Unlike white rice, brown rice is a whole grain. The processing method for brown rice removes only the outer hull but not the bran or germ. This leaves more nutrients in the rice, making brown rice healthier for everyone, including people with diabetes. By controlling your portion sizes and pairing this rice with certain other foods, you can safely incorporate brown rice into a healthy diabetes diet.
Nutritional Benefits
Fiber slows your body's absorption of glucose from carbohydrates, which helps keep your blood sugar stable. Brown rice is higher in fiber than white rice, making it a healthier choice for those with diabetes. If you have diabetes, you should aim to get at least 20 g, but ideally 50 g, of fiber daily, recommend experts from the University of Maryland. A 1-cup serving of brown rice contains 3.5 g of fiber.
Brown Rice's Glycemic Index
The glycemic index, or GI, indicates how quickly a food raises your blood sugar. This applies only to carbohydrate foods, such as grains, vegetables and beans. Your meals should contain primarily low- and moderate GI-foods. Rice is a moderate-GI food, but different varieties of rice may have slightly different GIs. Brown rice has a lower GI than short-grain white rice, but a higher GI than converted, or pretreated, long-grain white rice, note experts from the American Diabetes Association.
Portioning Brown Rice
If you plan your meals using the diabetes exchange system, your health care provider will help you determine how many exchanges, or servings, you should have from each food group. A 1/3-cup serving of cooked brown rice counts as one exchange from the starch group. Dividing your plate into sections for different food groups can also help you portion your foods in a healthy way. At each meal, you can fill up to 1/4 of a 9-inch-diameter plate with starch foods, such as brown rice, in a layer up to 1/2 inch high. This is approximately 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice.
Healthier Brown Rice
In addition to fiber, protein and fat also slow the absorption of glucose into your bloodstream and help stabilize your blood sugar. A balanced meal should already contain these macronutrients, but if you decide to have brown rice as a small meal or snack, add a healthy protein or fat. Lean ground beef or poultry adds protein, and a small amount of trans-fat-free margarine or olive oil adds healthy fat.
References
- University of Kansas: Student Health Services: Diet For Reactive Hypoglycemia
- Ohio State University; Basmati rice--White vs Brown; Sharron Coplin; October 7, 2008
- University of Maryland: Diabetes Diet--Major Food Components
- Columbia University: Carol Anne's Resource Center: Brown Rice
- American Diabetes Association: Glycemic Index and Diabetes
- University of California, Los Angeles; Glycemic Index; April 2007
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