Is rice gluten free ?
Rice is an annual plant, a cereal of the grass family that originates from tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and Africa.
According to the degree of processing of the rice grain, there are the following types of rice:
- Paddy rice or barley;
- Semi-husked rice or cargo;
- Hulled or white rice and
- Heat treated or boiled.
Nutritionists usually recommend brown rice for food because the shell is not removed from the core of the grain, which makes the grain have a unique taste, but also harder to chew. It cooks twice as long as white rice. White rice, on the other hand, is more delicate and soft, but does not have the nutritional properties of brown rice.
Rice is a very important part of the diet, so you can make very tasty and healthy meals from rice. You can see the nutritional value of white rice.
The nutritional value of white rice (200g) is as follows:
- 260 kcal
- 4.6g of protein
- 0.4g of fat
- 55g of carbohydrates
- 0.6g of vegetable fiber
The nutritional value of integral rice (200g) is:
- 245 kcal
- 5.5g of protein
- 1.9g of fat
- 51.7g of carbohydrates
- 3.2g of vegetable fiber
In the following, you can see the table with the comparison of white and integral rice:
| Nutrient | White Rice (Enriched) | Wholemeal Rice |
|---|---|---|
| Iron (mg) | 2.8 | 1.1 |
| Thiamine (B1) (mg) | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Niacin (B3) (mg) | 3.4 | 5.2 |
| Vitamin B6 (mg) | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| Vitamin B9 (mcg) | 108 | 18.2 |
| Phosphorus (mcg) | 68.8 | 208 |
| Magnesium (mg) | 24.2 | 78.8 |
| Zinc (mg) | 0.8 | 1.4 |
| Selenium (mcg) | 14 | 11.7 |
| Copper (mg) | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| Manganese (mg) | 0.7 | 2 |
Whole grain rice can reduce the risk of a number of diseases and conditions such as:
- hypertension
heart attack
type 2 diabetes
constipation
cardiovascular diseases - increased cholesterol
obesity
Is there gluten free rice?
Of course there is gluten free rice. It is brown rice, white rice, wild rice. Rice in its pure form does not contain gluten. This whole grain is available in many varieties, each with different nutritional content and health benefits.
Brown rice is full of nutrients. It contains manganese, selenium and fiber. Brown rice has a thicker texture because it is unrefined and still contains bran and germ. Both are removed when white rice is processed.
White rice is an extremely popular type of rice, but it lacks much of its nutritional value. Fiber and other vitamins and minerals have been removed from white rice to create a smoother texture and longer shelf life.
Technically, wild rice is not rice, even though it is sold as such. It is actually grass and gluten free. Wild rice is more difficult to grow than rice and therefore may be more expensive or mixed with brown or white rice to reduce costs. Wild rice contains many vitamins and minerals such as fiber, folic acid and vitamin B-6.
In general, rice is a gluten free food. Be sure to check the labels of any rice you buy to make sure it hasn’t come into contact with gluten products.
We recommend you to read our article about magnesium.
