Is Rice Healthy? Can you eat rice and still lose weight? This is most common question that arises when starting a diet. While talking of weight loss we hear so many suggestions – eat this and eat that. But have you noticed that in the midst of the high fiber daliya (wheat porridge) and oats, and high protein sprouts and almonds, we often neglect the items that we consume on a daily basis like rice. In the quest for weight loss, rice is underestimated due to its high carb content. Let us find an answer to this niggling question , “Is rice healthy ?”
Is Rice Healthy?
Rice is a staple food in South and East India. All types of rice can be categorized under two basic categories:
Brown rice – It is produced by removing the hull (outermost layer) from the rice kernel. This process does very little or no damage to the nutritional value of the rice and avoids unnecessary loss of nutrients that further processing may cause.
White rice – When brown rice is completely milled and polished it converts into white rice. The processing extends the shelf life of rice but results in loss of many nutrients like dietary fiber, minerals (iron, manganese, zinc, selenium and phosphorus), vitamins (B vitamins including vitamin B3, B6 and folic acid), and essential fatty acids.
Is Rice Healthy? What to choose – Brown or white rice ?
Well, definitely not the white rice. White rice is high in carbs and low in fiber, Hence it is easier to digest than whole grain breads or brown rice. It converts starch into glucose faster. This raises the sugar levels in blood rapidly contributing to hyper glycemia in diabetics. It may also lead to weight gain and obesity.
On the other hand, Brown rice is a good source of fiber, minerals like magnesium, zinc, iron, and B vitamins, while a moderate source of protein. Rice bran (fiber in brown rice) and rice bran oil (oil in brown rice) can help reduce your blood cholesterol levels.So, if you ask me, is rice healthy or unhealthy, well I will ask you to replace white rice with brown rice, you can supplement your weight loss efforts , reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes and hyper-cholesterolemia and improve your overall health.
The resistant starch theory
In simple terms resistant starch is the starch present in food but becomes unavailable to body after digestion (It will not be broken down to glucose). It means it will not be absorbed by the body and act like a fiber . The starch in the rice can be converted to resistant starch.
Converting the starch in rice into resistant starch
– Cook rice in excess water in a microwave or an iron vessel.
– Discard the excess water after cooking.
– Cool the cooked rice and reheat in the Microwave.
– Let it cool down and reheat again before eating.
when you cool and reheat the cooked rice, its starch undergoes modification in its chemical bonding structure, thus becoming unavailable for digestion. this starch acts like a fiber, attaches itself to the unhealthy fat and gets excreted as it is without imparting the carbs to you. so now you can enjoy eating your rice without having to worry about its starch.
Whether the question ” is rice healthy ?” bothers you or not, consider making a few changes. If you are a rice fan, make sure you couple your white rice with a high fiber dish. For eg , have your white rice with vegetable raita, or mix vegetable dal, or sambar. Or simply make a vegetable pulao. Always eat it in a limited quantity.
All the macro nutrients whether protein, fat or carbs play an important role in the functions of body. You can’t simply cut any one of them completely and expect to be healthy. The key lies in eating everything in moderation. Excess of any one of these nutrient may corrupt the normal functionality. So stop worrying about whether is rice healthy? And give attention to the quantity consumption of it. Avoid making mistakes while on diet. Here are the 10 common mistakes that dieters generally make.
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Hi Dear,
Can we cook the kerala matta rice (chuvanna ari) also in the microwave ? athu thilachu thoovi pokillae ? If I cook red rice in iron vessel on gas stove, will the starch be still converted to resistant starch? Kindly reply
Hi Remju , you can cook it in any way .. the concept is to cool the rice completely and then heat it again o make the starch resistant ..
Hi payal
I am 23 year old female.I am 5 feet and 68 kgs of height and weight..So please suggest me how to reduce my weight.Also a am taking thyroid medication.I am planning for a baby.Help me out
Thank you for reading at Dietburrp. Walking or exercising for 45 mins everyday will help you in a good way to lose weight. along with the exercise you also need follow a healthy regime. You can find some basic and important tips for weight loss in this article here – http://www.dietburrp.com/top-10-weight-loss-tips/ if you want me to analyse your regime and plan a diet plan personalized for you, please see this page. – http://www.dietburrp.com/diet-services/
Or You can try following the diet plan mentioned above in the article.- http://www.dietburrp.com/indian-diet-plan-for-weight-loss/ this is a general 1200 calorie diet plan and has helped many. it may be of help to you as well.
Hi payal
Hope you are well!
I m 31 with 4’11” height and aprox 64 kgs weight.. I was never more than 38 -40kgs but in last 1 nd half years I have gained all this weight..can u suggest something that leads to results and most importantly I can continue to follow ..pls
Hi Ms,
It is important to figure out the reason behind the sudden weight gain .If you have a history of thyroidism in your first family please get it checked.
Walking or exercising for 45 mins everyday will help you in a good way to lose weight. along with the exercise you also need follow a healthy regime. You can find some basic and important tips for weight loss in this article here – http://www.dietburrp.com/top-10-weight-loss-tips/ if you want me to analyse your regime and plan a diet plan personalized for you, please see this page. – http://www.dietburrp.com/diet-services/
Or You can try following the diet plan mentioned above in the article.- http://www.dietburrp.com/indian-diet-plan-for-weight-loss/ this is a general 1200 calorie diet plan and has helped many. it may be of help to you as well.
Hi. I am 32 year old female and my weight is 75kg.I am 5 ft 2 inch.I want to lose at least 10 kgs.please suggest indian veg/non veg diet for me.I am working so please suggest me any easy diet.
Thank you for reading at Dietburrp. Walking or exercising for 45 mins everyday will help you in a good way to lose weight. along with the exercise you also need follow a healthy regime. You can find some basic and important tips for weight loss in this article here – http://www.dietburrp.com/top-10-weight-loss-tips/ if you want me to analyse your regime and plan a diet plan personalized for you, please see this page. – http://www.dietburrp.com/diet-services/
Or You can try following the diet plan mentioned above in the article.- http://www.dietburrp.com/indian-diet-plan-for-weight-loss/ this is a general 1200 calorie diet plan and has helped many. it may be of help to you as well.
Hi I am 26 years old girl. My weight is 65kg and height is 5 feet. I need to loose 8-10 kg weight atleast. Pl guide me how canI loose weight.
Hi Piya ,
Thank you for reading at Dietburrp. Walking or exercising for 45 mins everyday will help you in a good way to lose weight. along with the exercise you also need follow a healthy regime. You can find some basic and important tips for weight loss in this article here – http://www.dietburrp.com/top-10-weight-loss-tips/ if you want me to analyse your regime and plan a diet plan personalized for you, please see this page. – http://www.dietburrp.com/diet-services/
Or You can try following the diet plan mentioned above in the article.- http://www.dietburrp.com/indian-diet-plan-for-weight-loss/ this is a general 1200 calorie diet plan and has helped many. it may be of help to you as well.
Can i take white rice in regular for a medium bowl by removing the excess starch water for lunch
yes you can
hi iam 23 my weight is 64kg. and my height is 158cm. iam doing suryanamaskar and some yoga in morning. my belly fat are reducing. bt upper body fat didnt reduce. and i have larger breast. how to reduce upper body fat and breast size.
https://www.dietburrp.com/how-to-lose-breast-fat/ check this
Hi payal
Am athira from kerala .I have pcod since my higher secondary level.now am 22 yrs and my weight is 95.I tried gym bit the weight all came back as I stopped. Or much more . Can u suggest a diet for weightloss for me. And my marriage is around the corner.I hope you will reply
Thank you for reading at Dietburrp. Walking or exercising for 45 mins everyday will help you in a good way to lose weight. along with the exercise you also need follow a healthy regime. You can find some basic and important tips for weight loss in this article here – http://www.dietburrp.com/top-10-weight-loss-tips/ if you want me to analyse your regime and plan a diet plan personalized for you, please see this page. – http://www.dietburrp.com/diet-services/
Or You can try following the diet plan mentioned above in the article.- http://www.dietburrp.com/indian-diet-plan-for-weight-loss/ this is a general 1200 calorie diet plan and has helped many. it may be of help to you as well.
Hi payal,
Im 32 year old and my weight is 65. I want to reduce 5-6 kg atleast. I regularly went to gyms, 30 min of running followed by the fitnest excercise. I am thinking for family planning by next year so i want to reduce before that please suggest the deit chart as i am veg.(@eggs). Thank u
Thank you for reading at Dietburrp. Walking or exercising for 45 mins everyday will help you in a good way to lose weight. along with the exercise you also need follow a healthy regime. You can find some basic and important tips for weight loss in this article here – https://www.dietburrp.com/top-10-weight-loss-tips/ if you want me to analyse your regime and plan a diet plan personalized for you, please see this page. – https://www.dietburrp.com/diet-services/
Or You can try following the diet plan mentioned above in the article.- https://www.dietburrp.com/indian-diet-plan-for-weight-loss/ this is a general 1200 calorie diet plan and has helped many. it may be of help to you as well.