Brown Rice Vs. White Rice

Brown and white are the types of rice which are always discussed for their use and nutritional content. Brown rice is not only better for you but it is also better for the environment.

Less energy is required to produce brown rice. There is no need to add synthetic vitamins produced in the laboratory to make this rice nutritious. The processes needed to produce white rice are well-known for their negative impact on the environment.

Brown rice is certainly healthier than white rice. It is rich in vitamins and minerals. After harvesting, rice seeds are run through a rice husker for milling. The outer grain husks are removed and you get nice and simple brown rice. Some more steps are required to create white rice. The germ and the inner husk (bran) is removed in the added processes.

Then the grain is polished, usually using glucose or talc. Thus you get the white rice. If you consider brown rice vs. white rice, you will notice that all the necessary nutrients and dietary fiber is lost during the added steps required to produce white rice.

The craziest thing is that the nutrients are sometimes introduced back in white rice via synthetic processes to produce fortified rice. If you want to know about the carbohydrates in brown rice and white rice, they are almost the same.

Brown rice is packed with dietary fiber, vitamin E, vitamin B6, Thiamin, Niacin, Riboflavin, Folacin, Magnesium, Iron and over dozen other nutrients. The dietary fiber in white rice is around a quarter of brown rice and it contains far less vitamins and minerals than brown rice.

It is true that brown rice takes a little longer to cook than the white variety, but cooking brown rice won't require much time if you pre-soak the rice for a while.

You can cook brown rice using the absorption method: add less water and keep the pot covered, it will leave very little excess water by the time the rice is cooked - the steam generated helps speed up the cooking process.

It can cause a taste bud rebellion if you are accustomed to white rice and if you try to switch to brown rice suddenly. You can add extra sauces or you can enjoy a tasty curry with brown rice so that it will help mask the "wilder" taste of the rice for a while and will help allow your tastes to adjust.

Once you get used to it, I am sure, you'll never go back to white. Regarding health, brown rice is definitely the perfect choice because it's easily digested by our body as compared to other grain products (for examples: wheat).

Calories in brown and white rice may vary according to the type of the rice grain like long, short, sticky, etc. and the way it's cooked and consumed. One cup, (approximately 190 gm) of cooked long grain brown rice can offer approximately 232 calories.

Rice is low on cholesterol and sodium and so, calories from rice can help optimize health as they provide you sufficient energy. A cup of plain, boiled white rice (approximately 190 gm), will add about 223 calories to your daily calorie intake.

Brown rice and white rice have almost similar amounts of calories, carbohydrates and protein. The main differences between the two forms of rice can be noticed in their nutritional values. In weight loss diets, brown rice is recommended as it contains more fibers, vitamin and minerals than the white rice.

Those diagnosed with insulin resistance and diabetes, should avoid white rice and other flour based products because these can cause an upsurge of blood sugar level with their disproportionate ratio of carbohydrates vs. other nutrients.

The following data tells about the nutrition facts of these rice types. You will be able to notice the obvious difference in fiber, vitamins and minerals.

• Calories - 232
• Carbohydrate - 49.7 gm
• Protein - 4.88 gm
• Dietary Fiber - 3.32 gm
• Fat - 1.17 gm
• Niacin(B3) - 2.730 mg
• Riboflavin(B2) - 0.039 mg
• Thiamin(B1) - 0.176 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 0.294 mg
• Folacin - 10 mcg
• Vitamin E - 1.4 mg

• Magnesium - 72.2 mg
• Potassium - 137 mg
• Phosphorus - 142 mg
• Selenium - 26 mg
• Zinc - 1.05 mg

• Calories - 223
• Carbohydrate - 4.10 gm
• Protein - 4.10 gm
• Dietary Fiber - 0.74 gm
• Fat - 0.205 gm
• Niacin(B3) - 2.050 mg
• Riboflavin(B2) - 0.021 mg
• Thiamin(B1) - 0.223 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 0.103 mg
• Folacin - 4.1 mcg

• Vitamin E - 0.462 mg
• Magnesium - 22.6 mg
• Potassium - 57.4 mg
• Phosphorus - 57.4 mg
• Selenium - 19 mg
• Zinc - 0.841 mg

If the shelf life of rice is taken into consideration, uncooked brown rice doesn't keep for as long as white rice.

If you store brown rice in an airtight container, it can be safe for about six months but since brown rice retains some of the natural oil which may go rancid after a few months of usage, my suggestion would be to use up the rice in a couple of months. Rancid oil may produce harmful free radicals in your blood stream which can lead to cell aging.