White Rice vs Brown Rice vs Millets

White rice, brown rice and millets are the three staples most Indian kitchens choose between, and millets are widely assumed to be the safe one. The measured numbers complicate that.

Four millet and coarse-grain preparations measured higher than white rice. A ragi ball came out at 98.2, close to the top of the scale.

The study's authors put it plainly: merely being a whole grain-based food does not qualify for a lower glycaemic index. Processing, structure and how a food is prepared matter as much as the grain it started as — which is why jowar measured 84.1 as a roti and 61.3 as an idli.

None of this makes millets a bad choice. They carry more fibre and minerals than polished rice, and India's dietary guidelines encourage them for good reasons. But choose them for those reasons, and do not assume that a food is gentle on your blood sugar because the grain in it is fashionable.

There is more on which millets and dals genuinely test low in our Knowledge Base.