Grains are simple in taste, but packed with nutrients. They are indispensable for dinner, because they are endlessly versatile. They go well with almost all types of fish, meat or vegetables.
Rice is a clear favorite: it is the third most produced crop in the world, just behind sugarcane and corn. The nine largest producers of rice are in Asia, with China producing 28 percent of the world’s rice in 2019.
With roots dating back to 8,000 BC and a major component of many diets, rice has naturally entered the health food debate. Here’s what one nutritionist has to say about the “healthiest” option.
What is the healthiest rice?
The question of the “healthiest rice” usually pits two types of rice against each other — white and brown. And while one is often praised over the other, the answer really depends on what you’re looking for in your diet.
Brown rice contains more fiber, fat, and slightly more protein than white rice because of the way it is processed. Whole grains are made up of three parts: the germ, bran, and endosperm. Brown rice contains all of those parts, but manufacturers remove the germ and bran for white rice. If you are looking to add more fiber to your diet, brown rice is a great way to do it.
But in reality, all rice is a healthy addition to your diet. For nutrition scientist Kera Nyemb-Diop, the question of “healthiest rice” is one rooted in exclusion and a harmful diet culture.
“If rice was the only food we ate, it would make sense[to ask that question]because we’re interested in a balance of nutrients and fiber, so of course I would say brown rice is more complete,” Nyemb-Diop says. “But if you look at the reality, people eat meals.”
Rice is often paired with a protein and vegetable rather than eaten on its own, making it just one part of a healthy, balanced plate. If you’re looking for a higher fiber meal but don’t like the taste of brown rice, there are plenty of fiber-rich vegetables you can pair with white rice.
“The great thing about nutrition is that you have so many options,” Nyemb-Diop says. “I think it’s really sad how nutrition has become this kind of prescription or religion that you have to follow, and if you’re not following it, you’re missing out.”
According to Nyemb-Diop, it’s ideal for people to include different types of rice in their diet, whether that’s white rice, brown rice, basmati rice, arborio rice, jasmine rice, or other types.
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Is white rice healthy?
Yes, white rice is healthy. Rice is a good source of magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, selenium, iron, folate, thiamin and niacin.
While white rice is sometimes portrayed as the “unhealthy” of the two, this view is symptomatic of a larger problem with the way we view health, Nyemb-Diop says.
More than half of the world’s population considers rice a staple food, and white rice is consumed more than brown rice. White rice is also a staple in the diets of many cultures.
Nyemb-Diop runs an online platform called “The Black Nutritionist” where she encourages her audience to challenge the myth that food from Black, Asian, and Latinx communities is inherently unhealthy. Instead, she tries to share that there are healthy and unhealthy parts to every cultural cuisine.
Nyemb-Diop says many of her clients feel ashamed when they eat foods they grew up with, or are told that white rice makes their diet unhealthy.
“If we look around, some communities that are actually living longer, like Japan, are very dependent on white rice. It’s really not the right approach to focus on one food, we need to focus on other aspects,” she says. “It’s also easier to say one food is the problem, whereas in the United States — housing inequality, access to health care, access to nutritious food — these are much (bigger) problems to address, but it’s easier to say it’s white rice and your cultural food.”
Nyemb-Diop, on the other hand, recommends an “abundance” strategy, where you add one specific food to your diet rather than restricting it altogether.
For example, white rice has a higher glycemic index and can be a problem for diabetics or people with high blood sugar. But if avoiding white rice altogether isn’t feasible, you can try pairing it with a protein instead, so the rice doesn’t digest on its own. Instead of restricting yourself from white rice, ask yourself questions that will lead to a more balanced plate: “How can I get more vegetables into my diet? How can I get more fiber?”
It’s also a matter of being realistic: advising someone who eats mostly white rice to stop eating white rice altogether can be an overwhelming and sometimes irresponsible ask.
“It creates an unhealthy relationship with food within marginalized communities, and that relationship is going to impact mental health, but also physical health,” Nyemb-Diop says. “It’s hard to nourish yourself well when you have an eating disorder, and you’re ashamed to eat the food that you grew up with.”
How to Incorporate Rice into Your Life in a Healthy Way
Eat what you like
If you like brown rice, eat brown rice, says Nyemb-Diop. If you don’t, don’t force yourself to. Adding any type of rice to your diet will have nutritional benefits, and focusing on the pleasure of eating is a great way to strengthen your relationship with food and your body.
Riced cauliflower and broccoli, ground vegetables marketed as rice alternatives, have been gaining popularity in recent years as low-carb options. Adding cauliflower or cauliflower rice to your meal can provide an extra dose of vegetables (only one in 10 adults eats the recommended daily amount of vegetables), but it doesn’t have to replace rice.
“I think it’s great to find ways to enjoy cauliflower, we should enjoy cauliflower for what it is and not as a replacement,” Nyemb-Diop says. “Why not do both?”
Practice an abundance mindset, not a limiting one
Many of Nyemb-Diop’s clients are afraid to add rice or other carbohydrates to their diets because they are afraid of overeating or consuming carbohydrates. But eating a variety of foods – carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fiber – in moderation is the healthiest thing you can do for your body, which needs a variety of nutrients to function.
“When you try to restrict foods, you tend to lose control, like binge eating or overeating, when you’re actually exposed to those foods,” she says. “So what I do (my clients) is help them through the process of habituation by scheduling the foods that they’re afraid of in a way that’s conscious and actually intentional and focusing on the pleasure and creating a plate that’s balanced.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with body image or eating disorders, the National Eating Disorders Association’s free, confidential helpline is available by phone or text at 1-800-931-2237 or via click-to-chat message at nationaleatingdisorders.org/helpline. For 24/7 crisis situations, text “NEDA” to 741-741.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Healthiest Rice?: How White and Brown Rice Fit into a Healthy Diet