Is white rice/pasta etc the devil's work or is brown too hard to digest (for young children)? - Can anyone enlighten me?

[docket]

I keep meaning to ask about this but keep forgetting...

I've been told by some people that young children/babies shouldn't eat white flour/rice etc and should have brown as it's better for them. But by others that brown is too hard to digest and that white is better.

Is one better than the other?

ta

I did read recently about how brown is harder to digest - which makes me feel a whole load better as mine refuse to eat brown anything!!

I've decided to keep off brown rice and pasta for the time being (DS is nearly 2) until DC2 is able to eat it. Can't be bothered to start buying it and then have to stop again once we start weaning DC2.

I figure that DS is getting enough roughage in his bread, cereal, fruit and veg that I don't need to worry about pasta and rice atm.

they apparently shouldnt have a fully wholegrain diet till the age of 5. My lo's normally have white rice/pasta as that is what we eat and we have a mixture of wholemeal/brown/white bread.

From Babycentre website:

A high fibre diet is not suitable for babies or young children. Occasional use of wholemeal bread, pasta and grains is fine, but too many of them could fill up your child's tummy, not allowing room for other foods. Do not add bran to your baby's food since it prevents some important minerals from being absorbed. Do offer your child a variety of different starchy foods, including wholegrain varieties, but don't use wholegrain foods exclusively until your child is five years old.

thanks for the responses!

Not sure on the professionals response to this but I've just let my kids eat a bit of everything - white & brown. They have lots of fruit & veg so perhaps this helps.

You can make brown rice easier to digest by cooking it in stock, it also helps to soak it.

If I do brown rice for the kids I soak overnight then simmer it until it is really nice and soft in chicken stock. Tastes yummy too.

Hi-fibre's not good for toddler diarrhoea either apparently.
Wholemeal pasta is just revolting anyway