White rice

White rice is the exception to the no-grains rule, and the reason is the milling: the bran and germ are removed, and with them go the phytate, the lectins, the polyunsaturated oil and most of what makes whole grains hard on a gut. What remains is starch, and starch is useful.

It is the gentlest carbohydrate there is, which is why it is the food doctors give to people recovering from stomach illness and why it sits in the digestion cluster.

  • Cooked, with fat and protein
  • 2 recipes
  • Starch
  • Updated Sep 2026

What it supplies

Nutrient · per 100 g, cooked (about half a cup) Amount % DV Relative amount
Carbohydrate 28 g 10%
Protein 2.7 g 5%
Fat 0.3 g 0%
Fibre 0.4 g 1%
Energy 130 kcal 0%

Source: USDA FoodData Central.Percent Daily Values are based on adult reference intakes. The bars stop at 100%; the numbers do not.

Why it works

Whole grains are sold on their fibre and minerals, but the phytate in the bran binds the very minerals it contains, and the fibre and lectins irritate the gut in people who are already inflamed. Removing the bran removes the problem, and the arsenic that concentrates in it, too.

Cooked in bone broth with butter and salt, rice becomes a vehicle for glycine and fat rather than empty starch — which is how the 50 Man Foods use it.

How much, how often

  • 1–2 cups

    Cooked, with fat and protein

    Clean carbohydrate to carry butter, broth and meat.

  • Cook in broth

    1 : 1½, twelve minutes

    Turns starch into a vehicle for glycine and fat.

How to buy and prepare it

Jasmine or basmati for fragrance and low arsenic; Californian or basmati rice test lowest. Avoid brown rice for the reasons above. Parboiled rice keeps more B vitamins and cooks more separately. Organic makes little difference to rice.

Rinse until the water runs clear; it removes surface starch and some arsenic.

Rinse, then one part rice to one and a half parts bone broth or salted water, brought to a boil, covered and simmered on the lowest heat for twelve minutes, then rested off the heat for ten. Stir in butter. For fried rice, use day-old cold rice; fresh rice steams instead of frying.

Dry rice keeps for years sealed. Cooked rice must be cooled quickly and refrigerated within an hour — Bacillus cereus spores survive cooking and grow at room temperature — and eaten within two days, reheated until steaming.

Recipes that use it

In these guides

Questions

Why white and not brown?
The bran carries the phytate, lectins, oil and arsenic. White rice is the grain with the seed's defences milled off. The fibre and minerals it loses are better supplied by fruit, potatoes and animal food.
How much rice a day?
One to two cups cooked, with fat and protein, for an active man. It is easy to overeat on its own; with butter and broth it is satisfying at a reasonable portion.
What about arsenic?
Rice absorbs arsenic from soil, mostly into the bran. White basmati and jasmine test lowest; rinsing and cooking in excess water lower it further. At one or two cups a day it is not a concern.