Depending on how refined it is, rice is a healthy complex carbohydrate.
Carbohydrates have taken quite the beating in the nutrition world, thanks to low-carb diets that promise to shed pounds fast. However carbohydrates are a necessary component of any diet, and provide energy for your body. The trick is picking the right kind of carbohydrate to eat. Simple carbohydrates, such as sugar can lead to overeating, obesity and diabetes. Complex carbohydrates include starches like bread and rice. But again, there are many variations that make choosing between the two a more complicated endeavor.
The Science of Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates convert glucose into energy for your body by releasing sugar into your bloodstream. How quickly it does this is based on whether the carbohydrate is simple or complex. Sugar, which is primarily glucose, processes immediately. Complex carbohydrates are a little bit more complicated to break down, and these starches or fibers are considered a healthier choice in your diet as a result. This is especially true of fiber, which does not necessarily digest but binds to fatty substances and eliminates as waste.
Refined vs. Unrefined
Grains are available both refined and unrefined, which impacts their nutritional value. Fiber makes you feel fuller so that you eat less, but that is one of the things that refined grains lose in the refining process. Unrefined grains, on the other hand, retain these vitamins and minerals and are therefore healthier and more beneficial for you to digest. This means brown or wild rice will be healthier, generally, than white, refined rice. Likewise whole grain bread is much healthier than white, refined bread.
Glycemic Index
How the body processes carbohydrates can also be measured on the Glycemic Index (GI.) A higher number means your blood sugar rises, and subsequently drops, faster than those foods with a lower number. If you eat a diet primarily made up of these high GI foods, you'll be hungrier more often and suffer lethargy from the blood sugar crashes. This will lead you to eat more of these same foods. Foods are broken up into low (55 or less,) medium (56 though 69) and high GI categories (70 or more.) Basmati rice, which is white, rates a 58 GI, whereas long grain white rice rates a 50. White bread, on the other hand, rates a 70, whereas heavy mixed grain only rates a 45. Using this measurement, a heavy mixed grain bread would be a better choice than certain rices.
Overall Benefit
Because there are so many variables to consider when choosing between rice and bread, it would be misleading to say unequivocally that one is better than the other -- when obviously, there are benefits to both. Other considerations include how the foods are prepared and how much is ultimately consumed. A typical serving of rice would be a half-cup, as compared to a slice of bread. Most foods eaten in excess could pose health risks. A balanced diet with proper portions of proteins, fats and carbohydrates are your best bet to overall health.
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