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Rice is the third most produced agricultural crop globally, just behind sugarcane and corn. The top nine producers of rice are located in Asia, with China producing 28% of the world’s rice in 2019. That’s over 466,000 pounds.
Rice has also been an important staple food around the world, with roots dating to 8,000 BC. Being such a big part of daily diets, rice has naturally entered the healthy eating debate. Here’s what a nutrition scientist has to say about the question of the “healthiest” rice 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 championed over the other, the answer really depends on what you’re looking for in your diet.
It’s true – brown rice does have more fiber, fat and a touch more protein than white rice because of the way it’s processed. Whole grains are made 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’re looking to add more fiber to your diet, brown rice is a great way to do so.
But in reality, all rice is going to be a healthy addition to your diet. For nutrition scientist Kera Nyemb-Diop, the question of the “healthiest rice” is one rooted in exclusion and harmful diet culture.
“If rice was the only food we were eating, it would make sense (to ask that) because we’re interested in having a balance of nutrients and fiber, so of course I would say brown rice is more complete,” says Nyemb-Diop .“But when you look at the reality, people eat meals.”
Rice is more frequently matched with a protein and vegetable than it is eaten on its own, making it just one component of a healthy, balanced plate. If you’re looking for a more fiber-rich meal but don’t like the taste of brown rice, there are so many high-fiber vegetables to pair alongside white rice.
“The beauty of nutrition is that you have so many options,” Nyemb-Diop says. “I’m really sorry to see how nutrition has become like a prescription or a religion that you have to follow and if you don’t follow it, you’re wrong.”
Ideally, Nyemb-Diop says people should enjoy a variety of rice in their diet, whether that be white rice, brown rice, basmati rice, arborio rice, jasmine rice or other kinds.
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Is white rice healthy?
Yes, white rice is healthy. Rice is a good source of magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, selenium, iron, folic acid, thiamin and niacin.
While white rice is sometimes villainized 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 the world’s population considers rice a staple food, and white rice is more widely consumed than brown rice. White rice is also a staple in many cultures’ diets.
Nyemb-Diop runs an online platform dubbed “The Black Nutritionist” where she encourages her audiences to push back against 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 of any cultural cuisine.
Nyemb-Diop says many of her clients feel shameful eating food they grew up with or have been told white rice was making their diet unhealthy.
“If we look around the world, some of the communities that actually live longer, like Japan, they rely a lot 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 issue when in the United States – housing inequity, access to healthcare, access to nutritious foods – these are much (bigger) problems to address, but it’s easier to say it’s white rice and your cultural food.”
Nyemb-Diop instead recommends an “abundance” strategy or adding rather than restricting one specific food from your diet.
For example, white rice does have a higher glycemic index and may be a concern for diabetics or people with high blood sugar. But if abstaining from white rice completely isn’t feasible, you can instead try pairing it with a protein, so the rice isn’t digested by itself. Instead of restricting yourself from eating white rice, ask yourself questions that will lead to a more balanced plate: “How can I add more vegetables to my diet? How can I add more fiber?”
It’s also about being realistic: suggesting someone whose cultural diet relies on white rice should completely get rid of white rice can be an overwhelming, and sometimes irresponsible ask.
“It leads to an unhealthy relationship with food within marginalized communities, and that relationship is going to have mental health impacts but also physical health impacts,” Nyemb-Diop says. “It’s difficult to nourish yourself properly when you have disordered eating, and you feel shame eating the food you grew up with.”
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How to incorporate rice into your life in a healthy way
Eat what you like
If you like brown rice, eat brown rice, Nyemb-Diop says. If not, don’t force yourself to. Adding any kind of rice to your diet is going to have nutritional benefits, and focusing on the pleasure of eating is a good way to strengthen your relationship with food and your body.
Riced cauliflower and broccoli, which are ground vegetables marketed as rice alternatives, have been on the rise in the past few years as low-carb swaps. Adding cauliflower or riced cauliflower to your meal will give you an extra dose of vegetables (only one in 10 adults eat the recommended daily vegetable intake) but it doesn’t have to replace rice.
“I think it’s great to find ways to enjoy cauliflower, we need to enjoy cauliflower for what it is and not as a replacement,” Nyemb-Diop says. “Why not both?”
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Practice an abundance mindset, not a restrictive one
Many of Nyemb-Diop’s clients fear adding rice or other carbohydrates to their diet because they worry about overeating or overconsuming carbs. But eating diverse foods – carbs, proteins, fats, fiber – in moderation is the healthiest thing you can do for your body, which requires a variety of nutrients to operate.
“When you try restricting food you usually end up losing control like binge eating or overeating when you’re actually exposed to that food,” she says. “So, what I use for (my clients) is to help them through the process of habituation by planning those foods that they are afraid of in a way that is mindful and actually intentional and focusing on the pleasure and creating a plate that is balanced.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with body image or eating concerns, the National Eating Disorders Association’s toll-free and confidential helpline is available by phone or text at 1-800-931-2237 or by click-to-chat message at nationaleatingdisorders.org/helpline. For 24/7 crisis situations, text “NEDA” to 741-741.
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