I approached the Chipotle counter to grab a burrito for my son. His order is simple, carnitas and rice. My young man is certainly consistent with his tastes.
Here comes the query – brown or white rice? I’m guessing you think you know my answer. Brown rice is the easy choice, right? Everyone knows it’s the healthier selection. Not so fast.
Y’all know the theme of this blog. We challenge conventional wisdom at every turn. We won’t be right all the time, and we will change course as frequently as we need to.
“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” -Lao Tzu
Now that a brilliant philosopher has offered us permission, we can challenge some good ol’ fashion rice dogma. Brown rice is better for you because it has the bran and the germ intact and hence has more fiber. Do we need the fiber in brown rice? From butterbeliever.com:
Many people eat way, way too much fiber, which can lead to serious digestive disorders, and even colon cancer…So, everyone choking down their Fiber-One cereals and psyllium husks really aren’t doing themselves any favors at all…Healthy people don’t need tons of fiber, and they generally don’t need to go out of their way looking for it.
You might determine that your diet does in fact need more fiber. You get about 3 extra grams per cup by eating brown rice. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come without a cost. The fiber in brown rice comes from the bran, which…well, you can decide how to digest (see?) this.
Yeah, so, that other thing that the rice bran has to bestow upon our righteously-healthy-whole-grain-eating selves? Phytic acid! Yes. The primary anti-nutrient we traditional foodies work so hard to negate by soaking, sprouting, or fermenting our grains.
Phytic acid stores phosphorus in plants. This phosphorus isn’t bioavailable to most omnivores (humans included). Because of the shape of the molecule, it tends to bind with other important minerals, like calcium, iron, manganese and zinc, leaving less of these for our bodies. So while brown does have more vitamins and minerals than white, our bodies can’t use them particularly well.
Granted, brown rice is less processed and refined than white rice. That doesn’t make white rice bad; it’s just a fact. I consistently and proudly trumpet eating food in its most original form, but in this case, it may not be an important consideration.
It’s always my aim to provide you with options. Rice is a food that I suggest in moderation in whichever form you choose (crispies not included). You could do a hell of a lot worse than a pile of brown rice and veggies, that’s for sure. If you decide to down a couple of pieces of fresh, raw tuna and white rice tightly wrapped in seaweed, I won’t be mad at’cha. In either event, make sure you have a spork nearby to scoop the last few morsels.
Kap
Brett says
hey gabe have you seen the documentary fork over knife, i’d love to hear your thoughts on plant based diet over animal protein – thanks
Gabe Kapler says
Hey, Brett. Yes, I have seen the documentary. Enjoyed it. This is a playful post, but it will get you started:
https://kaplifestyle.com/2014/03/protein-without-meat
kbeyazdancer says
Good post baby! As a Caribbean woman, I grew up eating rice with a side of rice.
Also would you mind if I read yesterday’s post to my intermediate students today after class?
-Kelebek
Gabe Kapler says
That’s what public information is for, Kelebek. Of course. Enjoy your day.
Kelebek says
Some of my older students don’t go onto the internet much (some don’t go at all) and I have recommended your blog but they still haven’ts seen it so I am planning on dropping some knowledge on them a la reading rainbow style 🙂 Just sitting in a circle and reading the post from my tablet. That has been effective in the past.
Enjoy your day too love.
Duane says
I’m not picky about one or the other but I usually go white rice. I really don’t worry about my intake of add fiber with the amount kale I consume. Always keeping us thinking.
Gabe Kapler says
I’m still thinking about this one, Duane. Follow up coming.
Duane says
I don’t want to get off topic but I do prefer quinoa over both brown or white because of the flavor and nutrition.
Cal: 160, fat: 2.5, sodium and cholesterol: 0, fiber:3, and protein: 6! Less fiber than brown but more protein. Just a thought
Gabe Kapler says
I’ll often toss some in a salad or with veggies. No argument on quinoa’s nutritional density.
Kevin says
The white rice used at chipolte is not ordinary white rice qnyways, i believe it is jasmine or basmati rice which is very nutritious and a better choice than brown rice anyways especially so post workout, love chipoltes, grass fed meat, healthy ingrediants, whats not to love?
Gabe Kapler says
Thanks for stopping by, Kevin.
Fred says
From what I understand, Gabe, it is a good idea to stay aware from white rice if your are a type II diabetic.
Gabe Kapler says
Noted, thanks.
Emmie (@Emmie12750) says
This is really fascinating information, thank you! My husband and I have tried to incorporate more brown rice into our diets, but it often feels like we’re forcing ourselves to do so. The fact Brown rice may go rancid, and that the extra fiber may be too much for some individuals… let’s just say that explains some of the issues we’ve had with eating brown rice.
After reading this and the attached article, I think we’ll both feel better in the future about choosing white or brown rice based on what we’re in the mood for, rather than what’s supposed to be healthier. And as a devotee of real butter, I’m always thrilled to see a suggestion to use it! 🙂
Thanks again,
Emmie
Gabe Kapler says
There you go, Emmie. Good stuff.
stanmickus says
So Kap, this is a timely post. My workout and running buddies always choose the brown but my wife, the nurse, says white jasmine is good and serves the staple’s purpose. At home, we use the white jasmine in our organic Black Pearl salmon,black beans, arugula dish topped with a homemade guac. The dry, white rice complements the dish perfectly, almost like sushi. I do wrestle with the brown vs. white dilemma and this article puts it into perspective. Moderation baby! Eat up. By the way, top the above dish with the Chipotle hot salsa, muy bueno!
Gabe Kapler says
Always brining it, Stan. Thanks, brother.
Marina says
Fascinating info, as someone who had grew up in Asia, I LOVED white rice, but over the years, I had begun to feel that I should not eat it because I should be eating brown rice, now I can go back to eat white rice as well 😀
Gabe Kapler says
Awwww, enjoy. Thanks for saying hello, Marina. Be well.
Msquared says
I’m calling for a contest where the winner recieves a “Kapler approved” spork.
Austin says
What’s the word on rice cakes? Safe option?