Is rice healthy? What’s the deal with white vs brown?

I get asked about rice a lot.

Clients tell me they make good choices and choose brown rice with meals.  I shake my head and tell them that actually white is better than brown… then they get REALLY confused - and I don’t blame them.  I was confused once too - and to make things more confusing I then say: I don’t recommend white rice to most people even if it is “healthier” than brown. Let’s clear this up…

Here are my 10 bullet points on the deal with rice. I’ll try to sum this us as best I can without getting to “science-y”:

1) we as human beings have not evolved to tolerate grain and legumes. in our evolutionary history they are a relatively new addition to the diet and since the agricultural revolution when grain became a staple of our diet we have seen a decline in health. If you want to argue this fine - I’ll help people who really want help instead - but watch this first if you need convincing.

2) all grains (and legumes) have inflammatory and gut irritating properties - aka humans do not tolerate them well. We can soak them, cook them, even ferment grains, but those negative properties still remain and if eaten in excess or even small amounts can cause varying degrees of health problems depending on how grain intolerant the individual is (we are all intolerant to some degree).

3) Some grains are worse than others: Wheat (gluten) is the very worst for our bodies. Everyone should avoid wheat/gluten containing products. For a list of gluten containing properties go here. Wheat and gluten containing grains serve no health benefit and cause a bunch of health problems. Going down the spectrum is oat, corn and rice is probably the least problematic of the grains, but it is still a grain.

4) the reason why white rice is not as problematic as brown is that white rice is stripped of all it’s nutrients and fiber in the husk therefor leaving it as just a plain and simple starch.  Is it the best starch? No, cause it has no nutrition and it will if eaten cause insulin spikes and rise blood sugar.

5) the reason I recommend white rice to athletes is because after INTENSE exercise glucose stores need to be repleted. In the Post-Workout meal a starch does a good job of this.  But a better starch would be a sweet potato or squash cause it is way more nutritious than white rice.

6) not everyone should eat white rice.  people that are trying to lose weight or those who are inactive or only moderately active have no business mainlining such an insulin driving food if they care about their health.

7) Will it kill you to have white rice once in a while?  No.  Is it the worst thing?  No. There are worse sources of carbs: sugar and bread are definitely worse - but eating rice as a staple part of a diet is not good for optimal health.

8) Why are high carb foods bad for me?  Well first off I’m not a carb hater.  As an athlete I need some good carbs in my diet, but I get my carbs mostly from veggies and sweet potatoes only occasionally treating myself to white rice and corn tortillas. But let’s be honest most of America is NOT that active we sit all day and are lucky to get in 3 workouts a week… that is NOT active.  So unless you are a very physical person, chances are your carb requirements are low.

9) To understand why high carb foods can make you fat read this: http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2007/04/24/5143/why-eating-too-many-carbs-makes-you-fat/

10) Above all I’d like to re-stress that avoiding wheat/gluten is the VERY best thing you can do for you health. Of course there is room for improvement after being gluten free, but if you choose to do just ONE thing, that is the best choice - and yes rice, white or brown is gluten free.

11 November 2011 ·

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• paleo diet