Health Wise
No matter the type – short grain, medium grain, long grain, white or brown – rice in its various forms plays an important part of a healthy diet.
In fact, the official dietary guidelines for Australian children, teenagers and adults specifically recommends we "Eat plenty of cereals (including breads, rice pasta and noodles), preferably wholegrain".
Grain-based foods are an essential part of eating for people of all ages as they contribute valuable amounts of energy-giving carbohydrates, protein, dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals. As covered in the ‘Nutrition’ section of our website, rice has strong nutrition credentials, making it a great food to enjoy every day.
Grain-based Food Recommendations
The question begs to be asked - How many serves of grain-based foods are recommended each day?
The actual amount we need each day varies according to factors like body size, activity levels, gender and age. The 'Food for Health' guide recommends that Australians of all ages (from age 4 years and upwards) eat at least 4 serves of grain-based foods every day. This advice is also supported by Go Grains Health & Nutrition – the leading independent nutrition advisor in Australia for grain foods in human health.
What is a 'Serve'?
One 'serve' of grain-based food:
= 1 cup of cooked rice, pasta, noodles
= 2 slices of bread
= 1 medium bread roll
= 4 crispbreads
= 1 cup of porridge
= 1 1/3 cups of breakfast cereals flakes
= 2 wheat-flake or oat-flake breakfast biscuits
= ½ cup of muesli
What About Wholegrain Foods?
Wholegrain varieties of grain-based foods are particularly nutritious as they contain all the goodness of the grain, including the bran, germ and endosperm.
The bran (fibre rich outer layer) and germ (nutrient rich core) contain many beneficial components like vitamins, minerals, fibre and proactive substances such as antioxidants and phytonutrients.
Brown rice is a wholegrain food, as are mixed-grain breads, wholegrain breakfast cereals, rolled oats, wholemeal pasta, corn and popcorn. A diet high in wholegrain foods is heart friendly, and has been shown to protect against a variety of the conditions – from bowel health to body weight - that plague us today.
How Much is Enough?
Go Grains Health and Nutrition Limited has researched the scientific literature and established a daily target for wholegrain intake. Go Grains suggests all Australian adults aim for 48g of wholegrains per day, as part of a healthy diet.
The table below provides examples of readily available wholegrain foods and their approximate wholegrain content – to show how easy it can be to reach your target.
| Wholegrain Food | Wholegrain Content (in grams) |
| Wholemeal bread (100% wholegrain flour), 2 slices (60g) | Approx. 40g |
| Wheat-flake breakfast biscuits, 2 biscuits (30g) | 29g |
| 50% wholegrain breakfast cereal, 30g serve | 15g |
| Porridge, 1 serve using 1/3 cup rolled oats | 31g |
| Wholegrain crispbreads (95% wholegrain rye flour), 4 slices | 30g-40g |
| Brown rice, 1 cup cooked rice | 80g |
| Wholegrain pasta, 1 cup cooked pasta | 53g |
It’s impressive to know one 'serve' of cooked brown rice contains 80g of wholegrains, which is close to double the suggested daily wholegrain intake!