Seems like an easy question to answer, right? White rice has been all but villainized when it comes to which grains are best – by the time it gets to us, white rice has had its germ (the super-healthy core) and bran (fibre-packed outer layer) removed during processing.
Still, Jessica Begg, a Vancouver-based dietitian, says we might be jumping to conclusions when we assume those brown-rice poke bowls are way healthier than the typical white rice.
“When talking about choosing white rice versus brown rice, or even quinoa, the biggest factor dietitians are pointing to is the difference in fibre –100 grams of cooked white rice provides one gram of fibre versus two grams of fibre in the same amount of brown rice,” she says. “Meanwhile, we’re hoping adults try to aim for 25 to 38 grams. So, while in pursuit of maximizing fibre, if we’re telling someone to eat brown rice or quinoa (which has three grams of fibre for 100 grams) instead of white rice, one gram doesn’t make that much of a difference.”
For Begg, the bigger issue here is that many North American dietitians don’t see white rice in the same light as the rest of the world, where it’s a traditional staple that’s sometimes used in multiple meals each day. “White rice is a central food in many cuisines, and it’s often paired with other very healthy foods. For example, a meal of my own traditional Chinese foods would include steamed fish, stir-fried vegetables and white rice,” Begg says, adding swapping in brown rice or quinoa in this dish just wouldn’t taste the same.
The Last Word: “The goal for ensuring you have grains in a balanced meal is to get a good source of fibre and energy. All of the other nutrients that these grains provide, while great, again, don’t differ enough that it’s going to make a difference in your nutritional status when deciding between white rice or brown rice, or quinoa,” explains Begg, who says she wouldn’t advise making the trade unless you actually prefer to eat brown rice or quinoa more than white rice. “What often happens is people avoid their traditional meals because they think they’re unhealthy because they’ve been told white rice is bad. If white rice is what you prefer, that’s a healthy choice.”
Brown vs. White: Fast Facts
- Cooked quinoa (per 100 grams)
Calories: 120
Fibre: 2.8 grams - Cooked medium-grain brown rice (per 100 grams)
Calories: 112 calories
Fibre: 1.9 grams - Cooked short-grain white rice (per 100 grams)
Calories: 71
Fibre: 0.7 grams
