Success!

I have successfully made you click this article with a misleading title. If you were my client, you’d have known by now that rice cannot make you fat. Cooked rice is only 130 calories per 100g. But why does everyone say “rice makes you fat?”. In fact, our parents and grandparents grew up eating mostly rice and if you see their photos you’d notice how skinny they were in their 20s, 30s and even their 40s. What changed?

“I Will Eat Ragi or Roti Instead of Rice” – My Clients

I’ve often seen this with clients. They will make the switch to ragi or roti when they start working with me. Even though I have no restrictions on eating rice. But how does ragi or roti make it easier to lose fat? Simple, you eat ragi and roti with meat curry or vegetable curry. Many times rice is eating with just rasam, sambar or curd and there is no fiber or protein in these dishes.So, the nutrient value and nutrient quality or that meal is not so great compared to eating ragi or roti.

First Cousins

But is ragi or roti lesser in calories than rice? Well, no. Ragi, Wheat, Rice and even Corn are all members of the same family of plants which are categorized as ‘Tall Grasses’. Uncooked, these are anywhere from 320-350 calories per 100g. When you make a switch from rice to ragi, roti or even corn – them North Karnataka folk make amazing corn flour rotis- you are not reducing the net calories consumed. As mentioned you are improving the nutritive value of the meal by adding more fiber and protein. Another misconception is that brown or red rice is superior to that of white rice. They are both identical in calories but brown or red rice is marginally higher in fiber.

Rice + Cooking Fat = Calorie Bomb

Rice by itself is low calorie. But today it is easy to get rice based dishes that are a calorie bomb – even at home. Biryani is made with generous quantities of ghee and oil. In fact, I get pulav as takeaway almost daily and I have to tell the cook to avoid adding a dollop of butter when he prepares the dish. So, something as humble as 130 calories per 100g is easily quadrupled or more by the way it is prepared. Even at home, I have observed that when my clients eat rasam or sambar rice, they add a generous amount of ghee.

Rice + Blood Sugar = Feel Hungry Again

If you are eating rice with just stews like rasam or sambar, there is a significant spike in your blood sugar thus leading you to feel hungry every 2-3hrs. However, have your rice with rasam and sambar but add more fiber and protein to the plate. This is a game changer for fat loss.

Get to the Point – How Much Should I eat?

If your goal is fat loss and you are not someone who is into endurance sports – you need to eat no more than 150g of cooked rice in a meal. This is assuming that you are eating rice for 2 meals a day. Remember rice is not the enemy – eating more of it is where the problem lies. And eating more of it without any protein or fiber on the side.

Improve the nutritive value by making changes like eating your pulav or biryani with raita made with high protein greek yogurt. Tell the cook to add less fat and more eggs or meat or veggies to your fried rice.