The part of rice we don't eat may be highly nutritious. Rice bran, the outer covering of the rice grain, has high nutritional value and is a rich source of proteins, fats, minerals and micronutrients such as B vitamins, according to a study. Researchers suggest that rice bran, which is removed from whole grain rice during processing and used as animal feed, could have benefits for human health and nutrition. Source 2x.
The Chinese have used rice for centuries and did alright albeit that rice did not have all the chemicals of today plus it was the natural brown rice and not the white one we have now. I was surprised to learn while reading a nutrition journal that rice has minerals, vitamins and protein! Who would think something like rice would have protein in it.