How Did Calories in Rice Become the Best? Find Out.

Rice is perhaps the most commonly consumed food the world over. The calories in rice account for approximately 20% of the total calories consumed by people across the world. Rice is a staple food source for many cultures, and is used in cooking both savoury and sweet dishes. There are a multitude of different varieties of rice, including many species of long grained rice, short grained rice, brown rice, white rice, basmati rice, Wehani rice, Nishiki rice, Patna rice, Molakolukulu rice (also known as Nellore Molakolukulu rice), jasmine rice, and wild rice. For those of us that are on a calorie controlled diet, we need to look at how many calories in rice.

How many calories in rice will depend on several factors: The type of rice (long grain, short grain, brown rice, white rice), whether the rice is cooked, dry or raw, how the rice is prepared (fried rice, boiled rice etc), and of course the size of the serving of rice. The table below covers the calories in white rice, both cooked and uncooked. The calories in other types of rice are discussed further down the page, along with the vitamins and minerals in rice. The information on these tables comes from the USDA National Nutrient Database which collects nutritional information on many types of food.

Calories in White Rice

White Rice Serving Size Calories Protein Carbs
Cooked White Rice 100g 130 2.7g 28g
Cooked White Rice 1 cup 158g 205 4.25g 44.5g
Uncooked White Rice 100g 365 7.1g 80g
Uncooked White Rice 1 cup 185g 675 13.19g 147g

So what can we see from this table about calories in white rice? Well firstly we can see that there are plenty of calories in rice. There are about 1.3 calories for every gram of cooked white rice, while there are a whopping 3.6 calories for every gram of uncooked, dry rice. If you are on a low calorie diet then knowing the exact weight of the rice you consume. It will help to keep your calorie intake under control.

You May Also Like :   Will Egg White Calories Make You Slim?

Cooked rice (such as boiled rice or steamed rice) will have less calories than raw rice. Because the cooked rice has a higher water content for the same weight. We can also see that there are plenty of carbs in rice: as much as 80% of raw rice is carbohydrate. If you are on a low carb diet of some sort, then it’s unlikely that rice will make up a large proportion of your diet or eating routine.

Calories in Brown Rice

Brown Rice Serving Size Calories Protein Carbs
Cooked Brown Rice 100g 111 2.58g 23g
Cooked Brown Rice 1 cup 195g 142 5g 44.7g
Uncooked Brown Rice 100g 370 8g 77g
Uncooked Brown Rice 1 cup 185g 684 14.7g 142g

How many calories in brown rice is not much different from white rice as a general rule. As you can see from this table, there are approximately 111 calories per 100g of brown rice compared to 130 calories per 100g of white rice. Not a huge difference in terms of calories. The carbohydrate content of white and brown rice is also very similar. Brown rice still contains too many carbs to suit most people on low-carb diets. If you have a highly active lifestyle however. Then the calories in rice will provide you with the energy that you need to support that lifestyle.

Calories in Fried Rice

Fried Rice Serving Size Calories Protein Carbs
Fried Rice 100g 163 4.6g 31g
Fried Rice 1 cup 140g 228 6.5g 43.4g

Fried rice is a very common way to consume rice in many western countries such as America, the UK or Australia. The exact nutritional content of fried rice will vary. This significantly depending on how much oil is used in the cooking, and also on which other ingredients are include with the fried rice such as egg, ham, carrots, onions etc. The calories in fried rice listed on this chart should be used as a rough guide only. The calories in fried rice will be higher than in other forms of rice. Because of the extra calories that come from fat in the oil used for frying.

You May Also Like :   What Mom Never Told You About Calories In Egg

How Many Calories in Rice

Knowing how many calories you should eat a day is the first step towards a healthy lifestyle. This calorie calculator will help you decide how many calories you should eat to match your age, activity level, current weight, gender, and also weight loss or weight gain target. When preparing meals to nutritional guidelines, it’s best to be as accurate as you can regarding the calories in food you eat. If making fried rice for example, don’t neglect to calculate the amount of calories in food that is added to the rice, such as the oil, butter, ham, broccoli, eggs or any other ingredients. Often these additional calories are not taken into consideration, and therefore may inadvertently affect your diet or eating plan. Even adding a small amount of oil to a frying pan boosts the calories and fat that you consume.

How Many Vitamins in Rice?

“How many calories in rice” is not the only nutritional factor to consider. Rice is also rich in vitamins and minerals, along with other nutrients. The vitamins list in the following table are for 100 grams of cooked brown rice.

  • Vitamin B1 (thiamine) – 0.102 mg
  • Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) – 0.012 mg
  • Niacin – 1.33 mg
  • Pantothenic Acid – 0.392 mg
  • Vitamin B6 – 0.149 mg
  • Folate – 4 mcg

How Many Minerals in Rice

Along with the calories in rice, there are also plenty of minerals as well. These are the minerals in 100g of brown rice:

  • Potassium – 79 mg
  • Phosphorus – 77 mg
  • Calcium – 10 mg
  • Magnesium – 44 mg
  • Iron – 0.53 mg
  • Sodium – 1 mg
  • Manganese – 1.097 mg
  • Zinc – 0.62 mg
You May Also Like :   How Many Calories Are in Watermelon

Rice is an excellent source of calories and nutrients, and should form a part of most peoples diets. Excepting of course if they are on a low carb diet such as Atkins. Rice is cheap, easy to prepare in a variety of ways. And filled with energy and kilo-joules for people who have an active lifestyle. How many calories in rice should still be a consideration for people who are trying to lose weight however. Also remember that boiled rice or steamed rice is generally the lowest calorie way to eat rice. Fried rice will often contain much more calories because of the extra ingredients and oil.

More About Calories in Rice