At first glance, it seems like an unfair fight. White rice carries fewer vitamins then brown rice and causes a higher insulin spike when consumed. Win by KO, McGregor style?
Not so fast, I am afraid.
What about the fiber and mineral part? True. Brown rice carries more fiber but it is also rich in phytic acid. In my opinion, it is not a matter of whether or not you have a problem with phytic acid, it is whether or not the greater amount of nutrients in brown rice are actually off-set by its phytic acid content. For those who don’t remember, phytic acid binds to important minerals and prevents their absorption. So most of the extra nutrients that brown rice carries are not really being digested, so that is a wash.
In the grand scheme of things, the differences between brown and white rice are so minuscule, they will not affect your physique one way or another, so just go by personal preference. If anything, it is an example as to how the fitness world is obsessing about a small detail thereby losing focus of what really matters such as total amount of carbs consumed for the day. Trust me, as a personal trainer in NYC I pretty much deal all day woth people suffering from information overload. But I digress…
I, personally, cannot stand the taste of brown rice, but maybe that is why my physique is lacking…