Brown rice vs white rice

The simple answer is they are both good for you but brown is considered to be the more healthier and also more environmentally friendly choice over white rice. Brown rice is white rice that has not had the brown-colored bran covering removed. For this reason brown rice is considered a whole grain. Most people prefer white rice since it is fluffier and cooks faster than brown. The process to turn brown rice to white rice removes healthy nutrients that are extremely beneficial to you. The same type of thing happens in brown bread vs. white bread scenario. The loss of nutrients is substantial. Plain white rice has far less Vitamin E, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folacin, Potassium, Magnesium, Iron and over dozen other nutrients. Added to that, the dietary fiber contained in white rice is around a quarter of brown rice. Where does the environmental benefit come from? It comes down to processing – the less processing of a food, the less energy required. If you’re accustomed to white rice, making the switch to brown suddenly can cause a taste bud rebellion. However many report that once you’ve acquired a taste for brown rice, it’s likely you will never go back to white. If you are thinking about making the switch, remember brown rice does take a little longer to cook than white rice, but the time isn’t much longer if you pre-soak the rice for a while and cook using the absorption method.