Rice

Is rice healthy?

It depends on the kind of rice you choose.

White rice is considered a nutritionally inferior "refined grain" because its bran and germ are removed during the milling process, which strips away B vitamins, iron and fiber. Though white rice is typically enriched with iron and B vitamins, fiber is not added back.

Brown rice is the same thing as white rice but is a "whole grain," because only its inedible outer husk is removed. Since brown rice retains its bran and germ, it's a better source of antioxidants, vitamin E and fiber.

Bread and rice could be making Pacific children overweight.

The study, published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, is based on a survey of more than one thousand children born in the year 2000 and their eating habits at ages four and six.

It says despite evidence that about half of the childrens' food intake was energy-dense food like cereals and bread, it couldn't prove a link to obesity.

Research officer, Fa'asisila Savila, says it is the type of bread the children are eating that is the problem.