Food · 5 min read ·

Rice, potatoes or pasta?

The side dish takes up a large part of the plate. What matters more — the type, whether it is wholegrain, or how you prepare it?

In a nutshell

1Wholegrain or white?

Wholemeal flour, brown rice or oats contain the whole grain, including the outer layers and the germ, so they have more fibre. The World Health Organization recommends that carbohydrates in the diet come mainly from whole grains, vegetables, fruit and pulses.4

Strong evidence 90 g a day A summary of 45 studies: every 90 g of whole grains a day (for example two slices of wholegrain bread and a bowl of wholegrain cereal) went with a 19% lower risk of coronary heart disease and a 17% lower risk of premature death. White rice and refined grains showed no such link.1

2Rice

Moderate evidence +11% With every daily serving of white rice, the risk of type 2 diabetes rose by 11%. The link was strong in China and Japan, where rice is eaten in large amounts; in Western countries it was weak.5
Moderate evidence −16% When people replaced 50 g of cooked white rice a day with brown rice, their risk of type 2 diabetes was 16% lower. Replacing it with whole grains in general lowered it by 36%.6

3Potatoes

Moderate evidence 150 g Overall, potatoes were not linked to mortality, heart disease or colorectal cancer. Boiled, baked and mashed potatoes were only slightly linked to type 2 diabetes. Deep-fried chips were: every 150 g a day went with a risk of diabetes about two thirds higher and a risk of high blood pressure about a third higher.2

4Pasta

White spaghetti has a glycaemic index of 49, boiled potatoes 78 and white rice 73.7

Moderate evidence −0.63 kg In 32 comparisons from randomised trials, people who ate pasta as part of a low-glycaemic-index diet did not gain weight — they lost 0.63 kg more than on a higher-index diet.3

5Cooled side dishes

Weak evidence — a small study 2.5× Cooked rice that spent 24 hours in the fridge and was then reheated had about 2.5 times more resistant starch (1.65 g instead of 0.64 g per 100 g). In a small study of 15 people it raised blood sugar less than freshly cooked rice.8
Moderate evidence over 28 g A summary of studies on resistant starch: compared with ordinary starch it slightly lowered fasting blood sugar and insulin resistance, more so at doses over 28 g a day. Cooled rice adds only about 1 g per 100 g.8,10

6Legumes as a side dish

Moderate evidence −0.17 mmol/L A daily portion of legumes (about 130 g) lowered "bad" LDL cholesterol by 0.17 mmol/L on average in 26 randomised trials.9

What to take from this

Sources

Written on , based on studies available at that date. Newer research may change the conclusions.

  1. Aune D. et al. (2016). Whole grain consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all cause and cause specific mortality: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies. BMJ 353:i2716. doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i2716
  2. Schwingshackl L. et al. (2019). Potatoes and risk of chronic disease: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. Eur J Nutr 58:2243–2251. doi.org/10.1007/s00394-018-1774-2
  3. Chiavaroli L. et al. (2018). Effect of pasta in the context of low-glycaemic index dietary patterns on body weight and markers of adiposity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials in adults. BMJ Open 8:e019438. doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-019438
  4. WHO (2026). Healthy diet — fact sheet. who.int
  5. Hu E. A. et al. (2012). White rice consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes: meta-analysis and systematic review. BMJ 344:e1454. doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e1454
  6. Sun Q. et al. (2010). White rice, brown rice, and risk of type 2 diabetes in US men and women. Arch Intern Med 170:961–969. doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2010.109
  7. Atkinson F. S., Foster-Powell K., Brand-Miller J. C. (2008). International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008. Diabetes Care 31(12):2281–2283. doi.org/10.2337/dc08-1239
  8. Sonia S., Witjaksono F., Ridwan R. (2015). Effect of cooling of cooked white rice on resistant starch content and glycemic response. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 24:620–625. doi.org/10.6133/apjcn.2015.24.4.13
  9. Ha V. et al. (2014). Effect of dietary pulse intake on established therapeutic lipid targets for cardiovascular risk reduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. CMAJ 186:E252–E262. doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.131727
  10. Xiong K. et al. (2021). Effects of resistant starch on glycaemic control: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Nutr 125:1260–1269. doi.org/10.1017/S0007114520003700

This is general information and does not replace a doctor or dietitian. If you find a mistake or a newer study, let us know.