Brown rice's health benefits are partially due to the way it is prepared, according to the George Mateljan Foundation for the World’s Healthiest Foods, which promotes the benefits of healthy eating. White rice was once brown rice, but the hull and bran around the kernel are removed to make it white. With brown rice, only the hull of the rice kernel is removed during preparation. This leaves most of the rice kernel’s nutrition value intact. Brown rice can be turned into white rice by removing and polishing more of the kernel — but with that process comes a loss in nutrients.