Post: #1

Looking at bodybuilding sites and what not, it is clear that brown rice is the favorite. Why is this? Is white rice really that bad for you? Or what makes brown rice so superior? Asian cultures eat tons of white rice and they certainly have healthier lifestyles than the average Westerner (though that doesn't say much).

Personally, I like white rice more than brown rice. I think it tastes better. I do notice that brown rice is more filling though.

So what does RVF think? Are you guys rice Nazis? Does it matter to you? Which do you prefer?

Post: #2

White tastes better. Brown is better nutritionally. I just rotate which one I have, I'm not too bothered.

Post: #3

I'm in China and I eat amazing white rice.

There are so many kinds of white rice that its hard to say "white rice" is anything. Are we talking about white rice from Thailand or southern China that has 2-3 crops a year? Or are we talking about white rice grown in NE China which only has one crop a year, cooks slower and smells a lot like brown rice?

I just got a bag of rice for Spring Festival from my boss, white rice from Wuchang city, Heilongjiang Province in NE China, usually considered the best rice in China. Compared to the terrible SE Asia 3 crop a year white rice its essentially brown rice. So its hard to say.

Post: #4

White rice tastes way better. You can check why it's unhealthier by reading Wikipedia:

Wikipedia Wrote:Brown rice and white rice have similar amounts of calories and carbohydrates. The main differences between the two forms of rice lie in processing and nutritional content.

When only the outermost layer of a grain of rice (the husk) is removed, brown rice is produced. To produce white rice, the next layers underneath the husk (the bran layer and the germ) are removed, leaving mostly the starchy endosperm.

Several vitamins and dietary minerals are lost in this removal and the subsequent polishing process.... Among other key sources of nutrition lost are dietary fiber and small amounts of fatty acids.

Although it appears white rice is more satiating than brown rice, I definitely don't feel that way when I eat them. I feel the fiber in brown rice helps with digestion, and white rice tends to make me feel, and look, more bloated. The key is the fiber. Brown rice has 3g more fiber (4g vs 1g) and 1g more protein per serving than white rice. If you want to feel better and clean up your diet, one great trick is to introduce more fiber into your meals.

Personally I fucking hate brown rice, and love white rice. But I've found acceptable substitutes for white rice, specifically whole wheat couscous and quinoa. But my all time favorite carb for ease of preparation is whole wheat pasta. I find that I kind of prefer whole wheat to white pasta, both in consistency and taste.

Sometimes I'll indulge in some white rice, but it really is the carb that stunts my gainzz the most, bar none. Also sucks because I love rice pudding, and there are few things more depressing than rice pudding made with brown rice.

Post: #5

White rice is the Asian equivalent of Wonder Bread.

Post: #6

And even that list is not even complete - nutritional difference is likely even worse when you go into the minor trace minerals and other nutrients.

But you could probably make it up by eating much much more white rice and then working it off:

Post: #7

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/is-rice-unhealthy/

Quote:Phytate, or phytin in rice, binds to minerals, rendering them largely useless to any animal that consumes it. Well, rats can break through the phytate and get at the minerals fairly well, but they evolved that ability – we did not. Heat does little to phytate, but, since it’s located in the bran, physically removing the bran removes the phytate. That’s why brown rice eaters tend to have poorer mineral balances than white rice eaters.

Either one seems to be a mixed bag. I usually make parboiled rice and sometimes brown rice.

Post: #8

(02-22-2015 05:42 AM)RexImperator Wrote:  http://www.marksdailyapple.com/is-rice-unhealthy/

Quote:Phytate, or phytin in rice, binds to minerals, rendering them largely useless to any animal that consumes it. Well, rats can break through the phytate and get at the minerals fairly well, but they evolved that ability – we did not. Heat does little to phytate, but, since it’s located in the bran, physically removing the bran removes the phytate. That’s why brown rice eaters tend to have poorer mineral balances than white rice eaters.

Either one seems to be a mixed bag. I usually make parboiled rice and sometimes brown rice.

I would second that - only recently found out that in countries like Japan 10% of the people are having a rice allergy. It only develops after some during a lifetime of rice consumption.

http://www.food-allergens.de/symposium-3...ergens.htm

Rice belongs to the grain family and like most grains - we as humans are not really adapted to it very well.

It is telling that by some estimates of scientists the banana or hemp seed sprouts are the best foods we can survive off - actually we could probably live exclusively on pesticide free hemp seeds and banana fruits alone.

For obvious reasons we miss the hard data for that one so don't attack me on it - it is more or less an educated guess of mine. Nutrition knowledge lacks definitive answers as science is too torn currently by agendas, profit, old dogmas etc.

Post: #9

There is a reason millions chose to polish it and eat. If brown was superior the rice consuming nations would favor it. Why for close to 10,000+ years would Asian go through the extra effort of milling rice, some times via grueling hand methods if the brown rice was really that more healthy? Wouldn't they just save the effort and just eat the brown rice as it is?

No group of people are going to put forward that much more effort if it wasn't worth it. Brown Rice is modern hippe food. It tastes like shit and it is marginally healthier then white rice. Plus most brown rice you buy in the store is bunk and near rancid. Brown rice has a lot more fat content and it oxidizes on the shelf.

Rice is a staple and like all staples is simply a form of dense easy absorbed energy to help power you through the day.

Post: #10

Although bodybuilding sites may say brown rice for the win, it's telling that most actual bodybuilders eat white rice.

Post: #11

Team White RiceTM

Post: #12

I tried eating brown rice for a short time, and felt tired all the time. I also feel slightly better on white rather than brown bread. I always presumed it was because brown is harder to digest.

Post: #13

White rice. Cooks in half the time and doesn't absorb nutrient like brown does. I get my minerals from other foods.

Brown rice does taste good roasted in green tea though. Genmai cha I think they call it.

http://www.yummi.co/brown-rice-tea-genma...gQodFEkANA

You probably could get it in your local store or on amazon.

Post: #14

When I workout I go white rice. When I don't I go no rice

Post: #15

Does "red rice" (nasi merah in Malay/Indonesian) ring a bell with anyone? I'd never heard of it until a year or two ago when a girl told me it was a substitute for white rice for weight loss.

I don't share the cultural maxim that "without rice, you won't feel full" so it doesn't figure in my diet, but it seems a lot harder to cook properly.
(I am aware that merah Malay/Indonesian used to cover the colors red and brown, but this stuff is actually red. Brown rice seems to be largely unknown.)

Post: #16

Absolutely brown rice, but I don't have enough time to let rice cook for 45-60 minutes like brown rice requires, and I don't trust that "Parboiled" shit, so occasionally I settle down for white rice.

In general:
White rice = side dish with meats;
Brown rice = main dish in a risotto or just on its own to be eaten with some ham and raw vegetables.

Post: #17

(02-22-2015 06:50 AM)kosko Wrote:  There is a reason millions chose to polish it and eat. If brown was superior the rice consuming nations would favor it. Why for close to 10,000+ years would Asian go through the extra effort of milling rice, some times via grueling hand methods if the brown rice was really that more healthy? Wouldn't they just save the effort and just eat the brown rice as it is?

No group of people are going to put forward that much more effort if it wasn't worth it. Brown Rice is modern hippe food. It tastes like shit and it is marginally healthier then white rice. Plus most brown rice you buy in the store is bunk and near rancid. Brown rice has a lot more fat content and it oxidizes on the shelf.

Rice is a staple and like all staples is simply a form of dense easy absorbed energy to help power you through the day.

I would not make it out as some kind of dogmatic thing being of utmost importance. The nutrients in rice are nothing compared to the orthomolecular supplements I take every day. It is most and foremost a staple diet - I agree with that.

As far as traditional food preparation goes - well people do things sometimes simply out of taste, because white rice tastes better, is easier to cook and even easier to store if you don't have modern storage methods. So essentially it made great sense for previous generations to do that.

But I would not put much value into nutritional traditions - there were times in Europe where hardly anyone ate vegetables, fish or fruit with disastrous consequences to general health.

Personally I like brown rice, but there are huge varieties out there - very high quality organic round brown rice tastes delicious, but is usually hard to come by.

Post: #18

Brown rice=swamp ass. The only comparative benefit is the fiber, which you can obtain elsewhere.

Post: #19

Brown Rice.

- I'm a hedonistic sadist who loves the rough texture of brown rice. Growing up in a Chinese family we used to chow down white rice and porridge,and gain weight. Why? It's easy to chew and digest, so you consume more in a sitting.

- Call me stupid, but ever since I've been chewing gum, eating carrots and brown rice I've been noticing a Mount Rushmore chiseled jaw. Once I switch to sweet potatoes for shredding season, the jawline disappears.

- The whole glycemic index posted above is all the evidence I need.

The best rice I've had was in Taiwan. This purple rice has the softness/smell of freshly cooked white rice, but with the pleasant chewiness of brown rice.

Post: #20

We aren't even scratching the surface here.

In my mind the debate between brown and white rice is more about thermic effects, glycemic index, etc. It has nothing to do with nutritional values.

Take this into account:

Quote:Freshly harvested rice has a tough outer hull that must be removed to make the grain edible. The result is whole-grain brown rice. Whole grains consist of three different layers that each have different nutrients. To produce white rice, the grain is further processed to remove two more layers: the bran and germ. The bran and germ contain most of the grain’s fiber and about 50 to 80 percent of its minerals. This type of processed food is a “bad carb,” because it lacks fiber and has fewer nutrients. The term “good carb” refers to complex carbs that retain the natural fiber, vitamins and minerals.

I don't think I need to explain simple vs complex carbs too in depth on here. In simple terms your body burns more calories digesting brown rice than white because brown is a complex carb and has a higher thermic effect. There's one point in favor of brown rice.

Another reason brown rice is superior in my mind his because it has a lower glycemic index than white rice.

In my understanding foods that have a lower number take longer for for the body to convert from glycogen stores into fat stores, which is a good thing because it means your body has the opportunity to burn those calories before they are put into long term storage.

White rice has a higher number which means it converts into fat stores quickly if you don't burn it right away. Another point in favor of brown rice.

Brown and white rice both effect your blood sugar levels differently but I don't know anything about that.

I have a very rudimentary understanding of this, but it was explained to me in real science terms by a chemist that I trust. I used to eat nothing but white rice, but I converted after a few conversations with him. I also learned to tolerate the different taste.

I am Team Brown Rice all the way.

Post: #21

Personally I found the brown rice to help improve bowel movements and reduce glycemic spikes. I also like the texture better. May vary by the individual.

Post: #22

I stopped eating rice probably over 5 years ago.

Buy quiona in bulk, boil it in chicken or beef broth.

It wins on every level imaginable.

Conclusion: Forget rice.

Post: #23

Brown rice takes more time to cook, that's why everyone went with white, they're in a hurry.

Post: #24

OT: Get a nice rice cooker (i.e. Zojirushi, Tiger, etc.). I have a few Asian friends, and they swore by them so I took the plunge. Worth every penny.

Post: #25

If you want to limit your risk of developing diabetes: brown.