Good Rice, Bad Rice (Brown vs. White)
For years, the fitness industry has demonized white rice, labeling brown rice as the “clean, healthy, good one”, while white rice is “dirty, unhealthy and bad”.
Many will claim that if you’re trying to lose fat, build muscle, prevent fat accumulation, or improve performance brown rice is the better choice and white rice should be avoided for a myriad of reasons.
Glycemic Index
The body must convert the starches and sugars in foods into blood glucose to meet basic energy needs. Glycemic index (GI) is the term commonly used to describe how fast the body breaks down starches and sugars after a particular food or beverage is consumed.
Bodybuilders tend to avoid foods that are considered to have a high glycemic index in fear of an abnormally high rise in blood glucose or glycemic response which then triggers an excess production of insulin.
The idea is that by consum
ing low GI foods it will provide a slower release of carbohydrate into the bloodstream, resulting in stable insulin levels, increasing rate of fat utilization and promote satiety (feelings of fullness). Based on this rationale, bodybuilders will choose brown rice over its higher GI counterpart, white rice.
However, the GI value of a food is determined when it’s eaten by itself after an overnight fast. So GI indicates how a particular food will affect your blood sugar when it’s the first and only thing you’ve eaten after a night of fasting.
When macronutrients are combined – as in a typical bodybuilding meal of chicken, rice and vegetables – the glycemic index of the selected starch (in this case rice) is altered. Protein, fat and fiber all slow the release of glucose into the bloodstream. A meal of white rice with some added fiber, fat and/or protein vs. a meal of brown rice with the same fiber, fat and protein will digest at virtually the exact same rate and affect blood sugar in almost the exact same way. This is why the glycemic index becomes relatively useless as a means of determining if a food is “good” or “bad”.
Fiber and Protein
Many will choose brown rice over white because they blindly assume brown has much a better fiber and protein profile, and claim that because brown rice is higher in fiber it will keep you feeling full longer.
If rice were the only food consumed at a meal, brown rice might take a bit longer to digest, and you might be more satiated after eating it. However, just like Glycemic Index, satiety is governed by the components of an entire meal. If you were to combine vegetables with a side of white rice instead of brown, it wouldn't make much of a difference.
In terms of protein content the reality is that brown and white rice are virtually identical. If you don’t believe me, the next time you visit your grocery store compare the labels between the two. You’ll see there is about a one gram difference for protein content. And it appears that white rice actually may have an equal or better nutritional yield as well as a better nitrogen-retentive effect than brown rice.
“The effect of brown rice with low protein intake was studied in five health
y young men. Feces were weighed, the digestibility of nutrients was determined, and blood tests were made. Each subject followed a diet consisting mainly of polished rice for 14 days and one consisting mainly of brown rice for 8 days. Both diets contained 0.5 g protein per kg of body weight. The brown rice diet had 3 times as much dietary fiber as the polished rice diet. On the brown rice diet, fecal weight increased, and apparent digestibility of energy, protein, and fat decreased, as did the absorption rates of Na, K, and P. The nitrogen balance was negative on both diets, but more negative on the brown rice diet. The phosphorus balance on the brown rice diet was significantly negative, but other minerals were not affected by the diet. The levels of cholesterol and minerals in the plasma were not significantly different on the polished rice diet and the brown rice diet. Comparing these results with data on standard protein intake. (Miyoshi, H. et al (1986) J. Nutr. Sci. Vitaminol., 32, 581-589.), we concluded that brown rice reduced protein digestibility and nitrogen balance.”
Micronutrients and Digestion
As for vitamins and minerals, brown rice appears to hold the advantage. What makes white rice white is that its outer layer – where the micronutrients reside – has been removed. And white rice is enriched with these lost micronutrients which are lost during processing. However, the amount of micronutrients missing from white rice is relatively negligible in the overall scheme unless your diet consists exclusively of rice.
With regard to digestion and gastrointestinal stress (gas, bloating etc.), white rice has an advantage over brown. Brown rice is more likely to cause some issues for some people, while white rice is generally non-problematic. So in regards to digestibility white rice may be favorable over brown.
As you can see, there are without a doubt differences between the two. But in the end, it appears to be a pretty even match and the differences are fairly small and not likely to make any significant contribution in terms of body composition or health when all other variables are equal.
So which one should you choose? In my opinion, it just doesn’t matter and I suggest you choose based on your own personal preferences. And all this “good” versus “bad” in regards to the color of rice… is just a little white lie.
Train smart and good luck!
References:
Effects of brown rice on apparent digestibility and balance of nutrients in young men on low protein diets; J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 1987 Jun;33(3):207-18. .Miyoshi H, Okuda T, Okuda K, Koishi H.
Kaye Foster-Powell, Susanna HA Holt, and Janette C Brand-Miller International table of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2002 ; Am J Clin Nutr. January 2002 vol. 76 no. 1 5-56
G Jerry J. Mayo, Ph.D., R.D. and Len Kravitz, Ph.D; Glycemic Index: Weight Loss Sham or Sensation?
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