White rice. It is a controversial food in nutrition circles. On the one hand, some nutritionists call it an empty source of calories and recommend avoiding it. Others consider it a safe starch and say it is ok in moderation.
Then, of course, there is the Japanese paradox- also known as “they eat rice all the time and live a long time so I should be able to eat pizza and Doritos and live to be 100 too” (exaggeration but I’ve heard some arguments very close to that)
Unlike modern wheat, which has been hybridized and modified and can be problematic for many people, and most other grains, rice is unique and potentially less harmful. I get asked about rice often and felt that it deserved its own post.
White Rice vs. Brown Rice
Brown rice is often considered a healthier rice than white rice, but white rice may actually be the healthier choice. Like anything from the grains family, rice contains a certain level of anti-nutrients like phytates which can make it hard for us to absorb the minerals it contains.
When my husband and I were working to reverse our cavities (we were able to), we had to avoid foods that were high in phytic acid, and brown rice was on this list because of its phytic acid content.
White rice, was considered safe in moderation. The reason is that when rice is milled, the bran is removed. This is the process that makes the rice “white” instead of brown, but since it removes the bran, it removes almost all of the phytic acid. This makes the rice more digestible and cuts down on the grain based fiber (which can be harmful to the gut).
Brown rice technically has more nutrients, but they aren’t available to the body and the bran is the most problematic part of the rice as far as phytic acid content. In fact, white rice is lower in phytic acid than most nuts, seeds and definitely most other grains.
Arsenic in Rice?
In 2012, research came out warning against rice consumption because it could contain high levels of arsenic. Arsenic levels were significantly higher in brown rice than in white rice because arsenic is often found in the bran, which is removed in white rice. Chris Kresser explains:
Brown rice, on the other hand, has significantly more arsenic than white rice and should be avoided or consumed rarely. Some of the brown rice brands tested contained at least 50% more than the safe limit per serving, and a few even had nearly double the safe limit. (PDF with complete details of test results) Note that some of the worst offenders for arsenic are made from brown rice: processed rice products like brown rice syrup, brown rice pasta, rice cakes and brown rice crisps. These processed products are commonly consumed by those following a “healthy” whole grain rich or gluten-free diet, but they clearly pose a significant risk of arsenic overexposure, especially if a person eats more than one serving per day. Obviously, brown rice is not a food that should be a dietary staple, or even eaten on a regular basis.
The lowest levels of arsenic were found in white rice (jasmine or basmati) that was imported from other countries. Rinsing the rice (traditionally done in many cultures) further reduced the arsenic levels. There is still controversy on the rice/arsenic connection but this is one of the reasons we don’t consume rice often.
That’s a quick summary of the issue… for my full take on arsenic in rice, see this post.
Rice is Naturally Gluten Free
Rice is naturally gluten free, so the most problematic part of many grains is already absent from rice. This makes it generally a safe choice for celiacs and those who are gluten intolerant, but doesn’t mean it is healthy.
At the same time, many people do need some sources of healthy carbs and rice can be a relatively safe option. Women especially often see negative effects on hormones from consuming too low carb of a diet for too long, and of all the grains, white rice is a generally safe option for safe carb consumption.
Does Rice Cause Diabetes?
A 2012 study claimed that white rice consumption was associated with a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes, and this if often used as a reason to avoid rice. I was surprised by this study when it first came out since historically, Asian countries with high consumption of white rice still had low incidence of diabetes.
I researched further and realized that the study was just showing an association between “risk” of diabetes and rice consumption and not actual incidence of diabetes. Paul Jaminet (author of The Perfect Health Diet) provides a better explanation for the research:
If anything, diabetes incidence goes down as rice consumption increases. Countries with the highest white rice consumption, such as Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Bangladesh, have very low rates of diabetes. The outlier with 20% diabetes prevalence is the United Arab Emirates. A plausible story is this:
- Something entirely unrelated to white rice causes metabolic syndrome. Possibly, the something which causes metabolic syndrome is dietary and is displaced from the diet by rice consumption, thus countries with higher rice consumption have lower incidence of metabolic syndrome.
- Fact: Diabetes is diagnosed as a fasting glucose that exceeds a fixed threshold of 126 mg/dl, and in those with metabolic syndrome (but not those without) higher carb consumption leads to higher fasting blood glucose.
- Therefore, the fraction of those with metabolic syndrome diagnosed as diabetic will increase as their carb consumption increases.
- In China and Japan, but not in the US and Australia, white rice consumption is a marker of carb consumption. So the fraction of those with metabolic syndrome diagnosed as diabetic will increase with white rice consumption in China and Japan, but will be uncorrelated with white rice consumption in the US and Australia.
This chart (source) shows actual rates of diabetes compared to white rice consumption. If anything, it indicates that actual incidence of diabetes was lowest in countries with high consumption of white rice: 
What Do the Experts Say About Rice?
Rice is a surprisingly polarizing food among nutrition experts, but here is where some experts weigh in on rice:
- Mark Sisson explains why rice can be safe but should still be consumed with caution for some people
- Paul Jaminet defends white rice as a safe starch on his Perfect Health Diet
- There is controversy of the role of rice in programs like the GAPS protocol and if rice is harmful or helpful
- Chris Kresser weighs in on the arsenic issue
- Chris Kresser on safe starches
- Butter Believer on white rice vs brown rice
- Dave Asprey takes on the idea of safe starches
My Opinion
At the end of the day, I consider rice to be in its own category. It doesn’t deserve the same label as most grains (especially modern grains) and it certainly isn’t as bad on the nutritional spectrum as foods like vegetable oils. The safety of rice consumption seems to vary greatly based on the individual, cultural background and what the rest of the diet looks like.
For those already consuming a diet high in other carbohydrates and low in minerals, rice (or any grain) is definitely not the best option. Those on a high nutrient diet devoid of inflammatory foods and who have an active lifestyle may do great with moderate rice consumption. Of all the grains, rice is definitely the safest option and the only one I recommend consuming.
Personally, our family consumes organic white jasmine rice occasionally (once a week or less).
We typically consume it on heavy workout days or after a lot of activity and always in conjunction with high nutrient foods. I pre-rinse it to help remove any remaining arsenic. I don’t consider it a “cheat” food because the idea of “cheating” goes against our food rules and our goal to create positive and healthy attitudes about food with our kids. It is a food that we eat occasionally but not everyday since white rice isn’t an exceptional source of nutrients but it also isn’t as potentially harmful as many other grains.
I love occasionally enjoying some high quality sushi after a workout or some rice in a stir fry but don’t consider it a staple food. Rice still can contain trace amounts of arsenic so it certainly isn’t one of the first foods I feed to my babies and I avoid any processed foods with rice since these may be higher in arsenic.
Where do you stand on the rice debate? White? Brown? None? Share below!
Sweet and Sour Chicken
But I thought you didn’t eat grains?
We eat white rice instead of brown rice for the reasons you listed above. I rinse it a few times and I soak it at least two hours. I also use organic chicken stock ( homemade) to cook it instead of water. We have been buying Lundberg brand. I have noticed our Whole Foods has slowly been eliminating their white rice varieties of this brand. Sometimes Whole Foods is so food trendy/conscious that it fails to see the benefits of traditional foods and discontinues those foods.
Yes, doesn’t soaking it and rinsing help with a lot of that (absorption and lessening arsenic)? My soaking guide recommends soaking brown rice for 8 hours before cooking for optimal digestibility and bioavailability.
We do eat small amounts of white rice around here. I usually make well-rinsed sushi rice that I make into one ounce rice balls before freezing. That creates higher levels of resistant starch.
I can warm however many rice balls I need to serve with dinner, sometimes with Asian food, sometimes to soak up chicken broth, sometimes to add to my husband’s soup.
If we’ve been hit with a bug in the winter I will make congee in the pressure cooker with well-rinsed rice and broth. Serve with kraut and lots of cilantro and garlic chile sauce and the meat of your choice. Add a squeeze of lime and it’s a kind of dry soup affair.
I wondered all the time why no oneentiones resistant starches!!! They are so important. So my question is if white cooled rice is something that actually can be eaten often? And even a good idea
Hi,
Thanks for your article. Do you think that cooking in on bone broth would increase its nutritional value? Cheers, Antonio Pedro.
We don’t eat much rice. But I do confess that I like my mother-in-laws Mexican rice made with white rice from time to time.
I consider rice to be empty calories and only eat it when I’m craving sushi. Since I’m allergic to legumes and believe gluten is bad for everyone I just don’t eat many starchy foods.
This is really informative – I’ve heard many different arguments for/against rice, and the whole brown rice fad, over the years, and it’s nice to have some facts laid out side-by-side.
Personally, I prefer rice to other grains in my diet, because it is easily digestible and I tend to cook a lot of asian-influenced food. It’s also a great grain that translates well into dishes for every season. I find that varying the grains is important too, and not cooking with the same type of rice all the time. You know what they say – everything in moderation!
Katie – thank you for this post! Tell me please if you have a post on your staple foods?
I love how you pre-plan. I have been trying to do this for years haha. We also eat very clean and since being diagnosed with celiac in all 5 of my kids life has changed for us. I am also pregnant and we are getting chickens for the first time in a few weeks so seeing you do all this shows me I can too. As soon as it warms up here our garden will be going in and it will be amazing to have fresh produce again. Good luck to you and thanks for sharing!!!
I’m making beef jerky from ground beef today! It’s drying right now. I’m hoping it’s good – I need more high protein snacks for my little guy.
Why no mention of sprouting brown rice? This has been used going back many hundreds possibly thousands of years in order to eliminate the phytic acid and other enzyme enhibitors, whilst making all the vitamins and minerals easily digestible aswell as making it taste better and not being as heavy.. Eating brown rice that hasn’t been soaked or allowed to sprout is bad, but soaking/sprouting it means it becomes a very nutrient dense food, aswell as contained a GABA hormone which is good for those wanting to pack on muscle as it is a growth hormone… White rice is void of almost everything as all the gooness is in the husk….
Infact all nuts/seeds and grains should be soaked or sprouted even fermented for this same reason.
Adam
Interesting point! What do you think, Wellness Mama?
Thanks for bringing this up. I was going to mention it too… My question for Katie is, wouldn’t sprouted brown rice be healthier than white rice? Since the phytic acid is reduced and the nutrients are multiplied? Also, very curious to know your thoughts on quinoa. While not technically a grain, it is often lumped into the grain pile.
I appreciate your balanced perspective on the rice issue. When the guys were saying that “because these certain people who eat a lot of rice/carb live long & healthy, that means rice, etc is healthy” feels lacking. They’re not looking at any of the other factors that may be contributing to these people’s health. Maybe rice, when combined with lots of omega 3-rich fish, seaweed, green tea, etc has a much different effect on the body than when Americans add rice to their diets. Even those of us who strive to eat as healthy as we can, most of our diets probably do not mimic those of the Okinawans and others listed above. So I feel like in some ways, it is comparing apples with oranges. Which is why I value your balanced opinion on this 🙂
Sprouting reduces it, but doesn’t remove it, so I still stick with white. I find that some people do great with quinoa and some can’t tolerate it, so it seems to be a very personalized seed.
you’re not saying what sort of white rice are you eating, Sticky white rice is very high in starch, while longer grain white rice like Basmati is considered much healthier. I had a bowl of white rice with broth and my blood sugar level spiked up to 500,
My dad, born 1917, is from South Carolina and people in that state eat rice practically daily. My mother was born/raised in New Orleans and her family consumed rice regularly. While growing up, white rice was as common in my diet as potatoes, maybe even more so. Daddy’s family almost all lived into their nineties— his oldest sister lived past 100. Point being, not all the comparison regarding rice consumption is about Asian cultures. Daddy’s family for generations have lived in South Carolina and don’t seem to have health problems from consuming white rice. I had parents who both loved food and cooking it. Thank goodness they passed that on to me and I eat foods that make me happy and that includes white rice— I even use a little bacon grease instead of oil when cooking it. I am 70 years old, have no health problems and only go to the doctor once a year for my wellness exam.
That was really interesting to hear. Thank you so much for sharing!
Quinoa contains saponins on its outer shell, known to give poison reactions to people n farmers. This is why it says to rinse off, but some can still have negative reactions regardless. Just something to check out.
I have leaky gut syndrome and pretty severe issues with digestion after eating most all grains…including sprouted brown rice…white rice is the only grain, as well as some gluten free oats, that doesn’t give me many of the classic symptoms including undigested food. Even sprouted brown rice, soaked and cooked for hours in a crock pot will aggravate my gut a lot, however white rice is always curative. I have hyperthyroidism and I need dense nutrient rich food to balance my energy, but having a stable gut is most critical for me. I always eat small amounts of white rice when I eat it, and only eat it once a day or every other day. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the medicinal food “congee” or is white rice cooked with a lot of liquid, and one or more herbs, or meat, to nourish various parts of the body….white rice was always considered far superior to brown in terms of its ability to be digested. In my experience this has always been very true. Most likely it is the phytic acid, and could also simply the toughness of the husk.
Yes, Koreans have a similar rice dish to congee called juk or dakjuk (w/ chicken) and it’s great for when you have a cold/flu or digestive problems. It’s also a great winter comfort food even if you’re not sick.
Leaky gut is rather common in my family and I really cant imagine giving up Sticky rice (I dont eat fluffy rice anymore though.), we consume it almost daily and the left overs always get made into juk (otherwise it doesnt get eaten cause its hard.). Have you tried kimchi (a staple in korea.)? Its also a great thing to reach for when you are plagued by indigestion, The probiotics caused by the fermentation help heal the immune system, and the spices get the metabolism going. A lot of the problems caused by leaky gut were greatly toned down (and some vanished) after I started eating it regularly. I still avoid wheat/gluten I dont think its good for anybody especially since it is overused in america.
I also had leaky gut. I am gluten free and have hypothyroid. White rice seems to sit nice on my stomach and no ill effects. I don’t eat it everyday. I don’t use minute rice. I enjoy basmati or Jasmine. I enjoy rice noodles.
I live in Valencia Spain where round rice is popular in paellas. The same sort of rice that the Italians use in Risotto. If you wash it first I imagine that is as ‘safe’ as any rice. Do some white rices have more fibre than other? Should I be worried by the sugar content?
This is so interesting to read! When I first developed issues with my gut I listened to a lot of difference perspective on diets and grains etc, but honestly, when my tum is feeling tender or weak, the most nourishing calming food is basmati! So it’s cool to hear other people have a similar experience, thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you Robert you spoke my mind.Brown rice will alwAys win.for me
Adam, How do you “sprout” rice? Thank You.
This company should do more homework, I live in the Philippines and a third of the population have all types of Diabetes, In fact if your a diabetic you shouldn’t eat rice, and Ive never seen a country with so many health problems, but then again a lot of them are Hypochondriacs. Read the Articles that Say Rice can be more harmful than Sugar, Rice is a carbohydrate and when cooked and eaten actually produces more sugar, rice converts to sugar in the process.