Rice is a cereal grain with the second-highest production worldwide, after maize or corn. This grain is an important staple food for a large part of the world's population, according to the Rice Trade website. Rice provides more than 20 percent of the calories humans consumer worldwide. It's typically classified by the size of the grain, although grain size does not affect nutrient values. While white rice is nutritious and keeps longer than brown rice, it lacks some important nutrients that brown rice contains.
Enriched White
Enriched white rice, like enriched white flour, is much higher in many nutrients than non-enriched rice. Non-enriched white rice, while a good source of the minerals manganese and selenium, is not particularly high in any vitamin. According to the Nutrition Data website, 1 cup of parboiled, enriched, long-grain white rice provides 194 calories, 1 g of fat, 5 g of protein, 41 g of carbohydrates and 1 g of dietary fiber. It has 12 percent of the recommended daily value for vitamin B6, 18 percent for niacin or vitamin B3, 22 percent for thiamin or vitamin B1, 32 percent for folic acid, 16 percent for iron, 21 percent for selenium and 28 percent for manganese.
Vitamins and Minerals
The B-vitamins are important for nervous system function and energy metabolism. According to Northwestern Health Sciences University, vitamin B6 helps make red blood cells and certain hormones, while folic acid is important for a healthy pregnancy, immune system function and cardiovascular health. Iron is necessary for transporting oxygen-rich blood throughout the system and, along with selenium, proper immune system function and manganese aids in the formation of connective tissue and bone.
Brown
Brown rice is a whole grain. According to the World's Healthiest Foods website, for brown rice, while the seeds of the rice plant are milled using a rice huller to remove the outer husks of the grain, the bran is not removed, which is done for white rice. Brown rice is lower in vitamins but richer in minerals than enriched rice. According to the Nutrition Data website, one cup of cooked long-grain brown rice provides 216 calories, 2 g fat, 5 g protein and 4 g dietary fiber and meets 12 percent of the DV for thiamin, 14 percent for vitamin B6, 15 percent for niacin, 10 percent for copper, 16 percent for phosphorus, 21 percent for magnesium, 27 percent for selenium and 88 percent for manganese.
Additional Nutrients
Since brown rice is not enriched, it is not a good source of iron; however, it provides more selenium and manganese than enriched rice. According to the World's Healthiest Foods website, brown rice is high in other minerals, including copper, phosphorus and magnesium. According to Your-Doctor.com, copper helps maintain the cardiovascular and skeletal systems, supports collagen production and helps iron absorption and release. Phosphorus is essential for healthy bones and teeth and is a component of all cell membranes. Magnesium helps convert food into energy and promotes a healthy blood pressure.
Benefits
Rice is high in energizing carbohydrates and is a good source of protein, although it is an incomplete protein source, meaning it does not provide all essential amino acids. Rice is bland, and is an appropriate food choice for people with digestive issues. According to FamilyDoctor.org, a bland-food diet that doctors often recommend for adults and children is the BRAT diet, which consists of bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. The BRAT diet helps those recovering from an upset stomach or diarrhea. Also, according to the Wellness.com website, rice is a relatively low-allergenic food.
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