Rice, before it becomes white is brown rice (after removing the husk).
A lot of experts have been saying that brown rice is healthier than white rice.
People have always eaten brown rice until the turn of the century when someone invented a way to remove the bran. When white rice was first introduced people got sick because of of the Vitamin B1 deficiency caused by white rice. Now white rice is fortified to solve this problem.
What makes brown rice healthier? It is the the bran, the brown "coat" makes this kind of rice healthier. They say that the bran has a lot of nutrients including Vitamin B2 (helps in the processing of food), Vitamin E (Anti-oxidant) and soluble fibre (aids in the prevention of some gastro intestinal disorders and cancers). Scientists also say that brown rice has a low Glycemic Index (GI) which means that it does not immediately turn into glucose which forces the body release insulin to compensate for it. This means that it is beneficial for diabetics or are dieting. (more info on the GI website)
Not all of us can start to eat brown rice for our next meal. Brown rice is a bit rough for our palates. The best thing to engage yourself in eating brown rice is to mix some brown rice with white rice until you can eat pure brown rice.
Sources:
Brown rice (from Whole Health MD)
Why Brown Rice is Better (from Hinduism Today Magazine)
Riboflavin, Vitamin B2 (from Ask the Dietician)
Vitamin E (from Ask the Dietician)