All white rice starts out as brown rice. A milling process removes the rice’s husk, bran, and germ. This process increases white rice’s shelf life but removes much of its nutrition, including fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

To counteract this, white rice is artificially fortified with nutrients. The refined grain is also polished to appear more palatable.

Both white and brown rice are high in carbohydrates. Brown rice is a whole grain. It contains more overall nutrition than its paler counterpart. Whole-grain foods may help reduce cholesterol and lower the risk of stroke, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.

The nutritional information below is based on a serving size of 1/3 cup of cooked rice. The nutritional breakdown for white rice is based on average nutrition information for long-grain white rice found in the Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database. The breakdown for brown rice is based on 1/3 cup cooked long-grain brown rice.