# White rice in the third world **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 18, 2006, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-rice-in-the-third-world/357240 "2006-05-18T06:49:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-rice-in-the-third-world/357240/1 "2006-05-18T06:49:32Z")
Something puzzles me about white rice in Third World countries. Brown rice is more nutritious, or so I’ve always been led to believe. Brown rice is just unprocessed white rice, isn’t it? These countries typically suffer from a lack of nutrition, so why do they go to the extra effort de-nutrify their primary food source? ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-rice-in-the-third-world/357240/2 "2006-05-18T07:09:35Z")
Who said they don’t eat brown rice in the third world? While refined rice is valued- just like refined grains everywhere- unrefined grains often provide the bulk of the poor’s diet. There are countless variations of rice and often each town has a different variety and preparation. How essential bran nutriants are depends heavily on the rest of the diet and most cultures have developed a diet that works amazingly well. Also keep in mind that eating rice goes far beyond the bowl of rice we are used to and ecompasses a whole range of products and preparations. In many cases, even rice is a luxery and less desirable grains like millet are staples. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-rice-in-the-third-world/357240/3 "2006-05-18T07:25:03Z")
Also, I’ve found upon further research that white rice has a longer storage life. Processing strips the fat, which will eventually go rancid. If you hve some time, read about [Golden Rice](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_rice) and [New Rice for Africa](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Rice_for_Africa). There are some really interesting debates going on as we speak about this subject. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-rice-in-the-third-world/357240/4 "2006-05-18T10:53:01Z")
Of course there are commercial interests, too. **even sven** already alluded to the shelf stability of brown rice. All the more, there’s commercial demand for non-poor-people food; even in the third world not _everyone_ is poor. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-rice-in-the-third-world/357240/5 "2006-05-18T12:53:57Z")
[QUOTE=Greg Charles] Something puzzles me about white rice in Third World countries. Brown rice is more nutritious, or so I’ve always been led to believe. Brown rice is just unprocessed white rice, isn’t it? These countries typically suffer from a lack of nutrition, so why do they go to the extra effort de-nutrify their primary food source? [/QUOTE] I dunno. Why do Americans? People are weird that way. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-rice-in-the-third-world/357240/6 "2006-05-18T14:24:56Z")
Brown rice is not necessarily “more nutritious”: it’s wealth benefits are supposed to come from having more fiber… which is the part that doesn’t get absorbed by our bodies, so I’m not sure you can call it “nutritious”. Lettuce has a lot of fiber and therefore helps your gastrointestinal health, but it doesn’t “feed” you much. There are many different varieties of rice; protein content can vary from 20 to 70%. That’s for the raw variety, not the same variety’s “brown” and “white” versions. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-rice-in-the-third-world/357240/7 "2006-05-18T14:33:13Z")
[QUOTE=Nava] There are many different varieties of rice; protein content can vary from 20 to 70%. That’s for the raw variety, not the same variety’s “brown” and “white” versions. [/QUOTE] Really!? I had no idea. What kind of rice is 70% protein? And what is “raw” rice? ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-rice-in-the-third-world/357240/8 "2006-05-18T15:33:42Z")
[QUOTE=Nava] Brown rice is not necessarily “more nutritious”: it’s wealth benefits are supposed to come from having more fiber… which is the part that doesn’t get absorbed by our bodies, so I’m not sure you can call it “nutritious”./QUOTE] Pretty much the bulk of the vitamins are in the husk so without it, youre left with a not particularly nutritious source of carbs. Here’s a [page](http://web.tri-isys.com/greenhearts/orgbrown.htm) that shows the nutritional breakdown. Brown rice was instrumental in the discovery of vitamins and their role in preventing disease. This [page](http://members.tripod.com/c_rader0/reason.htm) has a good synopsis and I’ll repost due to the tiny font. (It’s not a great page but the basic facts are correct and can be verified on wikipedia). > [@](#): > > The first vitamin to be discovered was thiamin, also called vitamin B1. In 1897, Dr. Christiaan Eijkmann was working on the Indonesian island of Java. There some of the natives were suffering from a debilitating disease called beri beri. Symptoms were muscle weakness, weight loss, nervous disorders and ultimately paralysis and death. Dr. Eijkmann was searching for an understanding of the cause of beri beri and a lucky accident gave him a clue. He noticed some chickens exhibiting some of the same symptoms as the beri beri victims. > > The chickens were fed rice. The outer surface of a grain of rice is a light brown layer called rice bran. Left on the rice, it is called brown rice. But people in Asia prefer to eat white rice, rice for which the outer surface has been polished away. White rice was more expensive than brown rice, so the chickens were usually fed brown rice. But the sick chickens had been fed white rice, and little else. The conclusion was that there might be an ingredient in rice bran which prevented beri beri. This turned out to be the case. Eventually the B vitamins were isolated in pure form. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-rice-in-the-third-world/357240/9 "2006-05-18T15:57:26Z")
[QUOTE=Nava] Brown rice is not necessarily “more nutritious”: it’s wealth benefits are supposed to come from having more fiber… which is the part that doesn’t get absorbed by our bodies, so I’m not sure you can call it “nutritious”. Lettuce has a lot of fiber and therefore helps your gastrointestinal health, but it doesn’t “feed” you much. [/QUOTE] This is wrong in every way, even discounting the obvious typo. Brown rice has a range of nutrients that are lost in the refining process. > **[Dietary Fiber Nutritional Supplements](https://whfoods.com/digestive-health/dietary-fiber/)** > > Support digestive health with dietary fiber supplements. Promote regularity, improve gut health, and aid overall wellness with our fiber supplements. > [@](#): > > The process that produces brown rice removes only the outermost layer, the hull, of the rice kernel and is the least damaging to its nutritional value. The complete milling and polishing that converts brown rice into white rice destroys 67% of the vitamin B3, 80% of the vitamin B1, 90% of the vitamin B6, half of the manganese, half of the phosphorus, 60% of the iron, and all of the dietary fiber and essential fatty acids. Fully milled and polished white rice is required to be “enriched” with vitamins B1, B3 and iron. BTW, while fiber is not digestible it’s a vital part of nutrition. Our diet must contain fiber. And you’re not getting it from lettuce. Lettuce is 70% or more water, and it’s a very poor fiber source, especially the common iceburg lettuce. > [@](#): > > There are many different varieties of rice; protein content can vary from 20 to 70%. That’s for the raw variety, not the same variety’s “brown” and “white” versions. I don’t believe this either. There may be some variety somewhere that meets this standard but nothing on the American dinner table. Check the table on [this page](http://www.weightlossforall.com/protein-rice.htm). Not one of the varieties of rice comes up even to the 20% protein minimum. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-rice-in-the-third-world/357240/10 "2006-05-19T03:37:02Z")
[QUOTE=even sven] Who said they don’t eat brown rice in the third world? [/QUOTE] I did. Weren’t you paying attention? OK, I just implied it. In Viet Nam, it’s very rare to see brown rice, while white rice is everywhere. Not everyone may be poor, but I’ve visited people that had nothing to eat except rice and fish sauce, and they were still eating white rice. The shelf life may be an issue, but people tend to buy other foods fresh every day, and I’m sure they could adapt to doing the same for rice. I don’t think we’ve hit on the correct explanation yet. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-rice-in-the-third-world/357240/11 "2006-05-19T03:51:12Z")
[QUOTE=Greg Charles] In Viet Nam, it’s very rare to see brown rice, while white rice is everywhere. [/QUOTE] Same in Panama. I can’t ever remember seeing anything but white rice, even in the poorest villages. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-rice-in-the-third-world/357240/12 "2006-05-19T04:00:54Z")
On a related note, just how do you process rice? Rub it between two stones? Boil and smash? Rollermill? ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-rice-in-the-third-world/357240/13 "2006-05-19T10:56:46Z")
[QUOTE=Greg Charles] The shelf life may be an issue, but people tend to buy other foods fresh every day, and I’m sure they could adapt to doing the same for rice. I don’t think we’ve hit on the correct explanation yet. [/QUOTE] Cool! A new product idea for the hippy food stores – fresh rice! I’d venture that the economics of fresh rice isn’t all that good. A half-cup of dry, white rice will fill and entire 10" skillet when it’s done. So maybe you buy a two cups of rice per day for your family – do they make coins that small? Maybe the smallest coin in such countries only buys a heck of a lot of rice. I’ve always been curious about this aspect of rice: is it dry on the plant? If not, does the size change as it dries? That is, is it all puffed up when fresh only to get small and compact when dried out? Industrially how is it dried? How about non-industrially? ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-rice-in-the-third-world/357240/14 "2006-05-19T12:06:24Z")
[QUOTE=Greg Charles] The shelf life may be an issue, but people tend to buy other foods fresh every day, and I’m sure they could adapt to doing the same for rice.. [/QUOTE] Even though rice tends to grow in very moderate to tropical climates, it still has a growing season. This may be more due to rainy/non-rainy versus our more hot v cold temperate mentality. But it is the case. IIRC Thai jasmine rice has two plantings per year, which is a big advantage, but depending on the shelf stability it would still not allow people to “adapt” to having it “fresh” every day. FWIW, I lived in Thailand for nine months and have visited a couple of other times and only ever saw unmilled rice once. This was in a more upscale Thai restaurant obviously aimed at foreigners. The rice was okay, but just seemed “wrong” for eating with Thai food (it would have been good in a north american soup or stew). Also, FTR, Mrs Shibb’s family owns the rice mill in a southern Thai city, so I am somewhere between an expert and the guy who stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night when it comes to informed opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-rice-in-the-third-world/357240/15 "2006-05-19T12:26:35Z")
Springboarding from ShibbOleth’s post, it’s not the shelf life after retail sale that is the problem, it’s the shelf life before. Once the rice is harvested, it needs to be processed and stored for sale throughout the year. If it is significantly cheaper to store white rice, it will be cheaper on the retail end as well. Brown rice also takes about 3x longer to cook than white. I could imagine a lack of fuel being reason to prefer foods that take less time to cook, especially in very poor areas.