How many calories any standard Chipotle order packs. – Whether you get a burrito, burrito bowl, three-taco spread, or a salad, here are the calorie breakdowns every standard portion of individual Chipotle menu item contains. Taken together, you can use any combination of the following to make a burrito bowl. Ingredients:

romaine lettuce: 5 calories tomatillo green-chili salsa: 15 calories fajita veggies: 20 calories fresh tomato salsa: 25 calories tomatillo red-chili salsa: 30 calories roasted chili-corn salsa: 80 calories cheese: 100 calories sour cream: 115 calories pinto beans: 115 calories black beans: 120 calories steak: 150 calories sofritas: 145 calories barbacoa: 165 calories chicken: 180 calories carnitas: 210 calories brown rice: 210 calories white rice: 210 calories guacamole: 230 calories chorizo: 300 calories

For burrito bowls, this is the caloric baseline, clocking in at about 705-1250 total calories, depending on your guac, protein selection, and additional fixings. For burritos, add a flour tortilla (300 calories), and you’re looking at a range of about 1085-1550 total calories, depending on topping selections.

Are Chipotle bowls healthy?

4. Save half for later. Or not. – We hear it all the time: If you’re going to eat out, you should try to have about half of what’s on your plate and bring the rest home for a second meal, because restaurant portions are so big. This definitely applies at Chipotle if you’re getting something with high calorie and fat totals—like that tortilla burrito we talked about earlier.

• Or you can go for a healthier option, like a bowl or salad, and eat to your stomach’s heart’s content.
• You can order a bowl with steak, vegetables, lettuce, salsa, a sprinkle of cheese, black beans and guacamole for around 400 calories and 30 grams of carbohydrates,” says Leonard.
• This would be fine for anyone following a regular healthy-eating plan.” Remember that all foods—even healthy options—can become not so great for you if eaten in excess, so it’s important to always watch your portions and try not to overeat.

With these tips, however, eating wherever you want, even a fast-food joint like Chipotle, is possible.

How many calories are in a full chipotle chicken bowl?

Is Chipotle very high calorie?

Brow Beat Your favorite Chipotle meal might be caloric, but that doesn’t mean it’s unhealthy. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images Earlier this week, the New York Times published a data analysis of 3,000 meals ordered at Chipotle and determined that the average order contains 1,070 calories, 2,400 milligrams of sodium, and 75 percent of the daily recommended intake of saturated fat.

1. Predictably, this data went viral.
2. People love to read about Chipotle—a fact that Slate has taken advantage of as much as any other publication.
3. People also love to wring their hands about their calorie intake.
4. The Times feature hit the sweet spot of both of these obsessions.
5. But as the news spread around the Web, it began to get distorted.

Lots of outlets claimed that the Times had proven not that Chipotle’s food is high in calories, but that Chipotle’s food is unhealthy. People, for instance, began its article about the Times data this way: “Some guacamole here, a little corn there, maybe some rice mixed in— your Chipotle lunch is looking pretty healthy, right? Wrong.

” Jezebel ran a post about how very unsurprising the data was under the headline, ” Chipotle Is Really Unhealthy And? ” Bustle, in a similarly snarky vein, wrote, ” The New York Times wants us to know that Chipotle burritos are actually rather unhealthy,” Let’s set aside the Times ‘ sodium and saturated fat calculations—after all, the conventional wisdom that they lead to poor health outcomes is very much in question,

Most aggregators were focused on the calories, anyway, and many of them equated high in calories with bad for you, To be fair, the Times article encouraged this mindset; its authors claimed to want to answer the question, “How healthy is a normal Chipotle meal?” But their analysis did nothing of the sort: It just showed that the average Chipotle meal is high in calories, which is not the same thing as showing that the average Chipotle meal is unhealthy.

It’s obvious to the point of sounding stupid: Any food is high in calories if you eat enough of it. And you can’t accuse Chipotle of hiding its calories with deceptively small portion sizes—its burritos are, as Bustle put it, “the size of your head.” That’s because Chipotle burritos are made from relatively unprocessed ingredients that provide bulk as well as calories.

In fact, most of the sources of calories at Chipotle have a lot to recommend them, nutritionally. Almost every order includes beans and vegetables, which most Americans don’t get enough of. You’re likely to get a fair amount of fiber and protein in any given order, both of which contribute to satiety and make it unlikely that you’ll be hungry for dessert afterwards.

• Even guacamole, which is obviously high in calories, is an excellent source of “good” fat, fiber, and vitamins,
• Granted, the burrito tortillas are empty calories, full of fat and simple carbohydrates, but the corn tortillas for tacos are made from whole grains and are correspondingly high in fiber.
• Even the tortilla chips are high in fiber!) In fact, if you plug one of the Times ‘ sample average orders—a barbacoa burrito with rice, pinto beans, fajita vegetables, roasted chili corn salsa, cheese, sour cream, and lettuce—into Chipotle’s nutritional calculator, you’ll find that it contains 20 grams of fiber, 53 grams of protein, and more than 50 percent of the recommended daily values for vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron.

When you look at it that way, the burrito’s 1085 calories don’t seem so bad. Maybe I sound like a shill for Chipotle right now—so be it. (For the record, I prefer the burritos from Dos Toros, a New York City mini-chain.) It just pains me that so many people have been brainwashed into thinking that shouldn’t eat something just because it’s high in calories.

Modern nutritional science is founded on the idea that there are lots of vectors on which a food’s healthfulness can be measured: calories, fat, fiber, sugar, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, etc. And these days, most nutritionists recommend eating a variety of whole, unprocessed or minimally processed foods—like, for instance, just about every ingredient you can get at Chipotle.

Of course it’s not good for you to eat too many calories, but calories aren’t the be-all and end-all of nutrition. And you’re way better off consuming 1,100 nutrient-packed calories at Chipotle than consuming 1,100 empty calories at McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, or any other fast-food chain that specializes in processing ingredients until they’re barely recognizable as food.

Food

How many calories is the average meal at Chipotle?

The SHOCKING Calorie Count of the Average Chipotle Meal (and How to Outsmart the Trend) With its emphasis on high-quality ingredients and its customizable menu items, Chipotle Mexican Grill is more popular than ever. But just what does that ability to custom-build meals mean when it comes to calorie counts? Researchers at the New York Times set out to determine the number of calories in a typical meal, and here’s what they found.

1. According to analysis of over 3,000 purchases, the average meal ordered at Chipotle has about 1,070 calories.
2. As if that’s not bad enough, about 90 percent of the meals analyzed clocked in at over 625 calories.90 percent! This isn’t the first controversy surrounding Chipotle’s calorie counts.
3. Just last year, researchers at Duke University discovered that consumers underestimated the total calories in their order, reportedly by about 21 percent.

This means the burrito you think has 600 calories actually has closer to 750. But before you swear off Chipotle, here are some facts to consider. * Studies have shown that the average restaurant meal, in general, has more than 1,000 calories. As people who review chain restaurant stats on the regular, we can attest that a lot of menu options hover around that number.

The difference? Since most restaurants offer standard choices as opposed to Chipotle’s mix-n-match meals, it’s easier to determine your meal’s calorie count at those eateries, particularly if the nutritional info is provided. * Chipotle’s customization feature – and online meal builder, complete with custom calorie counts – also makes it easier to get a truly smart meal.

Since the concept encourages a DIY approach, you can design a meal with a reasonable calorie count. rather than having to special order at other places. * Don’t feel like fussing with Chipotle’s nutritional calculator, or unsure about your best bets? We’ve taken the guesswork out of guilt-free eating with our Chipotle Mexican Grill Survival Guide ! Check it out, and click here for more restaurant survival guides.

Is Chipotle OK to eat on a diet?

Chipotle is one of the healthier fast-food joints: they use fresh ingredients with no processed or artificial additives, That’s pretty impressive for a restaurant chain of their size. But even though Chipotle’s ingredients are better than most, you can still rack up the calories on a typical order.

1. We dove deeper into their menu to break down how to order—from start to finish (and save you up to 900 calories).
2. Plus, get six dietitian-approved orders, including bowls, tacos and salads.
3. Using Chipotle’s Nutrition Calculator, we found that a Chipotle burrito can easily weigh in at over a thousand calories.

For example, if you ordered a burrito with carnitas, brown rice, pinto beans, fresh tomato salsa, cheese and guacamole, you’d be consuming about 1,235 calories. Depending on your needs, that could be almost a day’s worth of calories in just one burrito.

At EatingWell, we love Chipotle as much as the next person. But even the best-intentioned customer can go overboard unintentionally if they’re not careful about their choice of ingredients. That said, the nutrition calculator can actually be a helpful tool when trying to create a healthy meal. You’ll have more information to make the best order for you.

Plus, the option to personalize your meal (including options to add extra or go light) means no more surprises. Here’s our guide to ordering healthier meals at Chipotle (that’s still darn tasty). Plus, our six combinations of our favorite meals will take the guesswork out of what to order.

Can I eat Chipotle everyday?

Chipotle Health FAQ – Q: So, does this mean I can eat at Qdoba too? They’re basically the same, right? A: NO! This is what sets Chipotle apart. You can find Chipotle’s Ingredients HERE, You can find Qdoba’s HERE, Just as an example, here’s the difference in ingredients for brown rice between the two: Chipotle Brown Rice: Brown Rice, Bay Leaf, Cilantro, Lemon Juice, Lime Juice, Rice Bran Oil, Salt, Water Qdoba Brown Rice: Brown Rice, Rice Seasoning (Fire Roasted Tomatoes, Fire Roasted Garlic, Chipotle Pepper Puree, Salt, Vinegar, Sugar, Yellow Onions, Spices, Soybean Oil), Pan Release Spray (Canola Oil, Capric/Caprylic Triglycerides, Phosophated Mono and Diglycerides, Calcium Stearate, Silicon Dioxide, Propellant ) Mmmmmpropellant! Q: Can’t you find clean options just about anywhere? I mean, just get the grilled chicken, right? A: I really wish this was true.

Someone was asking for clean options at Chik-Fil-A in our group one day, so I went to their online menu to try to find something. Here’s what I found for the ingredients of their grilled chicken nuggets: Grilled Nugget Ingredients: Grilled chicken (whole breast filet, seasoning ). SOURCE: Chik-Fil-A website Maltodextrin, sugar, modified corn starch Q: What about sodium? Isn’t Chipotle super high in sodium? A: Yes.

If you get the burrito bowl with brown rice, chicken, black beans, mild and medium salsa, cheese, and guac, it’s about 2000mg of sodium. The recommended daily limit for adults is 2300mg. So, it would take up most of your sodium limit for the day. You can drop it down a bit by opting for lettuce instead of rice, leaving the cheese off, and doing just one salsa.

How many calories in a Chipotle bowl without rice?

Chipotle Burrito Bowl Without Rice, With Meat And Cheese (1 One Burrito Bowl ) contains 2g total carbs, 1g net carbs, 14g fat, 27g protein, and 260 calories.

Net Carbs 1 g Fiber 1 g Total Carbs 2 g Protein 27 g Fats 14 g

260 cals Quantity Serving Size

How many calories are in a Chipotle bowl with chicken and white rice?

Hello Fresh Chipolte Chicken And Rice Bowl (1 serving) contains 71g total carbs, 65g net carbs, 19g fat, 35g protein, and 610 calories.

Net Carbs 65 g Fiber 6 g Total Carbs 71 g Protein 35 g Fats 19 g

610 cals Quantity Serving Size

How many calories is Chipotle chips?

Sides – Chipotle’s main meal offerings are packed, so the restaurant keeps its sides simple. A favorite is the crispy, salty, tortilla chips with guacamole, salsa, or queso for dipping. Chipotle’s regular bag of chips is intended to share and comes in at 540 calories, 25g fat, and 390mg sodium. Also on the menu is a large bag of chips, which offers 810 calories, 38g fat, and 590mg sodium.

Is Chipotle bowl or burrito more calories?

How many calories any standard Chipotle order packs. – Whether you get a burrito, burrito bowl, three-taco spread, or a salad, here are the calorie breakdowns every standard portion of individual Chipotle menu item contains. Taken together, you can use any combination of the following to make a burrito bowl. Ingredients:

romaine lettuce: 5 calories tomatillo green-chili salsa: 15 calories fajita veggies: 20 calories fresh tomato salsa: 25 calories tomatillo red-chili salsa: 30 calories roasted chili-corn salsa: 80 calories cheese: 100 calories sour cream: 115 calories pinto beans: 115 calories black beans: 120 calories steak: 150 calories sofritas: 145 calories barbacoa: 165 calories chicken: 180 calories carnitas: 210 calories brown rice: 210 calories white rice: 210 calories guacamole: 230 calories chorizo: 300 calories

For burrito bowls, this is the caloric baseline, clocking in at about 705-1250 total calories, depending on your guac, protein selection, and additional fixings. For burritos, add a flour tortilla (300 calories), and you’re looking at a range of about 1085-1550 total calories, depending on topping selections.

Why is Chipotle so caloric?

Chipotle is Not Unhealthy – One of my pet peeves is the misconception that Chipotle is unhealthy for you. Nearly everyone I talk to about Chipotle believes that Chipotle is as bad for them as is McDonald. By the way, Chipotle is not owned by McDonald and does not source its ingredients like McDonald does.

1. One would believe that Chipotle’s perpetual advertising of its dedication to locally sourcing organic foods would dispel such false beliefs, but evidently, that is not the case.
2. When talking about the nutritional value of Chipotle, it is important to realize that, yes, Chipotle can be unhealthy, but more often than not, Chipotle is not unhealthy.

Those who believe Chipotle is a burrito-shaped missile that will harm a healthy lifestyle argue that Chipotle burritos have so much calories. However, whenever I eat Chipotle, I manage to eat less than 500 calories, which is a reasonable amount of calories for a meal. My usual choice at Chipotle is a burrito bowl with rice, fajita vegetables, chicken, tomato, corn, red-hot salsa, and lettuce. Such burrito bowl keeps me full and satisfied for at least three hours—oftentimes one or two hours more. The total calorie count for such fulfilling, refreshing, and delicious burrito bowl? 485 calories.

• Not only is the calorie count so low, but there are 41 grams of protein in my burrito bowl.
• Since I weigh 125 pounds, 41 grams of protein is more than half my daily recommended allowance of protein.
• Now, let’s consider what happens if I put the three calorie-heavy ingredients into my burrito bowl—turning the bowl into a real burrito.

My burrito would now pack a whopping 995 calories—nearly half the daily recommended allowance of calories for the average male adult. Clearly, my burrito is now considered unhealthy because of the huge amount of calories. However, even that argument is not truly correct.

Why? Because my average meal is not the size of a 995 calorie burrito. Rather, I would normally eat a little over half the size of that burrito. So if I eat the same mass of food through a Chipotle burrito as I eat during a normal meal, my calorie consumption drastically decreases compared to if I were to eat the whole burrito.

The bottom line is, you can’t blame Chipotle for being unhealthy simply because it provides a lot of food. If you have a lot of any food, you will be looking at high calorie counts. After sifting through all the misinformation on why Chipotle is unhealthy, one should break down a burrito down into its individual parts. The one flaw of Chipotle is that its foods contain a lot of sodium. Although sodium will not make you fat, sodium can cause other health problems if taken in excess. Thus, if Chipotle could reduce the sodium in its foods in half, I don’t see why I could not live off Chipotle for the rest of my life.

Is Chipotle healthy than McDonald’s?

Many students believe one of the healthier meal options on campus lies at Chipotle Mexican Grill. This massive US-based chain serves Americanized Mexican food using a build-your-own entree style. But when looking at the numbers, Chipotle may not be all it’s cracked up to be.

By analyzing calorie counts, sodium level and overall nutrients in a basic entree, you may realize Chipotle may not be the best option when compared against other fast-food heavyweights, such as McDonald’s. The main problem when eating at Chipotle comes with sodium intake. The CDC recommends that one should not eat more than 2,300 mg a day,

High intakes of salt can increase blood pressure which can result in heart problems, stroke and heart disease. At Chipotle, the tortilla shell and two scoops of white rice —the portion size for any entree — contain 950 mg of sodium, which is the same amount of sodium as the entirety of most frozen pizzas, and more ingredients only add to this. Burgrito’s serves Madison as delicious replacement on Monroe Street I’ll be the first to admit I had my doubts. It sounded gimmicky. It had the potential to go so Read Other fast-food joints like McDonald’s don’t do much better when it comes to regulating sodium in their meals, however, when directly compared to Chipotle, they seem like a similar alternative.

A Big Mac meal with fries and a Coca-Cola amounts to 1,310 mg of sodium, 127g of carbohydrates, 30g of protein and 45g of fat. The calorie counts are fairly similar, adding up to 1,020 total calories. Chipotle boasts more than double the sodium, similar fat counts, and more protein than the average McDonald’s meal.

While Chipotle frequently advertises their ” real ingredients ” and shows images of fresh, untainted products, one has no choice but to assume they are a healthy restaurant. Next time you’re craving a healthy meal option, try a salad or making a homemade burrito — Chipotle might not be your answer.

Are Chipotle bowls high calorie?

Most Chipotle Orders Have More Than 1,000 Calories (and a full day’s worth of sodium) The New York Times set out to answer a question many of us are curious about: How healthy is a normal Chipotle meal? At Chipotle, you have complete freedom to customize your order and build a burrito, bowl, or taco plate just how you like it.

• That means you can pile on the cheese, guac, and sour cream—or keep it basic with just meat, beans, and salsa.
• But what you order and the way you customize it can take your meal in two directions: your burrito can turn out to be moderately healthy, or excessive in terms of fat, sodium, and calories.
• With the help of a large sample of online orders (300 GrubHub orders, to be exact), set out to answer a question that many of us are curious about when we walk into a Chipotle: How healthy is a normal Chipotle meal? The NYT writes, Today, we have a ballpark estimate.

The typical order at Chipotle has about 1,070 calories. That’s more than half of the calories that most adults are supposed to eat in an entire day. The recommended range for most adults is between 1,600 and 2,400. If you look at the histogram below, which charts the distribution of calories for all online orders, you can see that a standard burrito and burrito bowl (with the typical additions of salsa, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, rice, and beans) is very likely to reach 1,000 calories.

• The NYT data analysis reveals many more interesting Chipotle nutrition facts.
• Chipotle customers can and do order meals with fewer than 650 calories, such as a cheese-free burrito bowl.
• On the other end of the spectrum, about one in 10 meals had more than 1,600 calories,” reports the NYT,
• Something else Chipotle fans should know: Most meals have a full day’s worth of sodium.

Below is a variety of actual meals across the calorie distribution, based on over 3,000 meals ordered on, compiled by the, Check out to find out more about the sodium and saturated fat content of Chipotle orders.

Is Chipotle good after a workout?

Protein: Chipotle offers a variety of protein options, including chicken, steak, and tofu, which can help repair and build muscle. Carbohydrates: Rice and beans are good sources of carbohydrates, which can replenish glycogen stores and provide energy for your next workout.

Why is Chipotle food so good?

“Food with Integrity” – Chipotle’s motto of “food with integrity” was inspired by what founder Steve Ells learned about American food production. Ells became committed to serving food that was ethically and naturally produced, which Chipotle claims results in meat that is tastier than what other restaurants serve.

In 2013, Chipotle instituted a no-GMO policy for its ingredients. Consumers agreed. Despite higher food costs that caused Chipotle to raise its prices in 2014, same-store sales grew by 16.8 percent, store margins rose to 27.2 percent and net income increased by 36 percent. Chipotle opened 192 new stores in 2014 and hopes to open another 200 in 2015.

Why? As books and documentaries exposing the negative sides of the fast food industry became popular, Chipotle’s sales and profits grew. Consumers who wanted healthy food weren’t ordering salads at McDonald’s and Wendy’s ( WEN ), looking instead for naturally-raised or organically-produced food.

Why do people love Chipotle?

Why People Love Chipotle – Mission Measurement The recent New York Times article “At Chipotle, How Many Calories Do People Really Eat?” (which reveals what we really eat when we dine at Chipotle) struck a chord with many readers — most lauded Chipotle’s tasty menu, some were surprised by the number of calories in favorite dishes, while others blamed consumers for making poor food choices.

• The volume of responses highlighted an important point–consumers are passionate about Chipotle, and for that reason Chipotle’s lines are out the door, literally.
• In fact, data explains the chain’s success.
• A recent Mission Measurement consumer research survey identified how strongly Chipotle performs at delivering the social benefits that matter to consumers.

Of the 50 restaurants included in the study, Chipotle falls within the top quartile of brands that deliver these important social benefits. So what are those benefits that underscore Chipotle’s high performance? Chipotle serves healthy food at affordable prices, made of high quality and fresh ingredients.

• Mission Measurement’s consumer research study found that these three benefits are most important in driving consumers’ Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) choice.
• Moreover, Chipotle makes it easy for consumers to customize their meals so they can maximize their choice (i.e.
• Order just one taco for portion control, no sour cream for fat count, spicy salsa for mouth burning joy), and ultimately satisfaction with their Chipotle experience.

It also enables consumers to make smarter decisions by transparently breaking down the nutritional content of meals (check out their easy-to-use nutrition calculator). Transparency and customization were also identified as important benefits that consumers highly value.

For all these reasons and more consumers eagerly reward Chipotle with their lunch money! It’s no wonder Americans love Chipotle. Chipotle delivers on the very things that matter most to consumers: it serves flavorful food made with fresh, healthy ingredients, quickly, at palatable prices. If that isn’t enough, it allows (or dare I say encourages) customers to customize their meal, so that they get exactly what they want.

If only all other Quick Service Restaurants would follow suit : Why People Love Chipotle – Mission Measurement

Which meat is healthiest at Chipotle?

Paleo: Chicken Salad Bowl – Getty Images Staying true to paleo is surprisingly easy at Chipotle, which may be why folks who follow this eating style are such fans of the fast-casual spot. “Skip the tortilla and any other grain offered, such as white or brown rice, and ask for lettuce and fajita vegetables as a base,” recommends Knott.

Is Chipotle truly healthy?

Chipotle nutrition: Pros – For the most part, Chipotle can easily be a part of a healthy diet, mostly because its build-your-own model helps set it apart from other chains. Being in control of your ingredients allows you to create a personalized meal based on your health goals, whether that be gaining muscle, losing weight, or just trying to eat more nutritious foods.

Chipotle can be pretty healthy because they have veggies and lean protein,” says Lisa Moskovitz, RD, CDN, founder of The NY Nutrition Group, like chicken and steak, black and pinto beans, fajita vegetables, and fresh tomato salsa. That’s important, because you want to bulk up your meal with vegetables whenever you can, Gans says, since they’re lower in calories and high in filling fiber,

And as far as protein goes, pretty much every option on the menu (with the exception of the carnitas and the sofritas) is lean—even the steak only has 6 grams of fat. “The ingredients themselves are all fairly healthy choices—nothing is really bad in and of itself,” she adds.

Is Chipotle bowl good protein?

Post-Workout Meal – A Chipotle bowl can be an easy option for athletes to enjoy following a workout to help them with meeting their recovery nutrition needs. The three main priorities for recovery nutrition include:

Hydration: Replace fluid and electrolytes lost in sweatCarbohydrates: Replace carbohydrate stores used for energyProtein: Build and repair lean muscle mass

A well-planned Chipotle bowl can easily provide athletes with a great source of both protein and carbohydrates. Many of the bowl toppings (proteins, beans, salsas) contain sodium, which can help with replacing the sodium lost in sweat. Make sure to enjoy your bowl with water to help with meeting your hydration needs and you are set with a great post-workout meal.

How healthy is white rice for you?

Although white rice is processed, it’s usually enriched with added nutrients. Also, its low fiber content may help with digestive issues. Brown rice, however, is more nutritious, contains more fiber, and is a better choice for diabetes, heart disease and weight maintenance.

Many health communities view white rice as an unhealthy option. It’s highly processed and missing its hull (the hard protective coating), bran (outer layer) and germ (nutrient-rich core). Meanwhile, brown rice only has the hull removed. For this reason, white rice lacks many vitamins and minerals that are present in brown rice.

However, there are some instances where white rice is a better option than brown rice. This article helps determine whether white rice is healthy or bad for you. White and brown rice are the most popular types of rice and have similar origins. Brown rice is simply the entire whole rice grain.

It contains the fiber-rich bran, the nutrient-packed germ and the carbohydrate-rich endosperm. On the other hand, white rice is stripped of its bran and germ, leaving just the endosperm. It’s then processed to improve taste, extend shelf life and enhance cooking properties ( 1 ). White rice is considered empty carbs since it loses its main sources of nutrients.

However, in the US and many other countries, white rice is typically enriched with added nutrients, including iron and B vitamins like folic acid, niacin, thiamine and more ( 2, 3 ). This table shows how 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of the different types of rice compare nutritionally when cooked ( 4, 5, 6 ).

A 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of brown rice has fewer calories and carbs than white rice and twice as much fiber. In general, brown rice also has higher amounts of vitamins and minerals than white rice. However, enriched white rice is higher in iron and folate. What’s more, brown rice contains more antioxidants and essential amino acids.

It’s also worth noting that both white and brown rice are naturally gluten-free, which makes them a great carb option for people with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Summary Brown rice is more nutritious than white rice, but most white rice in the US and other countries is enriched to increase its nutritional value.

Low GI: 55 or less Medium GI: 56 to 69 High GI: 70 to 100

Foods with a lower GI appear to be better for people with type 2 diabetes, as they cause a slow but gradual rise in blood sugars. Higher GI foods may cause rapid spikes ( 7, 8 ). White rice has a GI of 64, while brown rice has a GI of 55. As a result, carbs in white rice are turned into blood sugar more rapidly than those in brown rice ( 9 ).

This may be one reason why white rice has been associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. In a review of studies in over 350,000 people, researchers found that those who ate the most white rice had a higher risk of type 2 diabetes than those who ate the least ( 10 ). What’s more, each serving of rice eaten per day raised the risk of type 2 diabetes by 11%.

Similarly, a US-based study showed that higher intakes of white rice were linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, whereas higher intakes of brown rice were linked to a significantly lower risk ( 9 ). Summary White rice has a higher glycemic index, which means its carbs convert more quickly into blood sugar than brown rice.

High blood pressureHigh fasting blood sugarHigh triglyceride levels A large waistlineLow levels of “good” HDL cholesterol

Studies have shown that people who regularly eat large amounts of white rice have a higher risk of metabolic syndrome, especially Asian adults ( 11, 12, 13 ). But while studies have noticed a connection between white rice consumption and diabetes, the link between white rice and heart disease is still unclear ( 13, 14 ).

Meanwhile, brown rice consumption has been associated with a lower risk of heart disease. For instance, adults that consume the most amount of whole grains may have an up to 21% lower risk of heart disease than adults eating the least amount ( 15 ). Brown rice also contains lignans, a plant compound that has been shown to help lower blood pressure, reduce the amount of fat in your blood and reduce arterial stiffness ( 16 ).

Summary Higher intakes of white rice may raise your risk of metabolic syndrome. However, its connection to heart disease is still unclear. White rice is classified as a refined grain because it’s stripped of its bran and germ. While many studies have connected diets high in refined grains to obesity and weight gain, the research is inconsistent when it comes to white rice.

• For instance, some studies have associated diets high in refined grains like white rice to weight gain, belly fat and obesity, while other studies have found no correlation ( 17, 18, 19, 20 ).
• Plus, diets centered around white rice have been shown to promote weight loss, especially in countries where it’s an everyday food ( 21, 22, 23 ).

In short, white rice appears to be neither detrimental nor favorable for weight loss, However, eating diets high in whole grains like brown rice have more consistently been shown to aid weight loss and help maintain a healthy body weight ( 24, 25, 26 ).

Brown rice is thus the favorable choice for weight loss, as it’s more nutritious, contains more fiber and provides a healthy dose of disease-fighting antioxidants. Summary White rice does not appear to affect weight loss very much. However, studies show that brown rice can promote both weight loss and maintenance.

Rice grown in certain parts of the world is contaminated with arsenic, The rice plant accumulates more arsenic than most other food crops. This becomes a problem where soil or water sources are contaminated with arsenic. High intake of arsenic is associated with an increased risk of cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

1. Additionally, it is toxic to nerves and may affect brain function ( 27, 28, 29, 30 ).
2. This is a particular concern for those who follow a rice-based diet, especially children.
3. Professionals advise parents to avoid feeding young children high amounts of rice or rice-based products.
4. Certain types of rice contain lower amounts of arsenic than others.

These include jasmine and basmati rice, as well as rice grown in the Himalayan region. Additionally, arsenic tends to accumulate in the bran. As a result, brown rice contains higher amounts of arsenic than white rice ( 31, 21 ). Summary Rice may be contaminated with arsenic, which is linked with an increased risk of cancer and heart disease.

• For this reason, do not base your diet on rice and try to choose varieties that are relatively low in arsenic.
• Heartburn, nausea and vomiting or those recovering from medical procedures that affect the digestive system may also find a low fiber diet beneficial.
• White rice is often recommended in these cases, as it’s low in fiber, bland and easy to digest.

Summary White rice is bland, low in fiber and easy to digest, making it a good option for people with digestive problems, nausea or heartburn. White rice is often unfairly criticized and can serve as a better alternative to brown rice in some situations.

For instance, women going through pregnancy may benefit from the extra folate found in enriched white rice. Additionally, people on a low-fiber diet and adults experiencing nausea or heartburn may find that white rice is easier to digest and does not trigger uncomfortable symptoms. However, brown rice is still the better option for most.

It contains a wider variety of vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids and plant-based compounds. It also has a lower glycemic index, which means its carbs are more slowly converted into blood sugar, making it more ideal for people with diabetes or prediabetes.

That said, it’s perfectly fine to enjoy white rice in moderation without feeling guilty. Summary Brown rice is the healthier option for most people, but it’s fine to enjoy white rice from time to time. Though white rice is more processed, it’s not necessarily bad. Most white rice in the US is enriched with vitamins like folate to improve its nutritional value.

Additionally, its low fiber content may help with digestive issues. However, brown rice is ultimately healthier and more nutritious. Not to mention, studies have shown that brown rice is better for diabetes, heart disease and weight maintenance.