Battle of Rice vs Roti
Roti and rice both play a very integral part in the diet of the Indian people. Their meal is considered to be incomplete without rice or roti. Rice and roti are high in carbohydrates and hence all weight watchers are caught against the big battle of roti or rice?
Rice
White rice is the refined type of rice which is processed by removing the bran and polishing the grain. Removing the bran rips off the fiber and most of the nutrients contained in it. Nutrients like plant proteins, fiber, vitamins and minerals are lost while polishing the rice. Cooking rice with excess water also drains off most of the nutrients
Brown rice is produced when the outermost layer, the hull, is removed from the rice kernel while retaining all the nutritional values which are generally lost during processing and polishing.
- Brown rice is highly nutritious and has good content of fiber, vitamin B, magnesium, iron and zinc.
- Rice bran contains fiber which helps to reduce blood cholesterol levels.
- Brown rice helps to control weight and reduce cholesterol levels which indirectly reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Roti
- Rotis made from wheat flour can be made low in fat by avoiding ghee, butter or oil while kneading the dough or while serving the chapatti.
- To make rotis more nutritious and increase the quantity of proteins you can add soya flour or gram flour to the wheat flour before kneading the dough.
- You can increase the fiber content in rotis by adding powdered oats or using jada flour (coarsely ground wheat flour) bran to the wheat flour.
In Summary
Both rice and roti are rich in carbohydrates. Though of equal caloric value, their nutritional value differs as roti has higher amount of fiber than in rice. Rice is high in starch which is easily digestible and has higher glycemic index. Hence, roti is preferred to rice in diabetics and for people requiring weight loss. Roti can be made more nutritious by adding bran, oats or soya and the application of ghee or oil on roti should be avoided. Brown rice is superior to white rice since it is less polished and hence lesser nutrients are lost during processing