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. Â Â
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). Â
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’ll donate the remaining uncooked rice I have. Good thing I bought it cheap!!
Thanks Ash! I’ve already been losing myself in that paleo book!
Alex!
Linda Chia-Salte….
I agree. I eat white.
I switched to white rice last year after news broke that brown rice had higher arsenic levels.
White rice.
Parboiled (converted) rice. I tried for years to like brown rice but never could.
I mix white basmati with brown basmati, takes a little longer to cook than straight white basmati, we love the mixing! Rice tip: do not open the lid nor mix or your rice won’t cook well. Time it or watch through the clear lid. We make rice all the time. Also great to chop onion, sautee in butter, then add your cooked rice, sautee a little more, add sea salt and dried rosemary, yummy!
This is what my room-mate has been doing, as he doesn’t like brown rice much, and I don’t like white rice much – hehe – it was a perfect way to go – and it is good! (I still get the nutty flavor I like..and the white rice has something about it yummy too) – interesting enough, at times, when I learn of something good for me, I am able to really get it to “stick” in my mind, and via – my habits; well, for me, I haven’t been able to enjoy white rice fully, because I have always thought it to be so bad for you, I don’t know this article will get that out of me, as it really is processed, and nutrients taken out, and it is interesting to see that it is only the asian populations that need to really concern themselves with diabetes problems from it (but then, isn’t that because they eat allot of it??! – so, hence, if my family, which my room-mate does- almost every meal – eats allot of it, well, hmmm?). Also – I loved the comment of adding yogurt and freshly-ground rye flour, which has a lot of phytase (which is the enzyme for breaking down phytic acid) to the soaking. I am going to try and figure out how to do this.
Another interesting point is that, hehe, when you mention that it can be a thing of not being able to do/eat something, if it just doesn’t sit well with you (and may even be counter – intuitive for you personally, as compared to what is “correct”) – well, I find that having all white rice intuitively won’t work, but maybe the mix, or a new style of soaking will! – And also, I also did have this “not sitting” well style go with me with regards to whole wheat noodles. No matter how I tried – I just could NOT like those – and I can, when learning of a health matter, get myself to like most anything – and if I can’t – I figure there is a reason, haha! – and that – is how I am with that type of noodle – which is similar to your approach to white rice in this article 🙂
we eat long grain white rice (not enriched or anything). DH doesn’t like brown, but we do enjoy some of the rice blends like from Lundberg, with black and red or with barley and other grains mixed in. DH will be happy to hear that maybe brown isn’t that great after all 😉