Brown rice that doesn't taste awful?

weightofyourskin

I like plain steamed/boiled white rice as a side dish a lot. I've made a few attempts to switch to brown rice because it's healthier and has more fibre and everything, but it just tastes awful to me, like warm mushy cardboard. I've mostly tried the store brand or whatever was cheaper because I suspected I wouldn't like it.

If you eat brown rice and actually ENJOY IT, what brands do you get? Do you prepare it in a different way than white rice?

Sidesteal

I would suggest (seriously) that you keep eating white rice instead, and get your fiber from other sources.

UpEarly

I second continuing to eat white rice and getting the fiber/whole grains from other foods. There are just too many other ways to get good nutrition without forcing yourself to eat food you don't like just because it's 'healthy'.

Ipster

How about putting a little chicken broth in there when you are cooking it?

Acg67

i 3rd eating white rice

fiberartist219

Personally, I love brown rice, but I have never eaten it plain. Today, I made a mixture of turkey sausage, banana peppers and diced tomatoes in it and it was delicious.

However, if it is the texture you hate, don't bother. Try getting some whole grain pasta or whole grain bread for your whole grain fix instead. Don't eat something if you don't like it. You'll never see me chowing down on spinach or brussel sprouts, no matter how good they are for me.

1953Judith

I love brown rice; my husband loves white. We alternate. I will mix it with wild rice and barley to get a mix of textures and steep it in unsalted chicken boullion. I agree with the others though if you really prefer white rice, go with it. There are plenty of other roadblocks to get through.

Jade_Butterfly

Wow. . interesting replies. .I absolutely love brown rice and there are so many ways to incorporate it into your diet, so that you aren't grabbing up empty calories. . I also like wild rice and Quinoa. . . . If you would like some ideas. .feel free to PM me. . Good luck dearie!:flowerforyou:

jskaggs1971

Seconded the "cook it with chicken broth/stock" suggestion. I've also learned that (to me) brown rice tastes better and doesn't get that musty stale taste if you store it in the freezer. No kidding. Go look at your bag of brown rice. I bet it says to store it frozen. Mine does.

DixiedoesMFP

I use the success boil-in-a-bag brown rice and honestly don't see that it tastes that different. However, if you really can't stand it, don't eat it. I can't stand almond butter. I stick with the plain ol peanut butter.

cloneme_losehalf

I am with you, I can definitely live without brown rice!!! I can eat white rice, jasmine rice, risotto, wild rice, couscous etc. Brown rice so far is the only one I have not found a way I even remotely like it. I have eaten it many times but by the time I have added everything to it I am sure the calories would have been less and sodium would have been less if I would have used one of the others.

onetwothreeme

definitely eat BROWN RICE over white rice! not only does white rice have a higher glycemic index and all its essential nutrients removed when PROCESSED for it to cook easier.. but brown rice is CLEAN eating. awesome awesome source of magnesium, manganese, vitamins B1, B2 etc.. if you don't believe me, do a simple google search on its benefits vs. the white rice. its hands-down much more beneficial to our health.

Lundbergs Organic Brown Rice is fantastic. i use it with my rice cooker and it comes out to perfection!

taso42

I actually prefer it to white rice, flavor-wise. I always make it with a little Better Than Bullion (which is basically equivalent of making it with broth or stock). Maybe that's the key?

farrellb2

I try to "hide" mine in my foods, like I had a hot sauce chicken burrito the other night and I added it and the chicken at the same time, then added my cheese, corn and plain greek yogurt (instead of sour cream) didn't really taste the brown rice.

I always try to eat it with chicken or hamburger it makes it taste better, because you have the overwhelming flavor from the meat taking over your mouth instead of the odd flavor from the brown rice

Acg67

definitely eat BROWN RICE over white rice! not only does white rice have a higher glycemic index and all its essential nutrients removed when PROCESSED for it to cook easier.. but brown rice is CLEAN eating. awesome awesome source of magnesium, manganese, vitamins B1, B2 etc.. if you don't believe me, do a simple google search on its benefits vs. the white rice. its hands-down much more beneficial to our health.

Lundbergs Organic Brown Rice is fantastic. i use it with my rice cooker and it comes out to perfection!

GI is mostly irrelevant to the avg person

and guess what brown rice may contain things that actually lower the absorption of various minerals int he body making it worse then white rice

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/9302338

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/2822877

onetwothreeme

bottom line is, white rice has been stripped of its nutrients only to have artificial ones added. eat all the white rice you want, but in no way suggest to someone white rice is healthier than brown rice, because it is not.

Acg67

bottom line is, white rice has been stripped of its nutrients only to have artificial ones added. eat all the white rice you want, but in no way suggest to someone white rice is healthier than brown rice, because it is not.

o rly? so it's an undeniable fact brown rice is healthier then brown rice?

Acg67

double post

Sidesteal

bottom line is, white rice has been stripped of its nutrients only to have artificial ones added. eat all the white rice you want, but in no way suggest to someone white rice is healthier than brown rice, because it is not.

How are you defining healthy? Your above statement completely lacks context and to claim that brown rice is arbitrarily healtheir than white rice is ridiculous.

warmachinejt

carolina brown rice...i eat about 1 and a half cups everyday

weightofyourskin

Wow, thanks for all the replies!

I love whole-grain pasta and don't eat any other kind, and I have no problem with whole-grain bread (although I don't eat bread all that often). I might give brown rice another try, cooked in chicken stock like some of you have suggested... otherwise I think I can stick to white rice without feeling too guilty about it. Hundreds of millions of people in Asia can't be wrong!