Does white rice make you gain weight?

Does white rice make you gain weight? Does white rice make your belly fat? Does white rice make you lose weight?

Read this:

White Rice is often blamed for causing weight gain and metabolic disorders like diabetes, hypertension etc. What about those communities like the Japanese people or even the southern parts of our country where Rice is the staple diet and is consumed 2-3 times daily?

𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙮, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙚, 𝙞.𝙚. 𝙅𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙣, 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙩.

While most of us avoid Rice because of its carb content, some people opt for brown Rice as a healthy alternative to white Rice. This is promoted by health pages, a low glycemic index food with a good amount of fiber and other vitamins and minerals.

But, white Rice has its own benefits and is not as unhealthy as it is today.

5 reasons why you should still consider White Rice to lose weight:

1. Easy to digest: As Rice is easy to digest, it is great for boosting the metabolic rate, which accelerates the weight loss process.

2. Low At Fat: 100 gm of Uncooked Basmati rice has just 0.7gm Fat. Ironically, it has less fat than the so-called healthy grains like Oats and quinoa, which people consume for weight loss.

3. It’s Gluten Free: Yes, you read it right. We buy expensive Gluten-free bread and flour, but we ignore our very own desi & loved Rice which is Gluten-free too.

4. Rich nutrition: Rice is rich in vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin B and Magnesium, to name a few. 100 gm of Rice contains 7 gm of protein. Studies have shown that rice protein might also help to reduce blood pressure and blood fats.

5. White Rice does not contain an anti-nutritional factor. Unlike other grains, that is phytic acid which reduces the absorption of certain minerals like calcium, iron and zinc in the body.

How can I effectively lose weight while consuming Rice?

Three ways you can still eat Rice without affecting your weight;
a) Don’t overeat and practice portion control while having Rice.
b) Add as many veggies as possible along with your bowl of Rice.
c) Choose steaming or boiling as the preferred cooking method over fraying.

ＢＯＴＴＯＭ ＬＩＮＥ

We believe white Rice has its benefits. None of the Rice is either good or bad. Consuming white Rice is not that bad an option. You can still consume it by adding high-fibre food to it like channa, rajma or soybean. It will add fiber to it without the debatable anti-nutritional factors of brown Rice. If you want to consume it all alone, going with a brown rice bowl is not a bad idea.

Dietician Mac Singh