✦ Anthocyanin-rich bran ✦ Higher antioxidants than brown rice ✦ Fibre and vitamin E ✦ Nutty sweet flavour

Black rice (also called forbidden rice) is a whole grain rice with deep purple-black bran rich in anthocyanin pigments — the same antioxidants found in blueberries. It provides fibre, iron, vitamin E, and a range of polyphenols at levels that meaningfully exceed those of white or brown rice. It has a nutty, slightly sweet flavour.

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Preparation note

Rinse then soak 30-60 minutes; cook in 2 parts water for 30-35 minutes. The cooking water turns purple — it can be used as a natural food colouring or drunk as a beverage.

Sources: CoFID 2021

Macronutrients per 100g

370
kcal
Energy
7.57
g
Protein
73.0
g
Carbs
2.93
g
Fibre
3.44
g
Fat
0.00
g
Salt

How to read GI & GL

GI (Glycemic Index) rates how fast the carbohydrates in a food raise blood glucose compared to pure glucose (= 100). Low GI ≤ 55 means a slow, steady rise. But GI says nothing about how much carbohydrate you're actually eating.

GL (Glycemic Load) fixes that. It multiplies GI by the actual grams of carbohydrate per typical serving: GL = GI × carbs per serving ÷ 100. This makes it the more useful number for real-world blood sugar management.

Why they can disagree — a food with low GI can still carry a high GL if the serving is large and carb-dense. Conversely, watermelon has a high GI (72) but a low GL (4) because a normal portion contains very few carbs. Always read both together.

Low GL ≤ 10 Modest total glucose impact per serving.
Medium GL 11–19 Moderate impact — manageable for most.
High GL ≥ 20 Significant carb load per serving. Consider a smaller portion.

Source: Atkinson et al., International Tables of GI & GL Values 2021, Am J Clin Nutr.

Glycemic Index & Load

76
GI Score
🔴 High GI
39
GL / Serving
High Load

High GI food — causes a rapid rise in blood sugar. Best eaten in small portions combined with lower-GI foods, protein, or fat.

Glycemic Load (GL = GI × carbs ÷ 100) accounts for portion size. A high GL — keep portions modest.

Source: Atkinson et al., International Tables of GI & GL Values 2021, Am J Clin Nutr

Vitamins & Minerals

Nutrient Per 100g % Daily Value* Level
Phosphorus 307 mg 44%
Potassium 256 mg 13%
Magnesium 113 mg 30%
Calcium 14.4 mg 2%
Niacin (B3) 8.28 mg 52%
Manganese 3.91 mg 195%
Zinc 1.72 mg 17%
Iron 1.12 mg 8%
Thiamin (B1) 0.319 mg 29%
Copper 0.210 mg 21%
Vitamin B6 0.202 mg 14%
Biotin (Vitamin B7) 4.88 µg 10%

* % Daily Value is the proportion of an adult EU Nutrient Reference Value (NRV) supplied by 100g of this food. NRVs are the labelling standard — the same basis as the “%RI” figures printed on food packaging — so these percentages are directly comparable with a shop label. They are a single adult figure and do not vary by age or sex, which is why they sometimes differ from UK dietary reference values: the NRV for vitamin C is 80mg where the UK RNI is 40mg. When Nutriofia assesses your own intake in the reports and trackers, it uses the age- and sex-specific UK values instead.

Fibre is shown without a percentage. Our fibre values use the UK Englyst NSP method, while the published 30g daily goal is an AOAC figure — the two are measured differently and a single percentage would mislead. How we source and normalise our data →

Sources: CoFID 2021
Grains & Cereals Rice 🇺🇸 USDA FDC 2025