Brown Rice

Why brown rice is rated low

Brown rice is low FODMAP at any typical portion, and it is low in a straightforward way: no FODMAP group builds to a meaningful level in it. There is no carbohydrate to work around, no sugar alcohol to watch, nothing that has to be drained or fermented away. That is why brown rice turns up as the base of so many meals on this diet. The thing to keep an eye on is not the rice but what comes with it: the sauce, the stock and the rest of the plate.

What changes your risk

• Serving size Brown rice is low at any typical portion, so an ordinary bowl does not need weighing. The amount matters less than what is cooked into it and served alongside it.
• The rest of the plate Because brown rice carries no raised subgroup of its own, the thing that tips a rice meal over is everything around it. A bowl of rice with a legume curry, a side of bread and fruit afterwards can add up even when the rice itself is doing nothing.
• Hidden onion and garlic This is the real trap with rice. Stock cubes, rice cooker seasoning packets, pilaf and biryani blends, stir fry sauces and pre seasoned microwave pouches are built on onion and garlic powder. Plain rice cooked in water stays plain.
• Cooking method does not change it Boiling, steaming, a rice cooker, fried rice or a reheated leftover portion all sit at the same rating. Nothing about heat or cooling alters the FODMAP content, so what matters is the amount and what was cooked into it.
• Flavour without the risk Garlic infused oil carries the garlic taste without the garlic FODMAPs, since they do not dissolve into oil. Chives, the green tops of spring onions and a pinch of asafoetida do similar work for a rice side dish.

What else works

Brown rice sits in good company: white rice, quinoa, polenta, buckwheat, oats and potato all fill the same starchy base role and are staples on this diet, and gluten free pasta covers the same job in a different shape. The lookalikes worth knowing are the grains people assume are equivalent because they cook the same way and sit next to rice on the shelf. Couscous, ordinary wheat pasta, barley and rye are wheat family grains and are not low FODMAP swaps at ordinary servings, and a boxed rice pilaf or a seasoned rice and vegetable blend is not the same food as plain brown rice once the onion and garlic powder is in it.

How to keep it low

Buy plain brown rice, long or short grain, with nothing on the ingredient list but rice, and do the flavouring yourself. Cook a batch at the start of the week and portion it into containers while it is still loose, which makes lunches quick and keeps the rice separate from any sauce. Rinsing before cooking is fine and changes nothing about the rating. When you are eating out, the rice is rarely the problem but the pot it was cooked in can be: ask whether it is cooked in stock or broth, which is where the onion and garlic hides, and ask for plain steamed rice instead. Microwave rice pouches are convenient but read the back, because many add onion powder, garlic powder or yeast extract even in the plain looking versions.

Common questions

is brown rice low fodmap

Yes. Brown rice is low FODMAP at any typical portion, with no FODMAP group building to a meaningful level in it.

how much brown rice can i eat

Brown rice is low at any typical portion, so an ordinary bowl fits. What tips a rice meal over is usually the sauce, stock or sides rather than the rice itself.

can i eat brown rice during the elimination phase

Brown rice is one of the standard low FODMAP staples during elimination at any typical portion. Keep it plain and season it yourself, since the trouble in a rice dish is usually the stock or seasoning blend rather than the grain. Reintroduction is worked through with a dietitian.

does brown rice have onion or garlic in it

Plain brown rice does not. Seasoned rice mixes, pilaf blends, microwave pouches and rice cooked in stock very often do, so check the label or ask for it cooked in water.