WHICH RICE TO EAT: WHITE, BROWN, RED or BLACK?

Gujarati

Rice has been staple food of over half of the world’s human population. Consumption of rice is very high in developing countries and nations in Asia. Oryza sativa, the dominant rice species, is a member of the Poaceae family. Historically, rice was cultivated widely in the river valleys of South and Southeast Asia 10,000 years ago and it is believed to have originated probably in India. In India, it is grown below sea level in Kerala; most rice-growing areas are present at or near sea level and, at elevations above 2000 m in Kashmir. Today, rice is cultivated in all parts of the world except Antarctica.

Over 40,000 varieties of rice are cultivated throughout globe, as per the Rice Gene Bank. Rice comes in all types of sizes and colours. Each variety has its own distinctive taste and aroma. While rice can be categorised in different ways – by colour, size, length, aroma, cultivation process – one of the most common ways of identifying rice is by its colour.

Colour is the most obvious reason among common way of sorting rice. Typically, rice comes in 3 colours, brown, red and black (or purple/dark blue). Each of these is grown in different parts of the world. There could be different varieties of rice within the same colour, and each colour-type can be further categorised by the place it comes from, its shape and size as well as how it is used.

All rice is white, inside. It is the rice bran that gives different colour to rice. Once the bran is removed, during the process of hulling or milling, the endosperm is always white. This is the white, polished rice that we normally eat. Depending on how well the rice is polished, the rice grains may retain most, some or none of the colour of the bran. However, it is the bran that contains most of the vital nutrients, including minerals, anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory chemicals, and different coloured rice grains have different nutrients to offer.

Most importantly though, the colours of the rice impart various nutritional benefits to the rice – let’s find out more about this!

White Rice

White rice is widely consumed in Indian households as well as worldwide. As it goes through high level of refining and processing, to get that shiny white appearance, it loses out on some of the essential nutrients like thiamine and other B Vitamins. Even though, it doesn’t have much nutritional value, it still is a storehouse of energy. It gives more energy to your body than any other rice variant because of the concentration of starch in it. It is replete with carbohydrates.

Brown Rice

It is nothing but white rice which hasn’t gone through the refining process. That’s all! It is definitely more nutritious than white rice because they don’t go through the severe refining and processing which completely robs them off their essential nutrients.

This is the most common type of rice that is available and cultivated in India. Brown rice comes across all the varieties we commonly know – basmati, ponni, rajabogham, surati kolam – but it may not be readily available across these types. Brown rice is available in two types – with the husk intact and with the husk removed. The former type is richer in nutrient value, high on fibre but takes much longer (upto an hour to cook) and isn’t easily digested by everyone. The latter type is slightly lesser in nutrient value but is easier to cook and digest. However, please note that brown rice has to be cooked very carefully as they can get mushy quickly.

Brown rice is rich in minerals like manganese, selenium, phosphorous, iron, copper, zinc as well as vitamins B1, B3 and B6 and many essential fatty acids. Most of these nutrients are lost partially or even completely when brown rice is polished to white. Most importantly, brown rice has a very high glycemic index – meaning it keeps you full for longer – helping you lose weight and maintain healthy blood sugar and insulin levels.

Many studies suggest that consuming one cup of brown rice daily, can significantly cut short the risks of developing diabetes by up to 60%.

Red Rice

The red rice gets its colour from an antioxidant called anthocyanin which is a compound found in several other red and purple coloured vegetables. Red rice gets its colour from a substance called anthocyanin – which is a powerful antioxidant. In fact, red rice contains almost 10 times as many antioxidants as brown rice. While not as common as brown rice, red rice is still grown in some parts of the world – particularly Africa and Asian countries like Bhutan, Thailand and India. In India, it is grown in the Palakkad region of Kerala and called Red Matta or Rosematta Rice. Red rice variety called Rakthashali is also grown in the country but is extremely rare. Another red rice variety known as ‘Kada’ is grown in Dang and costal area of South Gujarat. Navsari Agriculture University is developing varieties of ‘Kada Rice’ to increase cultivation and production.

Red rice is loaded with fiber, iron and is also considered to reduce inflammation in the body, controls cholesterol levels and lowers blood pressure. In fact, you can consume red rice even if you are planning to lose weight as it takes a longer time to digest, thus, keeping you feeling full for a prolonged period of time. Red rice has become popular over the last few years.

It is also a rich source of manganese, magnesium, phosphorous and molybdenum – all very vital for your body’s routine functions.

Red rice has a wonderful nutty flavour and aroma that brown rice lacks and can be used to create wonderful recipes.

Black Rice

Black rice is perhaps the rarest type of rice available. At one time it was considered so rare and exquisite hence known as the ‘forbidden rice’, that only the royals were allowed to eat it in China! Black rice is typically grown in Asian countries like Japan, China, Thailand and even in some East-Indian states. Enthusiastic, innovative organic farmers of South Gujarat have grown Black rice as an experiment and succeeded. Those farmers are part of Kishan Bandhu family.

Black rice has its own set of health benefits as it is loaded with fiber, antioxidants, phytonutrients, phytochemicals, protein, iron, Vitamin E, B1 and B2 as well as trace minerals.. Black rice has far more anthocyanins than red rice, and therefore much more antioxidant power. It is one of the richest foods known as antioxidants in the world. Basically, one serving of black rice contains only around 160 calories which makes it a much healthier alternative to regular white rice to eat on a regular basis. It is also said to reduce the risk of developing cancer.

The black coloured grains turn to dark blue or purple upon cooking and sometimes can be sticky.

Keeping the bran intact on rice grains ensures that the health benefits associated with the colour of the bran are transferred into the human bodies. Not only that, coloured rice adds a great element to our regular recipes and cuisines, opening up our palates to new tastes and ideas!

Kishan Bandu is authentic supplier of all kinds of regular and exotic variety of Rice. You are encouraged to visit their Rice section to get more about their organic offerings. They provide traceability of Rice which is sold on their platform.

Choice of Rice