White Rice vs. Brown Rice.

I, personally, am not a fan of white rice, anymore.

Not only is brown rice better for you, but also better for the environment.
Let compare some of the basic nutrition.

~1 cup brown rice, medium grain, cooked, has:
218 calories
0.5 sat fat
0.6 poly fat
0.6 mono fat
45.8g carbs
3.5g fibre
4.5 protein

now compare that to
~1 cup white rice, medium grain, cooked:
242 calories
0.1 sat fat, poly fat, mono fat each
53.2g carbs
0.6g fibre
4.4g protein

These are only the most basic nutrition, but as you can already see that brown rice already has its benefits. Less carbs, more good fats, and more fibre. The difference between brown rice and white rice is almost like the difference between wheat flour and white flour.
Nutrition wise, white rice has a lot less Vitamin E, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folacin, Potassium, Magnesium, Iron, and lots more nutrients.
White rice is bascially processed brown rice. The husk of the brown rice is removed and then smoothed out with paraffin and polished with glucose. This process removes lots of nutrients, which are then are added back in. These enriched nutrients are chemically added in = nutrients aren't in natural state. It's much healthier to consume products that has its natural nutrients intact. "Refined grains have been linked to weight gain and insulin resistance. Whole grains, like brown rice are linked to weight loss and fight against insulin resistance."

The more process the food goes through, the more energy is required. Then there's the fact that synthetic nutrients are added in - which are produced in other factories. All that trouble just for white rice.
I realize that white rice is more commonly eaten, and that people have a hard time switching to brown rice, especially if that person has been eating white rice everyday for 30 years or something. But it's never too late to change. Start mixing the brown rice with your daily white rice, or use sauces to mask the flavour of the brown rice. I'm sure once you get used to the flavour of brown rice, you'll actually like it.
It's almost like wheat bread compared to white bread. I used to love white bread, but once I started eating wheat bread more often, I started loving the flavour of wheat bread a lot more, and now I hardly eat white bread at home.


But know this, people don't realize that little changes in diet eventually adds up to a big change. Drink less soda. Eat more veggies. Add more protein. Eat whole grains. Drink alcohol less. Smoke less. Eat out less. Eat breakfast. etc, etc.
But what people also don't realize is that lots don't change until they hit rock bottom, but by then, it's already too late. Heart attacks, artiery clogs, diabetes, cancer, etc.

Adding brown rice into your diet could be a big change if it's a long-term lifestyle change :)

sources:
Green Living Tips
Bright Thub
Calorie Count, white rice
Calorie Count, brown rice


I plan to write more nutrition/food posts! 8D