The reasons white rice is healthier than brown rice as determined by research as well as which type traditional societies preferred consuming.
My article and video on healthy Chinese food drew some comments from readers who questioned my choice of rice.
Why was I using white rice vs brown? Isn’t brown rice the healthier choice, after all?
Ok, I’ll spill the beans, rice. Here are my reasons …
The truth is, neither my husband nor myself have ever enjoyed brown rice (although we love the nutty flavor and digestibility of wild rice).
Every time we eat brown, it just seems to not sit very well in our stomachs.
Even when it is sprouted or soaked before cooking, it, well, uh, sits like a brick for lack of a better word.
Why Some People Should Eat White Rice
White rice just seems to digest a whole lot better for us. That to me was reason enough to choose it over the brown rice.
We were also advised by an Ayurvedic MD back in the 1990s to stick with white basmati rice. This recommendation clinched the decision.
You are what you digest, after all – not necessarily what you eat!
End of story? Well, not quite.
Rice Fiber in Brown Harms a Compromised Gut
A few years back at the annual Wise Traditions Conference, I became familiar with a compelling book called Fiber Menace.
The author writes extensively about the dangers of a high-fiber diet as it pertains to a menu loaded with whole grains as pushed by the misguided Food Pyramid.
In other words, folks who eat a bowl of All Bran every morning to keep the bathroom visits regular are unknowingly ripping their insides to shreds.
The basic premise of Fiber Menace is that grain fiber plays a leading role in many gut-related ailments including colon cancer.
When I first learned of this information, my preference for white rice over brown rice started to make more sense.
Perhaps the brown rice didn’t digest that well because of all that fiber?
Chalk one up for the white rice.
White Rice Far Lower in Phytic Acid
A second piece of information came from author Ramiel Nagel.
In his book, Cure Tooth Decay, he writes about the devastating effects of phytic acid in the diet. Phytic acid is a very powerful antinutrient and blocker of mineral absorption in the gut.
Mr. Nagel identifies brown rice as very high in phytic acid.
What’s more, soaking brown rice does not reduce phytic acid by much at all!
Polished Rice is the Ancestral Form
Ramiel also maintains that the traditional method for preparing brown rice is never to eat it whole (with only the husk removed).
Rather, ancestral societies pounded brown rice in a mortar and pestle to polish it by removing the outer bran layer. This is the primary source of the phytic acid.
Nagel goes on to point out that experiments have shown that the milled and polished rice that results from this pounding process, has the highest mineral absorption.
In short, mineral absorption from whole brown rice is much less than white polished rice. This is because the phytic acid in the bran which is not reduced much by soaking, greatly interferes with the absorption process.
What About Arsenic?
A big issue with arsenic contamination in rice has emerged in recent years. Some folks have responded by no longer eating rice at all.
This is an overreaction, in my view.
Clean rice is definitely available if you know what to look for.
This article on how to avoid arsenic in rice details what to do. While soaking brown rice barely moves the needle on phytic acid, soaking white rice before cooking removes nearly all the arsenic!
Another option is to parboil white rice before using fresh water for a full cook if you don’t have time to soak.
Is White Rice Better Than Brown?
So it seems that brown rice is not necessarily a healthier choice than milled white rice.
Black or red rice would fall into the same category.
Obviously, whether you choose one or the other is a personal preference, but I hope this information helps you sort through the decision with a bit more clarity.
As for me and my family, we will be sticking with white basmati and jasmine rice (white basmati rice is more nutritious than plain white rice).
I currently buy this brand of rice in 25-pound bags as the most economical and high-quality choice.
Observation clued me in many years ago that brown rice was not something that was sitting well in my stomach or my husband’s.
As the years go by, more research is coming forth to indicate that this decision was the right way to go after all.
Do you eat white rice or brown rice in your home? Why or why not?
References
(1) Fiber Menace
(2) Living with Phytic Acid
More Information
Macrobiotic Diet and Extreme Vitamin D Deficiency
Tiny Teff Grains Deliver Big on Nutrition
How to Make Perfect Yellow Rice (Arroz Amarillo)
Millet: Healthy or Not?
Do Whole Grains Cause Cavities?
I realise this post is old, but I had to make a comment. I too have problems with brown rice. Realised it was the fibre part & my guts hated it (as well as rye). I also remember reading that the fibrous part is where mould can reside, so that is one reason I went back to white basmati years ago. Moulds can very toxic especially if you have a less than optimal immune system. Never had a problem with white basmati rice particularly if lots of healthy fat in the main dish. I’ve got an Italian friend who has rice every day, often twice. She’s very healthy & full of beans (rice!)
Wow! Thanks so much for that info! I have always TRIED to do the brown rice thing but, like you, it has never set well on my stomach and I never understood why. Makes more sense to me now. I will relax and enjoy my white basmati.
We have been eating brown rice, and I feel so guilty about forgetting to soak the rice. I have 2 boys, one with autism, and obviously we should limit the rice. From now on I will soak the rice at least overnight or longer, and also try to do white rice when he has his “Rice Day” on his rotation diet. I notice as we merge more towards an SCD dietary approach, he is able to start gaining weight back, after going GFCF since last year. He had lost weight and was looking downright skeletal, but as we take care of the yeast issues this is resolving himself. His appetite is now back full force, and I am scrambling to cook enough to keep up with it. Perhaps one day we’ll get to the full SCD diet and he will be able to eat dairy again with no issues.
I just found this post via some recommended ready suggestions at the bottom of a recent post. Just wanted to share a bit about how I discovered that white was better than brown rice myself.
Our daughter suffered from constipation with no medical cause for over 12 months. It took us 15 months to go from our Primary Physician, A few Naturopaths, a Homeopathic Team to a Traditional Chinese Herbalist. The herbalist’s dietary recommendations were to only eat white rice and grains to give our daughter a rest to digest very simple things; plus a diet high in vegetables, low in sugar, cooking from scratch, etc. Less than 6 months later and her constipation is cured. From pooping only once every 10-14 days to once a day now, I am grateful and amazed.
The specific rice she recommended is Haiga Rice, which is a partial white rice, with most of the bran removed. Short info:
We have used it primarily for the past 6 months (as our budget allows) and are happy with the results (health wise)!
Hello,
I spent a year in the southern Philippines with my family when I was 14 (2001). My health conscious mother tried to find out why no-one was eating the ‘healthier’ brown rice. When she asked about it, everyone gave her confused looks. They didn’t know what brown rice was. The rice that was grown there was naturally white. Since then I have had no qualms eating plain white rice. Of course, I do not consider Uncle Ben’s to be rice (tastes like rubber to me). My preferred brand is rooster rice. 🙂
I have never really enjoyed rice for my entire life…..even with copious butter or coconut oil ontop. It just tasted like a barely edible filler food for me alongside Indian or Chinese dishes.
However, I recently discovered that rice is absolutely delicious and digestible for me when it is cooked with chicken broth instead of water…..I now enjoy white and brown rice! Chicken broth has completely transformed my experience of eating rice!
Great Article!
I love both Jasmine and Basmati rice…. seasoned and plain. Lime Chilli Jasmine is to die for as is Cumin Basmati. What do you think of long grain & wild rice ? I LOVE wild rice. Never cared for brown rice. it’s disgusting IMO. It’s sticky and heavy and not enjoyable at all to eat 🙁 I like long, firm rice that’s not broken. I eat a lot of Indian, Thai and Japanese food so I DO love my rice.
Another question. What is your opinion of brown rice baby cereal? Some of the parents of my infant day care babies are just starting to feed solids and, of course, they are instructed to start with cereal by their brainless, nutritionally uneducated (or should I say mis-educated) pediatricians. Is brown rice a better choice in this instance, because of the insulin issues? No history to go by with a baby, so . . .
I’ve tried until I’m blue in the face to encourage parents to start with pastured egg yolks, meats and a little mashed avocado. I just KNOW they think I’m a nutjob for suggesting such foods. I have also copied the WAPF article Nourishing a Growing Baby at least a hundred times in the past year and given it out to parents, but I don’t think they even read it because they all come here telling me how they started the kid on cereal. Grrrrrr. I’m just curious to know if the brown rice is a better choice in this regard.
Oh, and I should add that I’ve also tried to encourage the parents of these babies to always add fresh butter to their baby foods before serving, no matter if it’s fruit or veggie. They don’t get THAT either. They all say “oh my, too much saturated fat”. . . double grrrrrrr.
I personally never used rice cereal … brown rice or white. Babies shouldn’t be getting rice cereal. Period.
Now I am all sorts of confused! hahaha, I read the article a few weeks ago at Kitchen Stewardship and soaking brown rice, and my fiancé and I have been loving it! He grew up with jasmine rice and misses it sometimes, but mostly we are loving brown, the feel and taste with everything. I grew up with instant rice (which made trying to make real rice really funny!) and I am not quite certain which to choose now… I generally fry any rice I cook in a bit of coconut oil or butter before I serve it so I guess that helps.
Bottom line is…? Don’t be afraid of white if you like it better?