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07-10-2013, 07:43 PM #1
Brown Rice or White Rice…Does it Really Matter?
Brown Rice or White Rice…Does it Really Matter?
By Chris Tsugranes
The question to choose brown or white rice has been in great debate on a number of different occasions. Although many people do not believe that there are huge differences between the two-grain, it is still a question that is being posed time and time again. It seems that the only way to get to the bottom of this debate is to actually break down the debatable grains themselves in order to understand where each one originates. I know you must be thinking, how much can you dissect such a miniscule item and come up with so many nutritional differences? But once you read on, the results may change your view about how important the type of rice you eat may really be.
With the diminishing belief in the Atkins diet, due to the limited and temporary relief it brings to those who are overweight, many have finally begun to realize that carbohydrates are an essential part of a healthy diet. Those who look further into this epiphany also realize that the types of carbohydrates you eat are also essential. Whole grain foods have become an intricate part in the formation of diet plans for people in all walks of life. From bodybuilders to the average person trying to lose a few pounds whole grain foods not only contain the essential fiber and minerals in which a person needs to remain healthy, but also contains certain types of fats that will help you lose weight.
“Brown rice contains the highest nutritional and mineral value because of the way it preserves all of the cereals proteins and vitamin content during the cooking phase.” (1) In the white rice process, the outer layer, or the husk, is removed resulting in a faster cook time. The other two layers of the grain, the germ layer and the aleuronic layer, contain the essential fatty acids needed in order to burn calories and also protect against heart disease.
Although it may seem more convenient for the person constantly on the go to be able to prepare the rice more quickly, the problem that arises is all of the nutritional value one would receive from the grain has been removed. This is the action taken when a company “processes” a type of food. “Grains contain protein, iron, healthy phytochemicals, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc and magnesium. A grain actually supports the growth of a full plant - like an egg, it's all encapsulated. So once you start processing the grain, you process a lot of the goodness out." (2)
One other topic that nutritionists debate over, especially in the more concentrated field of athletics and bodybuilding where every nutrient could mean the difference between winning and losing, is the amount of insulin that is produced from white and brown rice. Since brown rice contains all of its elements it will break down slower into the blood stream thus causing it to have less of a shock to the system. By having brown rice break down slower, the risk for the glycemic overload is lessoned, which makes it a better carbohydrate to be used for people trying to lose weight during a daily meal.
Since white rice is processed and the outer layers containing the fiber and other nutrients is stripped, white rice will enter the blood stream at a faster rate thus causing more of an insulin increase, or spike, than the brown rice would. This is why many bodybuilders may use white rice in their post workout meal, but use brown rice for other meals throughout the day. Although this may seem black and white as far as the timing of the consumption of each grain, both brown and white rice are very close in numbers on the glycemic index, which cause further debate on how accurate that chart is.
To sum up this long standing debate between these two related, yet very different grains, the real difference is not in the amount of glycogen one will produce but the amount of nutrients the other contains. By taking away the outer layers of brown rice you are taking away the main reason behind eating it. “Research shows that eating whole grains can reduce our risk of heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes. They can also protect against certain cancers, particularly bowel cancer but also gastric, breast and prostate cancer. (Essential fatty acids) can help with weight control, blood pressure and increase length of life.”(3) Brown rice is the superior choice for more than just a few reasons and should be a part of everyone's daily food intake. With the amount of fast and processed foods flooding the market in order for people to save time during their day, people should begin to take a step back and eat the foods that help them extend their lives and increase their quality of life.
References
1. “The Total Wellbeing Diet”; Dr. Manny Noakes and Dr. peter Clifton; Penguin Publishing
2. “The Total Wellbeing Diet”; Dr. Manny Noakes and Dr. peter Clifton; Penguin Publishing
3. “NESTA Nutrition Manual”; Lucho Crisalle(P42); Cathy McDonald Dietitian of Sanitariums Nutrition Service
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07-10-2013, 07:46 PM #2
White rice digest much better... nobody bloats or has digestion issues using it
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07-10-2013, 07:51 PM #3
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Brown rice is the healthier choice for sure. I think you will be able to see a greater benefit in eating this. I also think that you should realize that brown rice takes longer to cook than white so allow 45minutes to an hour for prep time. I love brown rice with olive oil especially. It tastes great
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07-10-2013, 07:55 PM #4
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07-10-2013, 07:58 PM #5
Here's a few more facts on the white vs brown discussion..........
The difference comes from the GI. The glycemic index (GI) rates carbohydrate foods on how quickly blood sugar / glucose levels increase in the 2 - 3 hours after eating as the carbs are converted into glucose. Generally fat or protein doesn’t increase glucose levels. Eating higher GI foods produces a rapid increase in blood glucose levels, triggering the pancreas to produces insulin. Insulin causes the body’s muscle & liver cells to attempt to store the excess glucose. Imagine insulin as a shuttle, moving glucose from just digested foods into storage. If the digestive system is pumping glucose into the blood stream quicker than insulin can move it into the muscles/liver or glucose stays high too long, the body will convert the excess glucose into fat. Eating lower GI foods produces slower glucose raise, little insulin & fat storage, even if you have eaten high fat content foods!
Better put, the GI of rice, from lowest to highest is given below:
* Long grain
* Medium grain
* Short grain
* Sweet, Sticky & Waxy
Brown rice has a GI of 79, whereas white rice has a GI of 83. Depending on the type of white rice, the GI will only go up, for instance low amylose white rice has a GI of 126 and instant rice has a GI of 128...
Brown rice is a much better choice in terms of the GI index but more so in terms of the GL.I posted up an article which better explains this.In addition to the lower GI and GL rating brown rice has much more nutritional value over white rice which include.........
Brown rice has:
- twice the manganese and phosphorus of white.
- 2.5 times the iron.
- 3 times the vitamin B3.
- 4 times the vitamin B1.
- 10 times the vitamin B6.
It is a great source of manganese, essential for energy production, antioxidant activity, and sex hormone production.
High fiber and selenium content reduces colon cancer:
The fiber in brown rice reduces the time cancer-causing substances spend in the colon. Selenium has been shown to substantially reduce the risk of colon cancer. White rice has very little fiber.
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07-10-2013, 08:20 PM #6
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07-10-2013, 08:25 PM #7
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07-10-2013, 08:41 PM #8
I was saying the difference is negligible i guess if you can digest brown rice go for it... I know many that can't, they bloat when they eat it makes them feel and look like shit.
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07-10-2013, 08:54 PM #9
As with anything,no one person will react the same to anything and food is no different.So there may be those that handle white rice better but they are the exception IMHO.
Its just chemically impossible for brown rice to not be the healthier choice.Its the make up of it.As the article explains...."If the digestive system is pumping glucose into the blood stream quicker than insulin can move it into the muscles/liver or glucose stays high too long, the body will convert the excess glucose into fat. Eating lower GI foods produces slower glucose raise, little insulin & fat storage, even if you have eaten high fat content foods!"
This is especially important to bber's.
In addition to the above,digestion is not the only point of interest when comparing the health benefits,there are a multitude of other factors to consider when comparing them.
While eating white rice over other more unhealthy food choices is of course beneficial,that is a different topic than to which is healthier between white and brown.
Thanks for the reply and the interest in the topic.Great to hear from you sir.
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07-10-2013, 09:43 PM #10
Brown rice being "healthier" than white rice is really an old school frame of thought.
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.c...er-than-brown/
http://lindaprout.com/nodietblog/201...er-than-brown/
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07-10-2013, 10:15 PM #11
Well the first article explains that they choose white rice over brown because they feel that too much fiber is bad for you and brown rice has more fiber? LOL. Well first,too much of anything is bad for you.If you drink too much water it can and has in many cases killed people.That doesnt mean water is bad for you.
The second part of their explanation is that brown rice is high in phytic acid.Again,too much of anything.....
The second article is actually disputing the first one about the fiber content of brown rice with this...."There’s only one gram of fiber more in a half-cup of brown rice than in the same amount of white. There’s five times more fiber in an apple or serving of broccoli."
They also explain the same thing about digestion.Which still in no way makes brown rice not healthier than white.
I do appreciate your reply and the articles you posted though.They just do not dispute the healthier choice being brown rice as explained above.
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07-10-2013, 10:20 PM #12
Here's a little more from the article you posted that in itself disputes the article and the author of it actually back tracks as to why she chooses white rice over brown.If you scroll to the bottom of the article you will see these replies in the article.......
- Sharon Lehrman, MPH, RD Says:
March 1st, 2012 at 10:15 am Linda…I’m in agreement on almost all of your articles/post, but I believe your article stating that white rice is better than brown rice is not quite accurate. You stated that Dartmouth researchers discovered brown rice may contain alarming amounts of arsenic. Actually the greatest concern in that study was certain foods made with brown rice syrup.In addition it’s not just brown rice that may be contaminated with arsenic. In fact in a study published in 2007 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1892142/), researchers found a “white rice sample from Louisiana ranked highest in total arsenic (0.66 μg/g), and an organic brown rice from California ranked lowest (0.10 μg/g).” As an article from the National Public Radio food blog suggests, the best thing we can do is eat a wide variety of foods so we’re not relying on any one type of food for the bulk of our nutrition.
- Linda Says:
March 1st, 2012 at 10:29 am Thanks for your comment Sharon. You’re right, there was a highly contaminated white rice sample discovered too. California rice seems to be the best choice. I gather much of our brown rice comes from the south’s contaminated fields so ends up in brown rice, whether it is syrup or the rice itself. Brown rice syrup starts with brown rice. My biggest reason for pushing white over brown rice is that so many of my clients have told me they feel bloated and have a heavy feeling in their gut after eating it. This isn’t a good sign. We do know that there are plant toxins occurring in grains, which probably lead to this discomfort. Most of it is usually in the bran. Eating a variety of foods is always good advice, until something causes discomfort. I have some clients who use a lot of brown rice syrup, brown rice and brown rice bread and cracker products to replace wheat. It could be too much.(Remember what I said about too much? This is the author of this article stating it.LOL)
- Sharon Lehrman, MPH, RD Says:
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07-12-2013, 08:54 AM #13
Most "white rice" is processed. but there is natural white rice ( well more yellow than white) and its just as good as brown rice in my opinion. But like I said most white rice is fucked with for looks, its just safer to go for brown rice.
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07-12-2013, 07:21 PM #14
Thats absolutely correct.Thats one of the differences between us and the Asian culture.Everyone always throws that out there of how much white rice they eat.The difference being "UNPROCESSED" white rice.Thats where the healthy vs unhealthy problem comes into play.Its the processing of it that strips it of most of its health benefits.
Thanks for the reply.
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07-26-2013, 01:48 PM #15
Meh, I'm still not convinced its particularly better. Scientific studies are one thing but personal, practical application in my own dieting is more credible IMO. White digest much easier and faster (which is important as I usually like to consume it pre and post training). Sits easier in the gut, and doesn't cause as much bloat as brown from my own experience (and many others).
Though brown may be shown to have more nutrients and minerals than white, I feel its very negligible from the cosmetic perspective of looking like a bodybuilder (which is the premises behind my own eating) especially when considering the amounts of nutrients and minerals that are already consumed through the other macro sources eat'n in a bodybuilding diet.
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