Brown rice vs White rice: nutrition per 100 g

Brown rice is the whole grain with only the husk removed; white rice has also lost its bran and germ to milling and polishing. That process barely changes the energy. Per 100 g of raw grain, brown rice has 354 kcal and 74.8 g of carbohydrate, white rice 356 kcal and 78.2 g. So a switch to brown rice is not a calorie cut. Protein rises a little, from 7.9 g to 9.2 g, and fat from 0.5 g to 1.2 g, because the germ holds a small amount of oil.

Brown rice has 4.4 g of dietary fibre per 100 g against 2.8 g in white rice, about 1.6 times as much. That is a genuine gain, and it slows digestion a little. It is still modest next to whole wheat atta or the millets, which carry well over double that amount. White rice ranks 13th of 14 cereals and millets for fibre, and brown rice lifts it only part of the way, so pairing either with dal, vegetables and salad remains the surest route to a high-fibre plate.

The bran and germ carry most of the grain's micronutrients, and the numbers show it. Brown rice has 94 mg of magnesium per 100 g, about 4.9 times the 19 mg in white rice, and 267 mg of phosphorus against 96 mg. Iron rises from 0.65 mg to 1.02 mg and zinc from 1.21 mg to 1.68 mg, though rice in any form stays a weak iron source. White rice ranks last of the 14 cereals and millets for iron.

The vitamin gap is wider. Brown rice has 0.27 mg of thiamine against 0.05 mg, about 5.4 times as much, covering 15 per cent of a man's daily need per 100 g against 3 per cent. Niacin doubles from 1.69 mg to 3.4 mg, vitamin B6 rises from 0.12 mg to 0.37 mg, and vitamin E climbs from 0.04 mg to 0.62 mg. Thiamine loss is why diets built almost entirely on polished rice were once linked to beriberi.

Brown rice needs soaking and longer cooking, has a chewier bite and a nutty taste, and does not give the soft, separate grains of a biryani or the creamy texture of curd rice. Its oil-rich bran also shortens shelf life, so it is best bought in small packs. Hand-pounded rice, once common in Kerala and Tamil Nadu villages, sat between the two. Every figure here is for raw grain; cooked rice absorbs water and weighs roughly two to three times more.