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We’ve all heard about the healthier variants of the foods we have every day. From green tea instead of coffee to olive oil instead of regular oil, there’s a lot of options out there. One in particular that you’ve probably heard of is brown rice. Time and again this this supposedly healthier variant of white rice is receiving quite a reputation, but is it true? Is brown rice actually worth switching to? Only one way to find out about Brown Rice: Is It Worth Switching To?
Contents of brown rice
Brown rice, to put simply, is basically rice that all of the layers that a typical grain of rice should have. These are the endosperm, the bran and the germ. White rice, on the other hand, only has the thick endosperm layer in the middle, which is quite simply the reason everyone thinks brown rice is superior, but more on that later.
According to Wikipedia, one 100g serving of brown rice has 370 kilocalories, 77.24 grams of carbs, 2.2 grams fat, 7.85 grams protein, and trace amounts of vitamins and minerals.
Comparing the two
Doing a quick comparison of the two, you’ll discover that brown rice has more calories, more carbs and more micronutrients per cup in comparison to white rice. Furthermore, the deal breaker is the lower glycemic index of brown rice, which means that brown rice is broken down by your body at a slower rate, causing a lower insulin response. This property greatly reduces your risk of diabetes.
Scientific Study
White there are tons of scientific studies out there that have pitched the two against one another, we liked this one in particular.
The study was carried out by people form the Harvard School of Public Health. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the HSPU, examined the correlation between type 2 diabetes and consumption of brown and white rice between 157,463 women and 39,765 men. After taking care of the factors that can influence the results, they concluded that white risk still posed a threat at getting type-2 diabetes. A secondary analysis on white rice consumption group yielded similar results.
“From a public health point of view, whole grains, rather than refined carbohydrates, such as white rice, should be recommended as the primary source of carbohydrates for the U.S. population,” said Hu, “These findings could have even greater implications for Asian and other populations in which rice is a staple food.”
Bottom Line
Looking at the scientific studies and comparing the nutritional information bring us to one conclusion: it is worth switching to brown rice. However, that doesn’t mean you necessarily should do it. There are many people who don’t like the taste of brown rice, and if your diet already consists of a lot of healthy foods, sticking to white rice won’t do you much harm.
With that said, which rice do you currently have in your diet? Will you be switching to brown rice after reading this? Leave your thoughts in the comments below about Brown Rice: Is It Worth Switching To?
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One reply on “Brown Rice: Is It Worth Switching To?”
No, I have not had rice or pasta in a long time. I still get plenty of carbs in other ways.