Question on nutritional info: rice
#308615 - 06/05/07 03:43 PM
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Please forgive me if I can find this elsewhere... this is my first post and while I'm familiar with forums, I wasn't able to find this answer from searching.
On the list of soluble fiber, it lists rice. I've read here that brown rice is considered whole grain, and therefor it's insoluble. Is this correct? I bought some white rice, and although rice is on the top of the "soluble fiber" list, the nutritional info states it contains no dietary fiber whatsoever. Isn't dietary fiber supposed to mean soluble AND insoluble fiber?
Thanks so much... I'm a little confused!
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Here's an old post that talks about why the fiber info on nutrition labels is often meaningless and talks a little about why brown rice (like oatmeal and cornmeal) show up on the Soluble Fiber list - with a link to another discussion of brown rice.
HTH.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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The definition of fiber changed a few years ago and the meaning on the label changed at the same. Let me illustrate with a simple example
Consider Old Fashion 100% Natural Quaker Oats. On the label it says that it contains 4 grams of fibre of which 2 grams is SF and 2 grams is IF.
Consider the newer Quaker Oats' Take To Heart instant Golden Maple oatmeal. The label states it contains 5 grams of fiber of which 4 grams is SF.
How come there is a difference?
One of the things that changed was the definition of Total Fiber. It changed from being solely Total Dietary Fiber (i.e. SF + IF) to being Dietary Fibre plus Functional Fiber .
Functional Fiber consists of nondigestible carbohydrates such as resistant starches that have beneficial physiological effects in humans. Many functional fibers act just like SF and they are sometimes called SF on the label. Prebiotics are functional foods.
Now look at the ingredient list for the newer instant Golden Maple oatmeal:
WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS, BROWN SUGAR, SUGAR, MALTODEXTRIN, UNSULPHURED MOLASSES, POTASSIUM GLUCONATE, OAT BRAN, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, MILLED FLAXSEED, CALCIUM CARBONATE, SALT, GUAR GUM, VITAMIN E ACETATE, CARAMEL COLOR, SODIUM ASCORBATE, ASCORBIC ACID, SUCRALOSE, NIACINAMIDE*, BETA CAROTENE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE*, FOLIC ACID*, RIBOFLAVIN*, THIAMIN MONONITRATE*, CYANOCOBALAMIN*.
Notice the fourth item on the list is maltodextrin. It is a functional food. By adding it and other ingredients to the instant oatmeal cereal compared to 100% natural oatmeal ceral the overall IF content decreased by 1 gram and the SF (including functional fiber that act like SF) increased by 2 grams.
Now consider rice
Note from the table that brown rice contains about 4 times as much dietary fiber compared to white rice. Other data sources such as the Finelli Food Database tells that about 90% of the dietary fiber in both types of rice is IF
Also note from the table that both types of rice are composed of approximately 14-16% resistant starch of which approximately 15% is the functional fiber - the part that reaches the colon.
In summary, white rice contains about 2% dietary fiber most of which is IF and 2% functional fiber that acts like SF. Brown rice contains about 6% dietary fiber most of which is IF and 2.5% functional fiber which acts like SF.
I hope this helps. Good luck 
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for an earlier great post about this.
PS to Syl - thanks for the great new post about this. I added a link to that to the sticky post on fiber charts.
- H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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