Rice has earned a bad reputation among weight watchers. Eating rice while on a weight-loss regime is considered a grave sin. Health freaks even freak out hearing the name "white rice!" Well, if you're one of them, calm down!
Rice is not as bad as people have made it. Too much of anything is harmful. And it applies to everything, even with rice. No doubt, rice is rich in starch and calories, but this food grain is easy to cook, versatile, and pocket-friendly.
Here, we will show you how to eat white rice while on a weight-loss diet. Let's explore.
Cook using the low-calorie method
Rice in its own natural form is healthy. But when you cook it using cream, oil, butter, and other fatty or calorie-rich ingredients, it becomes fattening. So rinse and soak rice well before cooking to get away with extra starch.
Cook it in boiling water in an open pan and then rain the excess water. This will remove all the starch, making it feel light.
Control portion
Portion control plays a vital role in weight reduction. First, you need to balance energy. It means that if you want to lose weight, your body needs to burn more calories than you consume. Contrary, to gain weight, your body needs to consume more calories than what it burns.
So, rice isn’t the culprit here. The main reason is you're eating more calories than your body can burn. Let's understand it with a simple example. Suppose you're consuming 2500 calories daily, but your body is burning only 2000 calories each day. So, your body is storing 500 remaining calories every day!
To lose weight, you need to increase your physical activity or reduce your calorie intake. In some cases, it could be both.
Yes, you can eat rice, but you must practice portion control. If you continue to eat heaps of rice and blame rice because you’re gaining weight isn’t right. It’s because you are not practicing portion control.
So how much should you be eating? If your goal is to lose weight, keep it to 1 - 2 small bowls a day. One small bowl of cooked rice typically has between 200 - 250 calories depending on the type of rice you're using. Also, because rice is rich in carbohydrates, you can skip other forms of starchy carbs in the meal in which you are having a serving of rice.
Load up with vegetables
Vegetables are rich in fiber. They contain fewer calories but more nutrients. To cut back the calorie count, toss some vegetables in your rice. You can add carrot, spinach, onion, and bell pepper per your preferences.
Stay away from frying.
Do not fry your rice if you’re on a weight loss regime. Frying rice will add another layer of calories that you may not like. So, it's better to consume rice in moderation in its boiled, plain form with your choice of a side dish.
Always choose the right rice.
Rice has always been considered a villain in the history of weight loss. But the main culprit of this villainy is polished rice which we consume without giving it any thought. This is because polished white rice loses its vital nutrients during processing. So what you actually consume is an empty carb.
So the best way is to find the right rice for your needs. You can always choose unpolished basmati rice, white rice, or brown rice with more fiber and nutrients.
Conclusion
So you see, rice isn’t bad for weight loss. All you need is portion control, the right rice, and the best cooking method to make it effective, not just plain carbs.
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