Beth- I think stick with whatever rice you normally eat. If you change to brown when you normally eat white you might confuse your system and vice versa. I eat brown rice most of the time so when I eat beans (less frequently now than I used to) I eat it with that. Use whatever works for you.
Kate- I'm with you on the carrots- I cannot get enough of them- interestingly I was talking to a friend's Mum who is a diabetic at the weekend and she can't eat them at all because they are very high in sugar- so this might be why you are craving them as dessert!