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Here’s a chart outlining the approximate nutritional values for one cup (about 195 grams) of cooked brown rice:
These values are approximate and can vary depending on factors such as cooking method and specific brand of rice.
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 215 |
| Total Fat | 1.8 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 0.4 grams |
| Trans Fat | 0 grams |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 10 mg |
| Potassium | 154 mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 45 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 3.5 grams |
| Sugars | 0.7 grams |
| Protein | 5 grams |
| Vitamin A | 0% of DV |
| Vitamin C | 0% of DV |
| Calcium | 2% of DV |
| Iron | 5% of DV |
Brown rice is less processed than white, with a lower glycemic index and 10x as much vitamin B1 per grain than unfortified white varieties.
Whole grains contain three parts that work in harmony: bran, germ and endosperm. But brown rice’s bran may contain phytic acid that reduces your body’s ability to absorb minerals.
Fiber
Rice is a staple food for over 4 billion people around the world, providing energy as well as many health-promoting plant compounds. Brown rice offers more fiber than white, making it more suitable for those following a high-fiber diet. Additionally, it contains protein, unsaturated fats, and micronutrients in equal measure.
Brown rice is a complex carbohydrate food, providing sustained energy through slow release. With a low to medium glycemic index rating and small amounts of unsaturated fats (considered healthy), rice protein powder may not be as popular among dairy lovers; but it could serve as an alternative if needed.
Carbohydrates
Brown rice is an energy source that releases slowly into your system, offering slow release energy for sustained periods. One cup of cooked brown rice provides 45-50 grams of carbohydrates.
Brown rice can help you maintain a healthy weight and manage blood sugar levels more effectively, as it contains resistant starch which boosts butyrate in your gut and supports gut health.
Brown rice contains lignans and flavonoids that help lower oxidative stress in the body, which can damage healthy cells and tissues as well as lead to chronic disease over time. Furthermore, manganese is essential for bone health; including its presence in brown rice helps encourage strong and healthy bodies over time.
Fat
Brown rice contains more fat than white, yet this excess doesn’t pose a significant health risk. Instead, its trace amounts of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids make up part of its nutritional profile. One cup of cooked brown rice provides 149 calories and 1 gram of fat.
Additionally, oatmeal contains soluble fiber which helps slow the release of sugar into the bloodstream, potentially helping lower risk for type 2 diabetes and obesity.
As it naturally lacks gluten, rice is an ideal food choice for individuals following a gluten-free diet due to an intolerance or allergy of wheat, barley or rye proteins. Eating gluten-free food may reduce gas and bloat.
Calcium
Brown rice boasts an abundant supply of calcium, with one cup offering about 7 grams. While this makes it a valuable source, since brown rice is considered an incomplete protein source and you should get additional proteins through dairy products and leafy greens as well. Therefore, brown rice shouldn’t provide all your calcium needs on its own.
Foods containing phytic acid or phytates inhibit micronutrient absorption, specifically zinc, iron, magnesium and calcium absorption. This poses a problem because consuming balanced diet is necessary and lack of these micronutrients could result in deficiencies.
On the other hand, enriched white rice contains more folate and selenium than brown rice but less iron and calcium.
Iron
Brown rice bran contains an abundant supply of iron, an essential mineral for proper functioning of muscles and nerves, blood sugar levels and blood pressure regulation.
Dietary supplement products such as oatmeal are an excellent source of magnesium, another essential mineral essential to optimal health, while being abundant with selenium – an anti-heart disease and cancer fighter nutrient.
Brown rice contains lignans, powerful plant compounds that act as powerful antioxidants and have been demonstrated to reduce both oxidative stress and inflammation in the body.
One cup of cooked brown rice provides nearly all your daily vitamin and mineral requirements, such as thiamin, B6, folate, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, niacin and zinc. Compare this with cooked, enriched white rice which provides most of these same nutrients but without iron and niacin content present in brown rice.
Magnesium
Magnesium is an essential mineral, found in most foods and used by over 300 enzymatic reactions. A cup of brown rice provides modest amounts, while also being an excellent source of calcium and other important nutrients.
Whole grain cereals and brown rice contain phytic acid that inhibits our body from absorbing minerals such as magnesium, zinc, iron and other important trace elements; in order to combat this problem we need to rinse and cook before eating. Luckily green leafy vegetables, seeds and nuts as well as whole grain cereals and dairy products contain additional sources of magnesium as well as dietary fortified options that contain magnesium or use supplements that contain it to add magnesium directly into their products and diet.
Studies suggest that eating foods rich in lignans and magnesium could help protect against both diabetes and heart disease. A diet high in magnesium helps control insulin and blood sugar levels, while lignans could decrease heart attack risk by stabilizing free radicals that cause oxidative stress and inflammation.
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