06/09/2025
Which Rice?
Best & Worst for Your Health (Blood Sugar & Nutrition)
There have been lots of posts circulating saying white rice is “better for you” because it has fewer calories or less arsenic.
THESE CLAIMS ARE MIS-LEADING, and can be Dangerous!
So, what’s the deal?
Rice, Best-Worst:
1- Wild Rice
2- Red Rice
3- Brown Basmati Rice
4- Brown/Wholegrain Rice
5- Brown Jasmine Rice
6- White Basmati Rice
7- White Jasmine Rice
8- Standard White Rice
🥇 1. Wild Rice (technically a seed)
• Highest in protein & antioxidants
• Low glycaemic impact (GI ~45)
• Rich in magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, B vitamins
✅ Best choice overall
🥈 2. Red Rice
• Packed with anthocyanins (same antioxidants as blueberries & blackberries)
• High in fibre, magnesium, and iron
• GI ~45–55 (low–medium)
• Anti-inflammatory, supports heart & metabolic health
✅ Excellent option
🥉 3. Brown Basmati Rice
• Wholegrain, aromatic, lighter and fluffier than other brown rices
• Rich in fibre, B vitamins, vitamin E, magnesium, and zinc
• GI ~50–55 (low, sometimes even lower than standard brown rice)
✅ Excellent everyday staple – great for blood sugar and satiety
⭐4. Brown/Wholegrain Rice
• Fibre, B vitamins, vitamin E, magnesium
• Helps balance blood sugar & keeps you fuller longer
• GI ~50–55 (low)
✅ Great everyday staple – readily available
🏅5. Brown Jasmine Rice
• Wholegrain, aromatic, with a slightly higher GI than regular brown rice
• GI ~55–60 (low–medium, estimated)
• Still fibre-rich with key nutrients
➖ Tasty, but less widely available
⚪ 6. White Basmati Rice
• Lower GI than most white rices
• GI ~50–59 (low–medium)
• Easier to digest if you’re sensitive to fibre
• Loses most fibre & nutrients compared to wholegrain
• Often “enriched” with synthetic vitamins to replace what’s been milled away
➖ An occasional option if you tolerate it
⚪ 7. White Jasmine Rice
• Fragrant but highly processed
• GI ~68–80 (high)
• Minimal fibre, quickly spikes blood sugar
➖ Best kept as a treat
🚫 8. Standard White Rice (e.g., long-grain, short-grain)
• Bran & germ stripped = most nutrients gone
• GI ~70–90 (high)
• Spikes blood sugar like pure starch
• Very low fibre, low satiety
• Cheap imports have occasionally been adulterated with fillers (rare, but a risk with very poor-quality rice)
🚫 Worst choice for long-term health
📌 To Summarise:
Yes – some people are avoiding brown rice due to scare posts about it containing a little more arsenic (brown ~0.1–0.35 mg/kg vs white ~0.05–0.2 mg/kg) and phytates (which can reduce mineral absorption by 10–20%).
In reality, these levels are low and harmless in a varied diet.
Arsenic isn’t unique to brown rice — it’s naturally present in soil and water, and found in other everyday foods like apple juice, leafy greens, and even drinking water.
Brown rice still delivers far more natural fibre, antioxidants, and minerals (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, vitamin E, magnesium, zinc).
White rice has had 40–90% of its nutrients stripped away, is highly polished, digests rapidly, spikes blood sugar, and is often “enriched” with synthetic vitamins to replace what was removed.
👉 Why are we afraid of phytates blocking nutrients, but choosing white rice that’s stripped bare of them? – That makes no sense!
👉 Soaking brown rice before cooking, cooking in excess water, draining/rinsing before serving, can cut the arsenic content by about half, bringing it close to or even below the level found in white rice.
Overall, brown (or other wholegrain) rice is the clear winner.
