions to a "t"

robin52077

Brown carbs are always better than white carbs. When I had gestational diabetes white rice was the only thing that raised my blood sugar above normal levels.

when referring to BREADS, yes...but not rice...see above....

bry_all01

nope.

aldale

Keep in mind, brown rice has 3 times the calories and 3 times the carbs of white rice. Brown rice also has more sugars and a higher fat content in addition to the higher protein and slightly higher fiber (it's still less than 2 grams of fiber per serving, not a high enough serving to justify the negatives IMO.)

Totally true!

caroln3

Then why does Dr. Oz say we should eat brown rice instead of white. And I ran into an Asian man at the market who has diabetes and he told me that the doctor told him to stay away from white rice, so he eats potatoes now, he showed me the big bag in his shopping cart, lol.

rockylucas

Eat whichever one you like more

Acg67

Then why does Dr. Oz say we should eat brown rice instead of white. And I ran into an Asian man at the market who has diabetes and he told me that the doctor told him to stay away from white rice, so he eats potatoes now, he showed me the big bag in his shopping cart, lol.

1. Dr Oz is a moron, if you're getting your nutritional advice from him...

2. has does what a diabetic eats have any relevance to white vs brown rice?

CanadianChic

well this just made my day! I hate brown rice.. but i buy it b/c i thought it was better.... thanks so much!

SaddyPants

so....i totally learned something today.....I HATE trying to cook brown rice....its never gets soft enough, even if i follow the instructions to a "t"

Me too! It's ridiculous. I've tried it in a regular pot and in my rice cooker and I still can't get it right. I just buy frozen brown rice from Trader Joe's, such a life saver!

sneezles

Assuming brown rice won't be eaten by the boatload or that it won't be the only grain consumed the decrease in nutrients shouldn't be an issue for the average person. Especially if one has trouble consuming enough fiber on a daily basis, which can be a significant issue with a high protein diet. Vitamin levels can and should be supplemented on any restrictive diet.

engineman312

my brown rice comes out pretty good....

actually, i might bake it next time i make some. comes out fluffy. i'll post the recipe later.

sneezles

2. has does what a diabetic eats have any relevance to white vs brown rice?

The glycemic index...

dumb_blondes_rock

actually i heard jasmine rice is the better of all three choices....not sure who "they" are that said that, but i love jasmine rice soooooo muchhhh

CoraGregoryCPA

Dr Oz is an idiot!

The question about the asian switching from rice to potatoes.. My boyfriend is asian.. they can't limit themselves on rice. They have to have a WHOLE plate, 2-3 cups of rice.. I'm sure some eat rice at every meal. So the doctor probably advised him to switch the food entirely because they can't control themselves when it comes to rice. They have eaten unlimited quanitites all of their life. I'd say my boyfriend's rice obsession is like a security blanket to him in his culture. He'd rather eat rice than any other food.

dumb_blondes_rock

my brown rice comes out pretty good....

actually, i might bake it next time i make some. comes out fluffy. i'll post the recipe later.

Oh great one, teach me thine ways of brown rice cooketh......for reals though, what do you do to make it come out nice? I even tried it in a rice cooker and it still had a crunch to it

Acg67

2. has does what a diabetic eats have any relevance to white vs brown rice?

The glycemic index...

and the GI has real world relevance to the OP because?

dumb_blondes_rock

plus why would a dr advise to switch to regular potato? those aren't as good for you as like a sweet potato is. Its great for potassium, but i think it is bad for sugars, because its a white carb....not sure though, i can be wrong

tigersword

COLOR MEANS NOTHING.

Sweet potatoes are actually much higher in sugars than white potatoes. The whole "eat brown foods instead of white foods" is mostly MARKETING, and does not really have much relevance to the real world nutritionally.

aldale

COLOR MEANS NOTHING.

Sweet potatoes are actually much higher in sugars than white potatoes. The whole "eat brown foods instead of white foods" is mostly MARKETING, and does not really have much relevance to the real world nutritionally.

Add commercialism to the nutritional value, I bet that brown rice is more expensive in your local supermarket than the ordinary white ones. Also white rice is fortified, and brown rice is not.

LilMissFoodie

I agree that the misconceptions about carbs have gotten a bit out of hand over time!

In general, I would say that wholegrain bread is superior to white bread but wholemeal (brown) bread may as well be white bread. I would go with basmati rice, lower GI than regular white rice, tastes as good, as quick to make - nutritionally, the only thing brown rice possibly has over white rice (remember most of the nutrients you may read on the package for this are malabsorbed) is fibre so if you can get your fibre elsewhere then why not choose white? Same with pasta, pasta is naturally low-medium GI as well.

Edited to add that it has recently been found that most sweet potato varieties have the same GI as white potato - the original 'myth' of the low GI sweet potato came based on a variety that is rarely available.

lisabstrong

nope

Comparison of the nutritional value between brown rice and white rice

Callegaro Mda D, Tirapegui J. Arq Gastroenterol. 1996 Oct-Dec;33(4):225-31.

Cereals are considered an important source of nutrients both in human and animal nourishment. In this paper nutritional value of brown rice is compared to that of white rice in relation to nutrients. Results show that despite higher nutrients contents of brown rice compared to white rice, experimental data does not provide evidence that the brown rice diet is better than the diet based on white rice. Possible antinutritional factors present in brown rice have adverse effects on bioavailability of this cereal nutrients.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9...ubmed_RVDocSum

Effects of brown rice on apparent digestibility and balance of nutrients in young men on low protein diets

J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 1987 Jun;33(3):207-18. .Miyoshi H, Okuda T, Okuda K, Koishi H.

The effect of brown rice with low protein intake was studied in five healthy young men. Feces were weighed, the digestibility of nutrients was determined, and blood tests were made. Each subject followed a diet consisting mainly of polished rice for 14 days and one consisting mainly of brown rice for 8 days. Both diets contained 0.5 g protein per kg of body weight. The brown rice diet had 3 times as much dietary fiber as the polished rice diet. On the brown rice diet, fecal weight increased, and apparent digestibility of energy, protein, and fat decreased, as did the absorption rates of Na, K, and P. The nitrogen balance was negative on both diets, but more negative on the brown rice diet. The phosphorus balance on the brown rice diet was significantly negative, but other minerals were not affected by the diet. The levels of cholesterol and minerals in the plasma were not significantly different on the polished rice diet and the brown rice diet. Comparing these results with data on standard protein intake (Miyoshi, H. et al (1986) J. Nutr. Sci. Vitaminol., 32, 581-589.), we concluded that brown rice reduced protein digestibility and nitrogen balance.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...ubmed_RVDocSum

Boy that sounds pretty smart...what's the GI on white vs brown...I burn up rice pretty quickly, brown rice not so much...

meerkat70

Keep in mind, brown rice has 3 times the calories and 3 times the carbs of white rice. Brown rice also has more sugars and a higher fat content in addition to the higher protein and slightly higher fiber (it's still less than 2 grams of fiber per serving, not a high enough serving to justify the negatives IMO.)

Totally true!

Dry weights
100g white rice 353 cal
100g wholegrain rice 318 cal

Are you guys talking cooked weights? Confused by these claims.

Acg67

Boy that sounds pretty smart...what's the GI on white vs brown...I burn up rice pretty quickly, brown rice not so much...

don't worry about GI, it's largely irrelevant to weight loss

dumb_blondes_rock

COLOR MEANS NOTHING.

Sweet potatoes are actually much higher in sugars than white potatoes. The whole "eat brown foods instead of white foods" is mostly MARKETING, and does not really have much relevance to the real world nutritionally.

Well good, because im irish and HAVE TO HAVE my white potatoes....not saying im racist about the colored ones, just that white is my fav of all time.....but i have learned to mash it with cauliflower to cut the calories.....

veganbaum

my brown rice comes out pretty good....

actually, i might bake it next time i make some. comes out fluffy. i'll post the recipe later.

Oh great one, teach me thine ways of brown rice cooketh......for reals though, what do you do to make it come out nice? I even tried it in a rice cooker and it still had a crunch to it

So, not the point of this post, but here's how I cook my short grain brown rice, sometimes 1/2 short and half sweet brown rice, and it comes out perfectly every time:

Soak for 8-12 hours
RInse
Place in a pot. The add enough water to come up the the first joint in your index finger when you place the tip of the finger at the top of the rice.
Bring to a boil, covered (I find a pot with a lid that has a steam vent in it works best, or you can tilt the lid)
Stir once, cover (or tilt), cook for 35-45 minutes. I always check at 35, depending on how long I've soaked it, it can take up to 45.

This sounds weird, but I found it online when searching for tips because I always either burned it or it came out super mushy. Now, perfect every time - and I cook it often, a big batch once a week. Try it, hope it works for you.