Rice, Rice, And Rice!
By vishwa on Nutrition
November 9, 2010
“Coach, I have left eating rice, as I want to lose weight, and I am consuming chapathi’s (wheat) and ragi instead.” I don’t know how many times I have heard this statement from many of my clients, for many of them follow this strategy and think it to be the right means of reducing body weight. You have to understand that rice, wheat, ragi, and jowar are all grains. Grains are a very good source of carbohydrate, and carbohydrates are needed for the body to provide energy. However, it should be known that grains are packed with lots of calories. Rice, wheat, ragi, jowar, or any other grain contain huge amount of calories and consuming any of them in large quantities is a sure way to gain fat.
Therefore, please don’t treat rice to be the main culprit rather any grain can harm your body by gaining more fat. A saner alternative is to consume unpolished rice instead of white rice, for white rice is devoid of the much needed fiber we need. There are two types of fiber: Soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber is essential to lower total cholesterol therefore reducing the risk of heart diseases, and it helps in regulating blood sugar which benefits people with diabetes. Insoluble fiber promotes regular bowel movement and prevents constipation. It also helps in removing toxic waste through the intestine thereby helps in preventing colon cancer by keeping an optimal pH in intestines to prevent microbes from producing cancerous substances. The outer layer of rice contains insoluble fiber. Polishing rice removes the outer layer of the rice, for you cannot derive the benefit which fiber provides.
Since all grains are packed with huge amount of calories, it is advisable to consume them in moderate quantities. A well balanced meal is one which contains carbohydrates, protein, healthy fat, and vitamins and minerals. So do not consume only carbohydrates and gain more fat, rather leave some space in your stomach for protein derived from eggs, fish, chicken, and sprouts; fat from healthy cooking oil, almonds, and walnut; vitamins and minerals from various vegetables and fruits.
2 thoughts on “Rice, Rice, And Rice!”
Comments are closed.
Dear Vishwa,
I am a colleague and good friend of Manjunath. I just went through your article which he had forwarded me sometime ago.
Though concise, the article gives a real good insight about the kind of diet we need to consume.
I have one doubt that I thought should ask you. May I know as which kind of food contains soluble fiber? I am particular interested to know about this since I am a diabetic and regulating blood sugar level is my primary concern.
Look forward for your reply.
Regards,
Ravi Kumar
No single food has loads of soluble fiber in it. But various fruits, vegetables, and bran of grains contain soluble fiber. Especially the skin part of fruit and vegetables contain soluble fiber.
My advice to you would be to cut down your carbohydrate intake and increase protein. You should also eats lots of vegetables as that will help in stabilizing you blood sugar.
Last but not the least, weight training is the best method in stabilizing blood sugar. I know that I may be sounding biased, but I have seen, read, and researched on this subject and surely think that it helps for sure. Though I cannot name them, few of my clients who had borderline diabetes at a very young age are now free, for they are not depending on any pill to stabilize their sugar, but they are solely depending on exercise and eating the right food to deal with their sugar level.