Like all other grains, rice as it occurs naturally has a hard outer layer called bran. This layer is often removed during processing. Also as with other grains, removing the bran from rice removes much of the nutritive value as well. You can buy crude rice bran to sprinkle over other food, or you can buy whole-grain products made from rice with the bran intact.
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Serving Size and Calories
Health information website SelfNutritionData gives 1 oz. as a typical serving of crude rice bran. A serving this size delivers 88 calories, which are divided between 48 calories from fat, 33 from carbohydrate and 7 from protein.
Fats
One oz., 28 g, of rice bran contains 5.8 g of fat. Although 1.2 g are unhealthy saturated fats, 4.2 g are the healthy unsaturated fats. According to Harvard University nutritionist Walter Willett, overall heart healthiness relates directly to that proportion of unsaturated fats to saturated fats.
Carbohydrates
One serving of rice bran delivers 13.9 g of carbohydrate. Just 0.3 g of these carbohydrates are sugars. The remaining are split between dietary fiber and complex carbohydrates. Dietary fiber helps your body cleanse itself, contributing to digestive and circulatory health. Complex carbohydrates digest slowly, creating lasting energy and contributing to steady blood sugar levels.
Proteins
You get 3.7 g of protein from 1 oz. of rice bran, which is 7 percent of your daily requirement per serving. Willett notes that this is an incomplete protein, delivering only some of the amino acids your body needs. For best nutrition, rice bran should be eaten with foods that provide complementary proteins.
Vitamins
A single serving of rice bran delivers more than half of your daily nutritional requirement of thiamine, niacin and vitamin B6. It carries 21 percent of your required pantothenic acid and 7 percent of your vitamin E needs. It also contains smaller, but appreciable, amounts of riboflavin, folate and vitamin K.
Minerals
Rice bran is very rich in manganese, delivering twice your daily requirement in every ounce. It also contains 55 percent of your daily magnesium, 47 percent of your phosphorus, 29 percent of your iron and 12 percent of your potassium needs. It brings 11 percent of your zinc and 10 percent of your copper to the table. Crude rice bran contains only trace amounts of sodium -- 1.4 mg per serving.
