Can I lose weight with Rice diet?
Rice is one of the ubiquitous grains in the world, is a mainstay for Indian families. This edible starchy cereal grain is found in our breakfast, lunch & dinner. It is a good source of glucose that supplies the body with its needed energy. Not all grains are made equal. Let’s look at how we can have rice in our daily diet and still lose weight!
In modern weight loss diets, simple carbohydrates have been shunned and gained a bad rapport, but science says rice can be a part of a successful plan. In order use rice for weight loss, it’s important to:
- Practice portion control
- Go whole grain: brown, red, black rices versus white rice
- Bulk up with veggies
- Be aware of additions
- Use certain cooking methods
Types of Rice
Rice comes in all shapes and forms. Different grades of processing also affects the nutrient content in rice. Irrespective of the shape, whether long or short, fat vs thin etc doesn’t matter as long as its not stripped of its nutrition due to processing.
Always choose Rice grains that are whole or less processed. Whole grains will have their bran and endosperm intact due to which we will receive all the fiber, minerals and nutrients when consumed
Why Rice?
Rice is low in fat and is gluten-free. The calories, macronutrients, vitamins and minerals vary depending on the type of rice. Whole grains like Red Rice, Black Rice, Mapillai Samba, Bamboo Rice all of which are available in our Let’sLive store, have the bran and germ in tact
According to Precision Nutrition, one cup (200g) of cooked medium-grain rice has about 220 calories, 4.5 g protein, 1.5 g fat, 45 g carbohydrates, and 3.5 g of fiber. They are also rich in vitamins and minerals.
One cup of white rice (185 g) in comparison, contains about 240 calories, 4.5 g of protein, 1 g of fat, 55 g carbohydrate, and 1 g of fiber. Since white rice is processed, it only contains trace amounts of nutrients, unless they have been added back in via a process called enrichment.
Rice is made up of both digestible starch and resistant starch. Resistant starch cannot be easily digested by human enzymes. This could promote weight loss by improving appetite, regulating hormones, and preserving lean body mass. Having more lean body mass has been linked to increased metabolism and therefore increased weight loss.
5 rules to follow
Practice Portion control
Heaping spoonfuls of cooked rice on your plate is definitely going to stack up calories even if it is whole grains! Pre-measure your rice and keep it to a cup of rice in your meal not exceeding 100 cals
Whole Grains
Rice is harvested as whole grains but goes on to become polished rice due to processing after the harvest. Whole grains essentially have life-giving abilities since they can be used to sprout and thus can be cultivated back to rice. It’s always best to consume life-giving grains for their nutrients. Essentially there are 3 parts to a whole grain
- Bran is the outer layer that contains fiber and many minerals and antioxidants
- Endosperm is the inner layer that contains macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals
- Germ is the core which contains healthy fats, vitamins, and antioxidants.
Whole grains contain the entire kernel with all the above 3
Veggies & Fruits
Eat lot of veggies along with your rice. For one you can compensate the less quantity of rice with veggies and fruits. Not only do they have lot of fiber content that helps with weight loss and increased metabolism, they also have lot of vitamins and minerals to keep one healthy. Nowadays we find cauliflower rice in super markets around here in India. They are not grains but veggies cut to look like rice. Eating these veggie rices are like eating veggies
Additions to Rice
Always be aware of the additives added to rice. Us Indians are famous for coming out with delectable rice dishes like pulaos, biryanis and many different sweets and spicy hot snacks. All these dishes pack in calories due to the ingredients used in them. Pulaos and Biryanis have ghee, oil, curds etc which spike up the calories. Traditional sweets like adhirasam have jaggery and sugars in them. Snacks like murukku etc are deep fried in oil. Make sure you understand the amount of calories you will pack when you consume these delicacies
Cooking methods
Best way to cook rice is to steam or boil it without any additions such as ghee or oil. Cooked and cooled rice has higher content of resistant starch. This starch helps to improve gut health and so helps in weight loss.
Black Rice - Let’sLive Rice Products
Let’sLive procures its whole grain rice from its farmers directly. The produce is carefully stored after harvest and sent to our customers after due testing. No preservatives are used for storage purposes. As and when orders are received, the product is cleaned and sent to customers directly. Our technically qualified team coaches and transfer advanced technology to our farmers to better utilize resources and save the environment from unnecessary wastages.
Shop LetsLive whole grain rice
We wish to educate our customers that the rice purchased from Let’sLive is 100% organic, i.e, no insecticide or pesticides have been used. Since the rice is packed as harvested, it attracts life around it. Harvested rice is full of energy and vitality, naturally it attracts bugs. This proves the organic nature of our produce. We request our customers to transfer the contents immediately into an air-tight container after it is opened. A piece of red chilli and few neem leaves will enhance the shelf life of the produce.
About Let’sLive
Let’sLive is a social empowerment enterprise committed to enhancing and improving the livelihoods of tribal and farming communities. We work directly with small-scale farmers so that our customers can get access to products that are natural, pristine, and picked from the lap of nature. We encourage and provide advice for practicing ethical farming and eco-friendly methods to all those who partner with us.
At Let'sLive we are passionate about bringing in 100% all-natural and healthy products directly from the farming and tribal communities to your doorstep like Pure Raw Honey, Traditional varieties of rice, etc. We want our consumers to enjoy and have direct access to the products that are pristine and picked directly from the lap of nature. The mandates by which we operate are:
* Value every life around us by encouraging ethical farming
* Leverage local knowledge and promote legacy harvesting practices with high hygienic standards
* No preservatives or artificial processing on any of our products
* Each product can be traced back to its origins and the people involved in its making
* Educate consumers on the importance of consuming rich and natural local produce