Oats vs. White Rice: Which is Healthy?

Oats are an extremely healthy whole grain and a good source of many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. On the other hand, white rice is a great source of manganese and iron. But do you know which of the two is healthier?

Below, we used data from the 2020 USDA and NIH data to compare the nutrient composition of 100 grams of cooked oats and white rice.

Below is an overview comparing the nutritional value of oats with white rice:

• White rice, like oats, are both calorie-dense food.

• Thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, and vitamin B6 levels are higher in oats.

• Calcium may be found in abundance in oats.

• Dietary fiber, iron, potassium, and protein are all found in high concentrations in oats.

• As a matter of fact, white rice contains 20.3% less saturated fat than oat.

Oats vs White rice: a comparison between their nutritional profiles.

Calories

White rice, like oats, is a calorie-dense food. White rice provides 130 calories per 100 grams, whereas 100 grams of oats have 389 calories, a difference of 19%.

When compared to white rice, oats have a higher protein to carbohydrate ratio, a lower glycemic index, and a higher fat to calorie ratio. The calorie distribution among protein, carbs, and fat is 17:67:16 for oats and 8:91:2 for white rice.

Dietary Fiber

If you're looking for a good dose of fiber, go no further than oats; with 10.6 grams of fiber per 100 grams, they're 34 times more filling than the same amount of white rice.

Protein

When compared to white rice, which contains 2.4 grams of protein per 100 grams, oat has 16.9 grams of protein per 100 grams, making it a far more efficient protein source.

Fat

White rice has 0.06g of saturated fat per 100 grams, whereas a serving of oat contains 1.2g of saturated fat per 100 grams.

Vitamins

Thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, and vitamin B6 levels are higher in oats. Niacin and folate are found in high concentrations in both oats and white rice.

Omega 3s and 6s

Oats have more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) per 100 grams than white rice provides. In terms of omega-6 fatty acids, oats contain higher linoleic acid per 100 grams than white rice.

Minerals

The amount of calcium in 100 grams of oats (54mg) is 17 times higher than the amount in 100 grams of white rice (3mg).

When comparing iron content per 100 grams, oat contains 217% higher iron than white rice (1.5mg vs. 4.7mg in oat).

There are 13 times as many milligrams of potassium per 100 grams in oats as there are in white rice, making oats a superior source of this mineral.