How nutritious is rice?
Rice is an excellent source of fuel for our bodies. It is easily digested, so the energy it supplies becomes quickly available to our muscles, brain and organs. Around 85 per cent of the energy that rice supplies comes from carbohydrate. Carbohydrate powers the body and the brain and is released by our muscles and liver as we need it.
The bran found in brown rice provides valuable dietary fibre. This plays an important part in keeping our digestive tract in good working order. Fibre slows down the speed at which carbohydrates are converted into blood sugar. In other words, fibre lowers the glycaemic index (GI) of a food.
When you’re talking about glycaemic index, lower is better. As a general rule, brown rice has a lower GI than white rice. But there are other factors that come into play as well. Long-grain rice has a lower GI than short-grain rice. Of all the long-grain varieties, basmati seems to have the lowest GI. So, in terms of GI, the best choice would appear to be brown basmati rice, with short-grain white rice at the other end of the spectrum.
What are the key considerations when buying rice?
The vitamin and mineral content of rice varies depending on whether it is milled (white rice) or unmilled (brown rice). Brown rice has more nutrients and fibre since it retains the bran and germ that contain many of the vitamins and minerals. White rice loses more of these properties during the milling process. Rice contains essential vitamins and minerals, including B vitamins, zinc and phosphorus. Brown rice also provides magnesium, potassium and manganese.
What is the smartest choice in rice?
When choosing rice, select brown, black, medium or long-grain rice as these contain the most vitamins, minerals, fibre and protein. The smartest choice of the varieties we tested is Sun Rice Black Rice, due to its high antioxidant, fibre and protein content.
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