#10: Is Rice Healthy?
From Nigeria to Japan and even Malta, cultures worldwide consume rice. It’s pretty big in sports too, owing to its versatility and carb-rich nutrient profile.
Rice can exist in its ‘wholegrain’ form or its more processed version, white rice. There are other types like brown, red, wild, and black.
Carby, starchy and relatively lacking in protein amongst other things, its effect on health is often scrutinized. Often-a-time, too harshly.
Rice And Health
As far as health goes, one study did find that three daily portions of wholegrains (like brown rice) lowered blood pressure and chronic disease in general in human test subjects. However, it failed to discern what diet the subjects consumed before the study.
Refined grains (like white rice), on the other hand, were found to have a somewhat negative effect on human health, with Harvard researchers stating that it has the same effect as ‘pure table sugar’. So this in mind, what is the difference between brown rice (the wholegrain) and white rice (the refined grain)?
White Rice Is Minimally-Processed, While Brown Rice Is A ‘WholeGrain’
All rice goes through some degree of processing - called milling - to be made edible. See the image below for reference (adapted from Trifecta Nutrition).
Only one step in the processing chain separates brown rice from white rice.
Brown rice is formed once the hull (inedible) of the outer grain is removed, to leave the bran and germ layers. That is why it’s termed ‘wholegrain’.
The next stage will remove the bran layer, leaving the soft interior grain we know as white rice. That is why white rice is ‘refined’. Does that make white rice less healthy?
Processing is often demonised. But in truth, there are many foods made even healthier through processing. The tomato is one example.
If you process tomatoes into tomato paste, you dramatically increase its lycopene (antioxidant) content. Therefore, here, the act of processing can arguably make a tomato even healthier.
Let’s see the macronutrient profile of wholegrain brown rice, versus its more refined counterpart, white rice. Then we’ll see what evidence there is in the context of metabolic health.
The incorporation of rice as part of a balanced meal.
1: Nutrient Profile
A 110g serving of brown rice would give you 127 calories (27g carbs, 2.6g protein, 0.9g fat), and a 110g serving of white rice would give you 147 calories (33g carbs, 2.7g protein, 0.2g fat).
Both options are gluten-free, however, brown rice contains more magnesium, thiamine (vitamin B1) and niacin (vitamin B3).
Unfortunately, it also contains more phytic acid, a notorious ‘anti-nutrient’ many hold responsible for inhibiting the absorption of useful nutrients in the gut.
Now what about rice’s impact on metabolic health?
2: Metabolic Health And Weight
Some data have shown that brown rice can better regulate blood sugar. However, some consumers experience no difference between the two. White rice does have a higher glycaemic index (GI), so it should, theoretically create a larger spike in blood sugar. This is not to say, however, that postprandial ‘blood sugar spike’ is dangerous.
Despite its high GI, one study showed that regular consumption of white rice was associated with a decrease in diabetes risk. We’re not sure why this happens, but we know that brown rice has more or less the same effect in this regard.
The high-GI nature of white rice would make it an ideal thing to consume postworkout, maybe together with a high-quality protein. This would be better for muscle growth and recovery.
For health, however, another study found that the phytochemicals found in brown rice contributed to better antioxidant effects, improving overall heart health.
Folks also tend to worry about rice causing weight gain. But rice (in all forms) will not impact your weight, so long as it is part of a healthy, calorically controlled diet.
Brown rice is the typical favourite type of rice in the context of health.
The Way Rice Is Cooked Can Add To Its Nutrient Profile
Type 2 diabetes occurs when insulin can no longer bind to cells within the body. This phenomenon prevents blood sugar from returning to normal after a meal. It is still quite unclear whether this happens because of the overconsumption of fat-rich or carb-rich foods. But one thing’s for sure: the overconsumption of food, in general, can lead to diabetes. Especially when coupled with a lack of physical activity.
Japan has a low incidence of both diabetes and obesity, but there are many individual, biological and even evolutional factors contributing to this. To say that rice plays a part in their general level of health would be a gross overassumption.
While we do not know whether rice can have positive health gains, the Japanese (and other cultures) use neat cooking hacks to make rice better for your health.
Here are some ways to make rice more healthy:
Add vinegar - sushi chefs often add vinegar to their rice. What we know is that this, somehow, blunts the blood sugar spike it causes. Possibly, this is due to the resveratrol (antioxidant) found in vinegar.
Chill overnight - don’t consume rice straight after boiling. Instead, let it set in your fridge overnight. Doing so would ‘convert’ a significant proportion of starch within the rice to a more resistant form.
Add green, cruciferous vegetables - consuming rice with dense, green vegetables will mix the whole thing in a matrix of fiber and antioxidants. My recommendations are broccoli and Brussels sprouts. In Japan, however, chefs tend to use wasabi.
Consuming vinegar and vegetables with rice can blunt the resultant blood sugar spike, if that is what you wish.
The Colour Of Your Rice Is An Indicator Of Its Antioxidant Content
We said earlier that there are many forms of rice. Not just white and brown, but wild, red and black too. Till now, we talked about white and brown.
If we’re going by the recommendations of the data it would be plausible to say that swapping brown for white rice is better. That said, for some folks, it probably wouldn’t matter at all.
Other forms of rice, the darker-coloured ones, may offer additional health benefits. Their colour alone, in fact, would be an indicator of this.
Where plants are concerned, the more impressive the colour, the more likely they contain disease-fighting pigments.
Wild rice.
1: Wild Rice
Wild rice (wholegrain) contains more protein than both white and brown rice. A 100 g serving provides 4 grams of protein, twice more than the others. It may not seem like much, but it contains all nine essential amino acids.
It also contains the same amount of fiber as brown rice (1.8 grams per 100 g). Way more than white rice.
Wild rice can potentially protect against aging as well as many other diseases, including cancer, due to its high concentration of antioxidants. How many more antioxidants does it contain, compared to white rice? At least thirty times more.
All of this sounds great, but there are a couple of caveats.
Wild rice seeds can be infected with a toxic fungus called ergot, which is fairly rare but dangerous if eaten. Some side effects of ergot toxicity include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, dizziness, seizures, and mental impairment. You can tell the rice is infected if it has pink or purple spots.
As with all rice in general, including white and brown, it may also contain heavy metals. These, over time, can accumulate in your body and cause health problems. Toxic heavy metals, such as lead, cadmium, and arsenic, have been identified in 26 brands of wild rice sold in the United States.
2: Red Rice
Red rice is red due to its high anthocyanin content (the same kind of antioxidant pigment found in blueberries).
Where helt is concerned, red rice has the highest nutritional value of all rice, and a far lower GI when compared to its white counterpart. Like wild rice, however, it contains a far higher concentration of antioxidants. Their effect on the human body, however, remains unclear.
Dehusked red rice also contains more iron, magnesium, calcium, and zinc than white rice. Its levels are generally comparable with that of brown rice.
3: Black Rice
Like red rice, black rice is black because of its anthocyanin content. In ancient China, it was considered to be so nutritious that it was forbidden for all save royalty.
Of all the types of rice, this one contains the most protein. A whopping 9 g protein per 100 g of black rice. It’s also a good source of iron — a mineral that’s essential for carrying oxygen throughout your body.
Like wild and red rice, it is especially high in several antioxidants. So it too can protect cells against oxidative stress. The type that causes heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and cancer. There is some data to suggest that it contains more of these disease-fighting compounds than wild or red rice. Some of these antioxidants come from flavonoids and carotenoids.
Black rice also contains lutein and zeaxanthin, two types of carotenoids associated with better eye health. In fact, there is data to suggest that they can protect against macular degeneration (the leading cause of blindness worldwide).
In addition, it is naturally gluten-free.
The Take Away: The Darker The Healthier, But Regular Rice Isn’t So Bad Anyway
Rice is versatile and can be included with most dishes in place of potatoes, bread or other wholegrains.
As is the case with most plant foods, colour plays a role.
White or brown rice can have a neutral or maybe a slightly positive effect on longevity, with brown seemingly more important for health.
Darker colours of rice (wild, red, or black) will have more disease-fighting pigments. They make for better choices, without question.
This is not to say that white rice should be avoided at all costs. In fact, it could potentially be the best option for recovery post-workout.
No matter what rice you’re consuming, do so together with green, cruciferous vegetables and vinegar. You should also consider eating day-old (and chilled) rice, especially if it is white.
