Rice and pasta are some of the most popular foods on the planet. Satisfying, tasty and versatile, they can be a side dish plain on their own or the main dish, served creamy with sauce or stir fried with vegetables.

No matter how you like to eat rice or pasta, they’re both famously high in carbs and are considered the starch portion of a meal. This provides quick energy for the body, but can also raise blood sugar, especially white rice and pasta made with white flour.

The key is to add fat and protein to that carb-heavy meal to bring down the glycemic index — the measure of how quickly food makes blood sugar rise, says Patricia Bannan, a registered dietitian in Los Angeles and author of “From Burnout to Balance.”

“Pasta and rice may get a bad rap if you just eat too much of it,” she tells TODAY.com.

“But when you mix it with other macronutrients, it really can create a very balanced meal and not have those highs in your blood sugar.”

Both rice and pasta can be part of the Mediterranean diet, Bannan says.

So which is healthier? Here’s what to know about their nutritional differences:

Rice nutrition

Rice is a grain that comes from a plant.

An important staple around the world, rice is inexpensive, provides calories and is a good source of magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, selenium, iron, folic acid, thiamin and niacin, researchers note. It’s low in fat.

The average American eats 27 pounds of rice a year, according to the USA Rice Federation.

Brown rice is a whole grain that’s minimally processed and contains more micronutrients and slightly more protein and fiber than white rice, which has the outer bran and germ layers removed. 

“Because of that, brown rice may keep you fuller longer. But the differences are actually smaller than you think,” says registered dietitian Natalie Rizzo, nutrition editor for TODAY.com. “Therefore, both rices are beneficial for health.”

One cup of cooked brown rice contains the following, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture:

• 250 calories
• 2 grams of fat
• 52 grams of carbs
• 5 grams of protein
• 3 grams of fiber

One cup of cooked white rice contains:

• 205 calories
• less than 1 gram of fat
• 44 grams of carbs
• 4 grams of protein
• less than 1 gram of fiber

It’s standard for white rice to be enriched, which means folic acid, iron and B vitamins are added back to it, Bannan says. But the processing white rice goes through means it has fewer phytonutrients — natural chemicals in plants that may help prevent diseases like cancer — than brown rice, she notes.

White rice is quicker to cook and many people like its softer texture. It has a similar glycemic index to table sugar; “however, I wouldn’t compare rice and sugar because rice has many other beneficial nutrients that play a role in health, and sugar does not,” Rizzo says.

“The only downside to eating rice is that it’s very easy to eat a lot of it and then neglect other beneficial protein and veggies on your plate.”

Cooking rice, cooling it in the fridge, then reheating it is a hack for reducing the carbs in it.

Pasta nutrition

Pasta is a human invention. It’s traditionally created by combining flour and eggs to form a dough that’s made into different shapes and boiled.

The average American eats about 20 pounds of pasta per year, according to the International Pasta Organization.

Pasta is naturally rich in carbs, protein, fiber, and it’s usually enriched with B vitamins, making it similar to rice, Rizzo says. It’s also affordable and convenient, she adds.

“Like rice, it’s easy to overdo it with the portion size of pasta,” Rizzo says.

One major nutrition difference is that pasta has more protein than rice, Bannan notes.

The exact nutrients can vary depending on the type of noodles, but in general, one cup of cooked pasta contains the following:

• 220 calories
• 1 gram of fat
• 43 grams of carbs
• 8 grams of protein
• 2.5 grams of fiber (this rises to 5.5 grams for whole grain pasta)

When available, go for whole grain pasta or add in cauliflower, broccoli, beans or other vegetables to raise the fiber content, Bannan advises.

“I wouldn’t worry about the carbs in pasta, but overdoing it on the portions can make the calories add up, which can contribute to weight gain,” Rizzo says.

Alternative pastas made from chickpeas or lentils are great for vegans or anyone who wants more protein and fiber in their diet, but they taste slightly different and aren’t going to please everyone who wants a traditional pasta, she notes.

Like rice, cooking pasta, then cooling it increases the starch resistant to digestion, which helps lower blood sugar, Bannan says. Pasta salads are a great way to enjoy these benefits, she adds.

Which is healthier: Pasta or rice?

Both rice and pasta are a healthy part of the diet, Rizzo says.

But if she had to choose, she likes brown rice because it’s not processed.

“It’s best to eat whole foods when you can. It’s also naturally packed with nutrients, like protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals,” she says.

Pasta — especially the whole grain or bean-based varieties — is higher in protein and fiber, so that’s good to keep in mind too, she adds.

Bannan recommends simply going for the whole grain option for either rice or pasta when possible.

“If you don’t have that option, I honestly would say go for the one that works best in your dish and just don’t overdo it,” she says.