If brown rice is better than white rice, clearly purple (or black) rice is even healthier, right?

A few days back, I paid my third visit to a downtown Phoenix sushi establishment, intent on some sashimi. I’m a lover of buttery consistency when it comes to salmon and tuna, and Harumi checks that box. While in the devouring process, I glanced up and was smacked in the face by some bold claims on their flat screen monitor.

According to research from the Department of Food Science at Louisiana State University, a spoonful of black rice bran contains more health promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than a spoonful of blueberries, but with less sugar and more fiber and vitamin E antioxidants.

Interesting propaganda. I’m not saying they were wrong or even misleading, but let’s dig a little bit into the health benefits. This, as it often does around here, is about to turn into a discussion on challenging assumptions. From Consumer Reports:

Recent research has linked an as yet unnamed compound in that layer to reduced blood pressure and a lower risk of clogged arteries. And black rice, in particular, contains a high level of anthocyanins, a class of disease – fighting antioxidants.

Those anthocyanins are what gives black rice its namesake color, so we know that they are present in abundance. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that our bodies are reaping the benefits. You may remember our discussion on rice from a few months back. We were able to say definitively that brown rice is less processed than white, but that doesn’t actually make it healthier. All those vitamins and minerals are locked in the outer bran of brown (and black) rice, and we can’t break them down. You’ll probably still need to eat your blueberries.

As a rule, whenever I see ads touting the magic properties of a particular food, I’m skeptical. I want to see the studies demonstrating the impacts the food actually has on our overall health. In this case, it seems to be more marketing than reality.

But enough about the health benefits; what you really want to know about is the taste. I’d crushed black rice on numerous occasions before, but never with sushi. As a favor to all of you (smirk), I had to be the guinea pig.

If you close your eyes, the spicy tuna roll tastes not a bit different from one prepared with your standard sweet and sticky white rice. My fish was exquisite and the sushi rice was tremendously prepared, so the flavor profile, consistency and overall experience were on point.

Next time you’re out at the sushi bar, eat your rice in moderation, whether it’s white or black, and always question the claims you see displayed on big flat screens.