Confused about whether to choose brown or white rice? This guide breaks down the pros and cons of both, helping you decide which fits best into your lifestyle and diet.
Rice is a staple in many diets around the world, and it’s easy to see why. From the fluffy texture of white rice to the nutty flavor of brown rice, there’s a type for every preference.
My own appreciation for rice deepened during a visit to Japan, where it’s an integral part of daily meals. But with brown and white rice being the most common options, how do you choose between them?
In this article, we’ll explore the main differences and help you decide which might be better for your nutrition and weight management needs.
Brown and White Rice Explained
Before we dive into the nutritional profiles of the two types of rice, let’s first work out why rice can have different colors.
Similar to white and raw sugar, all rice starts out as brown rice. To strip the beautiful color from brown rice, it goes through a milling process.
This process involves removing its husk (outer shell), bran (outer layer), and germ (reproductive part). This explains why brown rice not only tastes different but also has a texture that is very different from white rice.
The main reason rice needs to go through this milling process is preservation. Removing the above-mentioned bits and pieces increases the shelf life of white rice significantly, but the drawback is that a good chunk of its nutrition gets lost.
Nutrition Considerations
Take a look at the table below with nutritional values for 100 grams worth of cooked brown rice and white rice.
Keep in mind that this is just a snapshot to showcase the differences between the two; it’s not a complete nutritional profile.
As you can see, brown rice has a much better nutritional profile than white rice. Brown rice is particularly high in nutrients such as manganese, thiamin, niacin, phosphorus, and magnesium, but also dietary fiber.
When it comes to weight loss, brown rice also appears to be the better choice, because it is lower in calories and higher in fiber than white rice.
| White Rice (100 g) | Brown Rice (100 g) | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy: | 130 calories | 123 calories |
| Carbohydrates: | 28.2 g | 25.6 g |
| Dietary fiber: | 0.4 g | 1.6 g |
| Sugar: | 0.05 g | 0.24 g |
| Thiamin: | 0.02 mg | 0.178 mg |
| Niacin: | 0.4 mg | 2.56 mg |
| Vitamin B6: | 0.093 mg | 0.123 mg |
| Iron: | 0.2 mg | 0.56 mg |
| Magnesium: | 12 mg | 39 mg |
| Phosphorus: | 43 mg | 103 mg |
| Zinc: | 0.49 mg | 0.71 mg |
| Copper: | 0.069 mg | 0.106 mg |
| Manganese: | 0.472 mg | 0.974 mg |
| Sources: White rice nutrition, Brown rice nutrition | ||
Calories
The only way to lose weight is by eating fewer calories than you burn each day, creating a calorie deficit.
One cup of 100 g white rice contains roughly 130 calories. Choose brown rice instead, and you can eat the same amount of rice and consume fewer calories.
Although the difference in calories isn’t significant, if you eat one cup of white rice every day instead of brown rice, then the calories certainly do add up.
Dietary Fiber
Not only is brown rice lower in calories, but it’s also significantly higher in dietary fiber than white rice is.
Each 1-cup serving of brown rice comes with 1.6 grams of fiber, which represents 7 percent of the daily recommended value. Compared to only 0.4 grams of fiber in the same amount of white rice.
Fiber is essential for us in many different ways, but it also helps with weight loss by slowing the emptying of the stomach. This makes you feel full longer, which in turn makes you eat less.
It may also reduce the amount of calories you absorb from macro-nutrients, such as fat and carbohydrates.
Conclusion
I am going to be completely honest with you here and say that I prefer white rice over brown rice. It just tastes better! Especially in Japanese cuisine and Indian dishes, I cannot imagine eating brown rice.
That’s not to say that I never eat brown rice, because I do. I am very conscious of the fact that brown rice is the better choice when it comes to nutritional benefits, so I try to make dishes with brown rice, too.
For example, I find that steamed brown rice works well with fish, such as fried salmon or white fish. But otherwise, I stick to white rice!
