What are the Nutritional Differences in Rice?
Brown rice is a whole grain, meaning that both the germ and the bran parts of the grain have been preserved. In white rice, these have been polished away. As a result, brown rice is higher in magnesium and other minerals. It also has more fiber. For example, a cup of white long-grain rice contains just one gram of fiber, whereas a cup of brown rice contains four. As a point of reference, you’re shooting for between 25 and 30 grams of fiber each day. One of the things fiber does for you is slow down the speed at which carbohydrates are converted into blood sugar. Said another way, fiber lowers the “glycemic load” of a food. When you’re talking about glycemic load, lower is better. How Does White Rice Affect Blood Sugar? Although some types of rice have a lower glycemic load than others, no type of rice can really be considered a low glycemic food. As a general rule, brown rice has a lower glycemic load than white rice. But there are other factors that come into play as well. Long-grain