The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends you make at least half of the grains you eat daily come from whole grain sources. Brown rice is the whole grain version of white rice. Brown rice is not a different variety of rice, rather it is rice that has not had the outer layer, called the hull, removed. White rice is processed and polished, diminishing its nutrient and fiber content.
Macronutrients and Calories
One cup of white rice contains 205 calories and no fat. It provides 45 g of carbohydrates and 4 g of protein. One cup of brown rice contains 11 more calories and 2 g of fat. It also provides 45 g of carbohydrates and is slightly higher in protein, with 5 g.
Vitamins
White rice is enriched with thiamine and niacin. One cup provides 17 percent of the Recommended Dietary Allowance, or RDA, for thiamine and 12 percent for niacin, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. It also provides 23 percent of the RDA for folate and 7 percent for vitamin B-6. Brown rice is not enriched, and contains 12 percent of the RDA for thiamine, 15 percent for niacin, 2 percent for folate and 14 percent for vitamin B-6. Both offer 6 percent of the RDA for pantothenic acid. Brown rice also offers 3 percent of the RDA for riboflavin and 1 percent for vitamin K.
Minerals
White rice is also enriched with iron, bringing its content up to 11 percent of the RDA for one cup. Brown rice offers 5 percent of the RDA for this mineral. White rice and brown rice have similar amounts of the trace minerals zinc and copper, between 8 and 10 percent. Each offers 2 percent of the RDA for potassium. Brown rice is richer in magnesium, with 21 percent of the RDA versus 5 percent in white rice. It also contains 16 percent of the RDA for phosphorus, opposed to the 7 percent offered by white rice. Brown rice has 88 percent of the RDA for manganese, compared to 37 percent in white, and 27 percent for selenium, compared to 17 percent in white.
Fiber Considerations
One cup of cooked white rice contains 1 g of fiber, while one cup of cooked brown rice contains 4 g. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that helps to keep your digestive tract healthy, improves colon health and certain types may help to lower your cholesterol. Fiber also helps to keep you feeling full and mitigates surges in blood sugar. The Institute of Medicine recommends most adult women consume 25 g of fiber daily and men 38 g.
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