Being Japanese, I always grew up eating rice, and it was always white rice. It wasn’t even a question what kind of rice would be served at mealtime. So once I had my own family, it was white rice until my mom started telling me she switched to brown rice. What??? My whole life seemed like a lie! What was this madness??? I listened to her arguments that there was more fiber etc. and it seemed to make sense. So then I decided that I wanted what’s best for my family too so I gave it a go!
Well, over the years I have gone back and forth on this topic. I decided to eventually stop with the brown rice because at the time things were pointing towards brown rice not really having the nutritional value and perhaps having even some negative aspects with regards to phytates. And let’s be honest, I just think white rice is more enjoyable! Well, being at Buchinger Wilhelmi initiated the debate again with my husband. And I decided it was time to revisit the topic and find out what the science says now since a good 15 years had passed and things could have changed!
The good news is that basically it is a wash whether you eat brown rice or white rice (Whew!) unless you have health issues to consider because of the high carbohydrate count. And just know that you will find many sites very much “Team Brown Rice”so don’t be shocked by my personal conclusion! One thing to consider, there is a prebiotic benefit of brown rice that you do not get with white rice which may help tip the scale slightly towards eating brown rice. For now, I will continue enjoying white rice while dining out, but I will incorporate more brown rice at home as Stephen would like the positives associated with it.
Here are two articles that take a more middle ground on brown rice versus white rice arguing both sides. Just know that I believe you can’t go wrong either way, but you can be the judge for yourself!
What 14 Studies Say About Brown Rice Vs. White Rice
