Come one, come all to the epic carbohydrate battle: white rice versus brown rice. In one corner, whole-grain brown rice. In the other, its over-processed nemesis, white rice. The clear winner? Brown rice takes the gold! Here's why: in the process of turning brown rice into white rice, the natural grain is physically stripped of many of its inherent vitamins and nutrients when the bran layer of the grain is removed in order to reveal that polished, white finish.

An Unfair Fight — The Takeaway

Basically, white rice ends up being brown rice with its nutritional crown stripped away.

While both white rice and brown rice provide close to the same amount of carbohydrates, calories, and calcium, brown rice outpaces white rice in almost every other regard. Brown rice provides four times as much fiber, additional protein, and has a lower Glycemic Index. Sure, brown rice contains slightly more calories per serving than white rice, but the difference is minimal and fades in comparison to brown rice’s overall nutritional prowess.

More added benefits? Substituting white rice with whole grains, including brown rice, may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, one study found [1]. Brown rice could also help protect the heart from cardiovascular disease, thanks to a compound found in the outer layers of the grain.

Switching brown rice for white rice is easy, too... mostly because they're prepared the same way. However, keep in mind that despite it being the less processed version, brown rice tends to be more expensive to purchase... though typically only minimally so. When eating out, just remember to ask. It's possible to even find brown rice sushi! It's clear, then, that in the battle of brown rice over white it's ding, ding, ding: a clear knockout!

The Tip

Brown rice is nutritionally superior to white rice, so try to use it as a substitute when possible.

Updated October 2011