White Rice or Brown Rice or Millets – Which one is healthier?

Is eating white rice daily healthy?

Do you eat white rice every day?

Did you hear someone say that they eat millets to be healthier?

White rice is the staple food of most of the people in Asia.

In most of the countries in Asia, white rice is taken as the main food for several times in large quantities every single day.

The unfortunate fact about white rice is that it is not naturally white.

The grains are refined to make them white.

In the process of refining, most of the nutrition and minerals are lost in the grains.

But let us not completely blame or avoid white rice.

WHITE RICE

Let us see both the advantages and disadvantages of white rice. 

ADVANTAGES OF WHITE RICE

• Longer shelf life: White rice is resistant to oxidation. As a result, it takes more time for white rice to get rancid that is it remains fresh for longer time even after it is cooked.
• Great source of energy: White rice has simple carbohydrates. These simple carbohydrates are easily converted into energy by our body hence giving us energy in less time.
• No cholesterol: it contains zero cholesterol and sodium. This property of white rice cuts down the risk of heart disease and blood pressure.

DISADVANTAGES OF WHITE RICE

• Contains simple carbohydrates: White rice contains simple carbohydrates which are bad carbohydrates.
• Although intake of white rice gives quick energy, it causes increase in the blood sugar level further increasing the intake of food which leads to obesity.
• Over processed: White rice comes under the processed foods and we know how processed food can affect our health. Over intake of white rice which is rich in empty calories could lead to chronic diseases which include diabetes and obesity.
• Digestive Problems: The starch in white rice is viscous and is harder to digest. It leads to indigestion. Due to the over processing there is very little fiber content. Fibers plays an important role in digestion and bowel movements.

What about brown rice? Did you hear that some people eat brown rice as they feel its more healthier?

BROWN RICE

Brown Rice is unrefined and unpolished whole grain.

It is produced by removing the hull of the rice kernel.

This grain retains the nutrients and germ layer.

As a result, it is chewier compared to white rice as it contains more fiber.

Germinated brown rice is another form of brown rice which contains even more nutrients than normal brown rice.

Germinated form of brown rice can be obtained by soaking and sprouting the brown rice.

This method is the best to obtain high levels of proteins and good enzymes.

ADVANTAGES OF BROWN RICE

As we know, there is no removal of nutrients from brown rice unlike in the case of white rice, brown rice has high quality and quantity of nutrients in it.

Let us see some nutrition facts in brown rice.

For every 100 grams of brown rice, some of the nutrients and their values are mentioned below:

Energy (Calories): 123 Kcal

Protein: 2.74 grams

Fat: 0.97 grams

Fiber: 1.6 grams

Sugar: 0.24 grams

Other than proteins and fiber brown rice also contains essential minerals such as Manganese, Iron, Phosphorus, Calcium, and Magnesium.

It also contains vitamins like vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B6, Vitamin E and Vitamin K.

More Advantages of brown rice are:

• Controls Diabetes: Brown rice is helpful for diabetic individuals. It contains low glycemic index which reduces the insulin and maintains the blood sugar levels in body.
• Prevents Obesity: It contains Manganese which helps in synthesis of the body fats and hence helping in reducing of body weight and fat.
• Lowers stress in lactating women: Sprouted brown rice is beneficial for the mental and physical health of lactating mothers. Brown rice consumption reduces mood disturbances, depression and fatigue in nursing women.
• Improves Digestion: As we have seen the nutrients present in brown rice which includes fiber. Fiber in brown rice helps to regulate bowel function hence making digestive system more powerful. Hence, reducing constipation problems.
• Controls Cholesterol levels: Brown rice contains naturally occurring oils which help in healthy maintenance of cholesterol. It contains nutrients which help in lipids and glucose metabolism which helps in maintaining the cholesterol levels.
• Boosts immunity: Due to significant presence of vitamins and minerals, it helps to boost the immune system of the body and nourishes the body enhancing its ability to fight infections.

MILLETS

Millets are small seed grasses grown in semi-dry areas.

These are mostly cultivated as cereal crops or as fodder for animals (That is why animals are healthier than us, may be, I am not sure).

So, millets are not like a single seed or grain like white rice or brown rice, there are different types of millets.

Let’s us check some of them.

1. Jowar: Once we think about Jowar, most of the Indians get Jowar rotis in their mind.

It is most popular for weight loss.

Hence most of our grannies prefer Jowar rotis over regular wheat rotis.

It contains rich iron, protein and fiber.

• Finger millet (Ragi):  Due to the nutrition in ragi, it can be considered as a good replacement for rice and wheat.

It is a rich source of calcium and other minerals.

It is also used as a replacement of store-bought baby food.

• Pearl millet (Bajra): Bajra has high iron content which is about 8 times higher than that present in white rice.

It is also rich in protein, fiber and minerals.

ADVANTAGES OF MILLETS

• Fight diabetes and help in digestion: As we have seen that millets are rich in minerals and proteins, they are good for digestion and manage the insulin action hence helping in good digestion and in controlling sugar levels in body.
• As nutritious as fruits and veggies: We know that fruits and vegetables are very important for our body which includes both internal and external health.
• Millets are no less than the fruits and vegetables in their antioxidant activity.
• Advantages of millets do not come to an end here as there are many proteins and vitamins in millets, there are endless advantages of them for our health.

What do you want to eat -White rice or Brown rice or Millets?

We have seen both advantages and disadvantages of white rice and benefits of both brown rice and millets.

Now after reading this anyone who is health conscious will prefer including brown rice or millets in their diet.

Keeping the health benefits of brown rice and millets, now the question is Brown rice or millets?

We have seen that both brown rice and millets have endless health benefits.

Choosing among them can be confusing and difficult.

As a beginner, you can surely try both brown rice and millets alternatively and continue with the one you like most.

The best advice would be including both brown rice and millets into your diet.

What you can do is alternately have brown rice and millets.

We also saw there are many types of millets so you can make a cycle in the diet.

Let us make our diet healthier.

You can also try different delicious recipes with brown rice and millets so you can enjoy variety of delicious food in a healthier way.

Let me know which one you liked if you already tried them.