The Remedy2u Blog

White rice actually starts out as brown rice, but the husk, bran and germ are removed and only the starchy core is left. Brown rice has had just the outer husk removed, which is inedible, but the bran and germ remain. In short, the main difference between the two is that milling has removed the outer husk layer of brown rice turning it white.

The question is, does this process affect the nutritional quality of the rice? Most definitely, YES! Within the bran layer that has been stripped off to produce white rice were nutrients of vital importance in the diet, thus making white rice a loser in the nutrition game.

Fiber is dramatically low in white rice. If you’re used to eating white rice and you shift to brown, you may notice a positive change in your ‘restroom regularity’. Shifting back to white rice after a long period on brown rice could also indicate the advantages of eating high-fiber brown rice; some people experience constipation when they return to white rice demonstrating how the digestive system clearly benefits from the high fiber content of brown rice.

The following chart shows the nutritional differences between brown and white rice. Fiber is dramatically lower in white rice, as are the oils, most of the B vitamins, and important minerals.

In addition, the US National Cancer Institute recommends 25 grams of fiber a day. As the table above indicates, a cup of brown rice adds nearly 3.5 g, while an equal amount of white rice does not even provide 1 gram. Also, components of the oils present in rice bran have been shown in numerous studies to decrease serum cholesterol, a major risk factor in heart disease.