Brown Rice vs White Rice Nutrition, Calories, and Benefits

According to National Geographic, over 3.5 billion people worldwide consider rice as their staple food. It includes Asia, Latin American, and parts of African cultures. It is imperative to know rice types and the differences that make them unique to one another. Here, we will discuss brown rice vs white rice to help you choose the one that best suits you!

The debate of understanding the benefits of white rice vs brown rice has been constant for ages. While most people prefer white rice for its taste, some reasons make brown rice better for health. Let us find out their respective qualities to choose the one that is best!

Brown rice vs white rice

When trying to buy rice, you will often come across brown vs white rice preferences. White rice has very little protein, antioxidants, fiber, vitamins B, fats, and minerals. On the other hand, brown rice has a large number of minerals, vitamins, and fiber. They are gluten-free.

When listing down points, white vs brown rice, both have pros and cons to consider. We are sharing some of the cases with you below:

Kidney patients

If you have kidney disease, then white rice is better for you than brown rice. Brown rice has potassium and phosphorus in large amounts, which is not good for kidney disease patients. So, eat white rice and avoid brown rice if you have kidney problems.

A high fiber diet

If you want to stay safe and decrease your chance of having constipation, high cholesterol, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and stroke, white rice is better than brown rice. Brown rice has a large amount of fiber, which is not good for your health.

A low fiber diet

If you have diarrhea, surgery in the gastrointestinal tract, diverticulitis, colorectal cancer blockage, inflammatory bowel problems, then white rice is better for you than brown rice. You can consult with the doctor if you want.

Brown rice vs white rice carbs

Do you know which rice has more carbs? Well, we are mentioning brown rice vs white rice carbs for you. Carbohydrates provide your body energy. It will keep your central nervous system, heart muscles, kidneys, and brain healthier. Brown rice and white rice contain high amounts of carbohydrates.

You will get 17.05 g of carbohydrates in brown rice and 14.84 g of carbohydrates in white rice. Brown rice contains more carbohydrates than white rice. Hence, if you want more carbohydrates, consume brown rice regularly.

A single cup of cooked long-grain brown rice contains 52 grams of carbohydrates. It will decrease your chance of having weight loss, lower cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, a single cup of cooked, short-grain white rice contains 53 grams of carbohydrates. White rice has a large number of nutrients that will keep your body fit.

White rice vs brown rice nutrition

Do you want to switch from white rice to brown rice? Well, it is good for your health. There are several benefits of switching from white rice to brown rice. They are as follows:

Fiber

Brown rice contains a large amount of fiber, but white rice contains less fiber. So, to get more fiber, you can switch from white rice to brown rice.

Health and taste

Brown rice has an amazing taste and is nutritious. It has high vitamins, minerals, and fiber in it. It is healthier for you than white rice. So, you can switch from white rice to brown rice if you are searching for a more healthy and tasty option.

Diabetes

Brown rice has a large number of necessary polyphenols, fiber, and phytic acid. Gradually, it will help you to release your sugar from the body and cure you of diabetes. So, switching to brown rice will keep you safe from diabetes.

Cardiovascular health

Brown rice has selenium. It will protect you from heart diseases and artery blockages. Your risk of vascular diseases and hypertension will decrease. So, if you want to protect your heart, you can switch to brown rice from white rice.

Weight management

Brown rice contains phosphorus and manganese. It will help you to keep in check your obesity and synthesize the fat in the body. Moreover, brown rice has a large amount of fiber, which will not make you feel hungry. So, if you want to manage your weight, switch to brown rice from white rice.

Reduces cholesterol

Brown rice contains a type of oil. It will help you to decrease your LDL cholesterol levels. Moreover, it includes a large amount of fiber, which helps attach to your cholesterol. Therefore, if you want to lower your cholesterol, you need to switch to brown rice from white rice.

Prevent from gallstones

Brown rice contains large amounts of insoluble fiber. It will protect you from gallstones. So, you can switch to brown rice from white rice to stay healthy.

Bone health

Brown rice contains high amounts of calcium and magnesium. It will help you to keep your bones healthy. Your body bones will become strong if you consume brown rice regularly. Hence, if you want healthy bones in your body, then switch to brown rice from white rice.

Digestive health

Brown rice contains high amounts of fiber. It will help you to protect your acid absorption and maintain proper bowel function. Your digestion process will become appropriate. So, switch to brown rice from white rice to keep your digestive system healthy.

Decreases metabolic syndrome risk- brown rice contains a low glycemic content and a high amount of fiber. It will help you to reduce your chance of having metabolic syndrome risk. Therefore, switch to brown rice from white rice to stay safe from metabolic syndrome risk.

Improves energy

brown rice has a high amount of magnesium. It can transfer proteins and carbohydrates and create energy. It will increase your energy level. You will be able to work for a long period without any tiredness. Hence, switch to brown rice from white rice to improve your energy level.

Types of brown rice

There are numerous types of brown rice. Are you wondering about the different kinds of brown rice? Well, we are sharing some of them with you:

Short grain brown rice

Short grain brown rice has little kernels. After cooking short-grain brown rice, you will find that it becomes too sticky. You can use short grain brown rice to make rice puddings, risotto, and other desserts. You have to cook it for a minimum of 25 minutes. It will help you brown to decrease your weight.

Long grain brown rice

Long grain brown rice has a nutty flavor and chewy texture. The color of the long-grain brown rice is golden brown. You can use long grain brown rice to make stir fry, rice pilaf, and others. You have to cook it for a minimum of 45 minutes.

Medium grain brown rice

Medium-grain brown rice is smaller than long-grain brown rice but larger than short-grain brown rice. After cooking the medium grain brown rice, you will find that it becomes soft and moist. You can use medium grain brown rice to make salads, soups, and others. You need at least 20 minutes to make any food with medium grain brown rice.

Light brown rice

Brown rice is made up of bran; if the milling process takes half of the bran from the brown rice, you will get light brown rice. Light brown rice contains low amounts of fiber and a nutty flavor. You have to cook any food for a minimum of 20 minutes with light brown rice.

Brown basmati rice

Brown basmati rice is a type of brown rice. You will find brown basmati rice in South Asia mostly. You can make fine pilafs and biryanis with brown basmati rice.

Nutty sweet red rice

Nutty sweet red rice is another type of brown rice. You can use nutty, sweet red rice for making puddings and other dishes.

Aromatic jasmine rice

Aromatic jasmine rice is a type of long-grain brown rice. You will get this type of rice in Asian markets. You can cook many good dishes with fragrant jasmine rice. Also, you will get soft and moist food after cooking it with aromatic jasmine rice.

Haiga-mai

Haiga-mai is a type of light brown rice. It is very expensive for you. You can make some of the delicious food with haiga mai rice. You will get haiga mai rice in Japan mostly.

Kalijira rice grains

Kalijira rice grains are a type of small basmati brown rice. You will get this rice at the shops of Whole Foods market. You can cook many amazing dishes with kalijira rice grains quickly.

Disadvantages of eating brown rice

Well, though brown rice is good for your health, it has some disadvantages too. We are sharing several disadvantages of eating brown rice with you here:

Cross-contamination

You are getting products like bread, snacks, and flour from brown rice. If you have food allergies, then you must avoid brown rice products. It can cause cross-contamination in you. In this case, you can consume white rice to stay safe from any food allergies. This is one of the disadvantages of eating brown rice.

Need right preservation and storage

Brown rice has high amounts of fatty acids. These fatty acids help you to stay healthy. It would help if you had a perfect place to store the brown rice. You can keep it till 8 months.

But if you transfer it to white rice, you can store it for 10 years. The fatty oils can stay well for a longer time inside the white rice than the brown rice. This is another disadvantage of eating brown rice.

Need right cleansing

You have to clean the brown rice properly before cooking. Both organic and inorganic brown rice needs a good cleaning. Organic brown rice needs less cleaning, but inorganic brown rice needs heavy cleaning before cooking it.

Fungus

You can store the brown rice maximum for a week. Bacteria, molds, and fungus may develop in brown rice if it exceeds a week. These can cause many harmful diseases in you. Cook the brown rice properly to get rid of any bacteria or fungus infection. This is one of the important disadvantages of eating brown rice.

Digestion problem

Brown rice takes a lot of time to digest properly. You have to chew the brown rice well. If you already have any digestion issues, then avoid eating brown rice. You may find brown rice difficult to digest.

Nutrients and minerals

You must add some lentils and cereals while cooking the brown rice because it doesn’t have sufficient nutrients and minerals for your body. So, to stay healthy, you have to add some other ingredients to the brown rice.

Feel fuller

Don’t depend on the brown rice. Take it a maximum of four times in one week; the rest of the time, you can consume white rice. Brown rice lacks some of the nutrients and minerals like calcium etc. You will feel full after consuming brown rice and not be able to eat anything else for the entire day.

White rice vs brown rice calories

If you are going switch from white rice to brown rice only because of calories, think again! Well, we would like to bust a popular myth that makes people think brown rice has less calories compared to white. When looking for white rice vs brown rice, note that brown rice has more calories than white!

The nutritional value is different when it comes to other factors. For example, it has more protein, lipid fat, carbs, fiber, sugar, sodium, and fatty acids. White rice, on the other hand, has more iron and calcium.

Final thoughts

We have mentioned brown rice vs white rice, switching from white rice to brown rice, types of brown rice, and disadvantages of brown rice in this article. You have to know brown rice or white rice which is good for your health and choose carefully for eating daily.

You have got to know much information about brown rice vs white rice in this article. This information will help you to stay healthy. Hopefully, our article on brown rice vs white rice will come to your help.