Does Brown Rice Really Deserve the Gold Medal Over White Rice?

Most of the world has tried rice in their lifetime and is a popular grain of choice. If I asked you to describe the differences between wholegrain rice compared to the standard white rice varieties, you would not be alone if your mind went blank. Understanding the different types of carbohydrates where wholegrains fit into this can be confusing. This blog will be clearing up any confusion over white and brown rice varieties. Answering the common question, is brown rice better than white rice?

The short answer is it depends on how you want to use the food. For those who are wanting to fuel up before exercise the higher fibre content in brown rice is a big no go if you don’t want to have to rush to the bathroom during your session. Generally, speaking the whole grain variety is superior for most occasions, here is a breakdown of each type comparing per 100g.

Energy

Brown: 639kJ

White: 671kJ

Protein

Brown: 2.9g

White: 2.7

Fat

Brown: 1g

White: 0.1g

Fibre

Brown: 1.5g

White: 1g

A bonus which is not in the white rice variety is the amino acid or a breakdown of a protein component called tryptophan. Tryptophan is great to include in your diet if you want to improve your mood. You can see that brown rice has more fibre than the white variety which is not only good to decrease the amount of rice you want to eat but also feeds your good bacteria in your gut. This is important as keeping your good bacteria healthy and happy helps in many factors in your overall health including mood, metabolism and immunity just to name a few. On top of this the brown rice includes all the layers of the whole grain which means you get more vitamins and minerals including the B vitamins which helps your body to make energy from the food you eat.

 The energy in brown rice is slightly higher than white but as mentioned, due to the higher fibre content you will not want to eat as much as the white which will leave you feeling hungry again faster. Before you freak out that brown rice has fat it is made up of around ¾ of the healthier fats also called polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. Fat is not to be feared and it is all dependant on the composition of the types of fat in each food and the source of the food.

If you find the taste of brown rice difficult to manage, try first by swapping half of the white for brown and slowly increase the amount of brown to your meal or snack.

Now that your taste buds are tingling to include brown rice in your diet, here are some suggestions:

1. Add half a cup of brown rice to your salad to increase the fullness feeling you get in the meal.
2. A great snack is brown rice with tuna. Bonus you can buy many precooked varieties in the supermarket already in a half cup whole grain serve. Simply microwave the rice and add your tuna on top!
3. Add some rice to yogurt for a sweet snack and add more sweetness by adding some cinnamon or berries.
4. Try Real Foods variety of rice cakes (Rice Thins). Made with all 100% whole grain brown rice. There are limitless ways to enjoy rice cakes. Check out the recipe section on the Corn Thins website if you need inspiration: https://www.cornthins.com

Take home message: Overall brown rice is a clear winner for your body in terms of the nutrition power it gives you. Try including whole grains of different varieties in your diet as each whole grain contains a different nutrient profile which will further enhance your health.

Reference:

http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/science/monitoringnutrients/nutrientables/nuttab/Pages/default.aspx