Among the most loved foods in the world, including Italy, it is important to understand which is the healthier rice.
In this article
The white rice
Let’s start with the most common one, the White rice. In Italy they eat about 5 kilos each year. Rice turns white because it undergoes a refining treatment to remove the husk, bran and germ. On the one hand this serves to prolong the “life” of the grain, on the other hand various nutrients are lost. In fact, it contains few fibers, proteins, vitamins and mineral salts, which are present in almost all the other varieties.
Il the real Achilles heel is the glycemic index due to the important presence of starches. A meta-analysis that analyzed about fifty scientific research on the subject has shown that the more the rice is refined, the more the risk of gaining weight increases in those who eat it.
The belief persists that when one’s stomach or intestines are not feeling well, white rice can be a panacea. It’s actually not like that. According to some studies, it would weigh down the work of the liver and pancreas. In fact, too many starches favor a strong production of insulin. In short it is a rice to be consumed sparinglyat least according to what has been confirmed by various scientific researches.
Healthier rice: the black one
It is an increasingly fashionable variety. The black rice it is brown rice that has had its outer protective shell removed. It contains various antioxidants such as the precious quercetin, which play a crucial role in the prevention of some chronic diseases. The amount of calories and carbohydrates similar to those of white rice, but has a little more protein and fiber. It therefore has a higher satiety index. According to one meta analysis of 2021 substituting black rice for white rice may help you lose weight, but it doesn’t have a significant impact on blood sugar control.
Red rice
This variety contains many pigments that give it its characteristic color and contains some particularly important nutrients. It has a lot of fiber and is rich in protein, but it is the antioxidants that take the lion’s share. I flavonoids that it provides help, in fact, to keep inflammation levels at bay.
Brown rice
This rice definitely has more fiber than white rice. It provides important mineral salts such as magnesium and selenium and also has proteins. We know what to eat Whole grains help keep blood sugar levels in check. Brown rice also contains lignans. These are plant compounds that help control blood pressure, inflammation and cholesterol.
The contraindications concern the presence of some antinutrients, such asphytic acid. We must remember, however, that the risk is practically theoretical, because one would have to eat industrial quantities of it to have problems.