White rice has no nutritional value. The husk, which contains the vitamins and protein, has been entirely stripped, leaving only the soft kernel inside which has almost no nutrients. Thus minerals and vitamins are added back to white rice during the packaging process to make it somewhat healthy.
Opt for parboiled rice (closest to white once cooked) which is also similarly priced to white, or go wild – literally – and get what is called wild rice, which is just how rice should be. I’m also partial to black rice which can be quite more expensive for rice, but it’s really fragrant and tasty (but be careful with the water, it stains easily).
All of these have a higher protein content than white rice, lower calories, and the nutrients didn’t have to get added back in, they come from the rice itself.
I have to disagree with your assessment comrade, if white rice were not reinforced (thankfully this is done by using the ground up husk of the rice grain they just broke up) and you ate it everyday, you would certainly have vitamin deficiencies, potentially lethally so. Is this considered healthy? It’s the same problem as eating lean meat, it can be lethal if you rely on it too much and people should know this is a risk. Thankfully I’m not aware of any non-reinforced rice or white flour, but I have to wonder what exactly is lost during this reinforcing process. The macros are there somewhat, I don’t think all the micros can be.
Rice is a daily staple food in many parts of the world; I agree that people should diversify their diet, but this is easier said than done! (And I’m definitely not the most diverse eater). Replacing white rice with more whole rice, and doing the same with flour, is a simple switch that is more healthy.
Healthy like you said is a vague concept, but there are ways to trudge through that. Trans fats for example are unequivocally unhealthy and their consumption should be avoided entirely. Healthy encompasses more than something being non-toxic, I take a very analytical approach and essentially place a healthy diet as something that hits your recommended nutrient quotas.
So for example,
Yes, but it’s not solely the fat. Junk food uses the trifecta of sugar, salt and fat to become pleasing and potentially addictive. 5g of salt a day is the maximum recommended amount, but most people consume more than that – a Whopper at Burger King contains 9 grams of salt. It’s also the calories and the feeling of fullness; many people (it doesn’t seem to affect everyone) report still feeling hungry after eating fast food or junk food which encourages them to eat something more. The whopper I mentioned contains 678 calories already (just the simplest whopper with no cheese), where most people need ~2k every day, which is honestly not so bad, I expected worse lol (but of course people usually add cheese and extra patties in it).
Reducing your carb intake is actually healthy, as high-carb diets are a driver of type 2 diabetes. Fibres (a type of carbs) are also very important, and white rice has almost none whereas parboiled rice has 4 times the contents.