If you want to lose weight or achieve your fitness goal, the next you’d hear your peers say ‘cut back on rice’. This has become a template response for people looking to lose weight from people who are not really well read upon the benefits of rice. More than that, there are a lot of factors such as genetics, food habits, geographical staple food, climate that determine fitness and overall body fat percentage. Even though it’s evident from various studies that rice is not a fattening or an omen to health, this topic is highly debatable and has kept consumers in dilemma for years. 

But, is rice healthy? The short and straightforward answer to that will be No. More than the actual benefits of rice consumption, there are a lot of things that make these grains the best choice of carbohydrates. Let’s explore this in detail.

Staple Food for more than half of the world

Rice has been prevalent for more than centuries all over the world and is the most staple grain consumed in more than half of the world. So much that it constitutes 20% of the average calories consumed on the planet. 

In Most Asian cultures, ‘to eat’ means to ‘eat rice’ and without rice or introducing a replacement would mean, countries will go hungry. Even though it’s considered a ‘simple food’, the more you know about rice, the more you’ll appreciate the benefits of it.

For that, let’s take a look at what biology has got to say.

Anatomy of Rice

In the simplest sense, rice is a cereal that would be classified either as a whole grain or refined grain. Refined are those we get from the mills to our bowls, whereas, the whole grains are straight from the paddy sorts. These are usually higher in nutrition with more fibre. While refined white rice is focused more on taste and the entire filling meal experience.

Globally White rice is consumed more than other counterparts.

As a whole grain rice mainly consists of three layers. 

• The bran (Fibrous outer layer that protects the inner grain)

• Germ (Small nutrient rice core of the grain) and, 

• Endosperm (Middle layer of the whole grain that contains protein and carbohydrates)

From the milling process, the germ layer and bran are removed from the rice. While the whole grain rice is more nutritious and fibre rich, the milling process makes white rice more delicious, aromatic and improves the shelf life of it. But that doesn’t mean rice is unhealthy and of course, if you look at it, white rice has a lot of nutritional health benefits too.

Nutritional benefits of eating rice

Easy on Digestive system (Improves overall gut health)

White rice is very easy to digest making it a suitable-for-all kind of food. When cooked and served in the right way rice is very unlikely to cause any gastric problem. This can also be the reason why, rice is the most preferred food for young babies who have very soft gut and elders who are suffering from heart burns or any other gastric flare ups.

Controls diabetes

Rice, eaten in the right way and in the right amount can help control diabetes. While there are several studies indicating that white rice is more likely to spike blood glucose level, eating it in the right amounts has stayed beneficial against diabetes. Brown rice, on the other hand, has a low Gi value with more fibre content, which can be the perfect source of carbohydrates for rice lovers who are also dealing with diabetic illnesses. 

Gluten free Grain

Naturally, rice is a gluten free grain. In the western countries, rice is usually consumed for its gluten free properties as it is best for people who are struggling with coeliac diseases. 

Helps Maintain a healthy weight 

While it’s still a topic of concern, several studies have found no relation between rice being a fattening food. A substantial serving of rice has been found to have helped people maintain a healthy weight for a long period of time. A recent study presented in the European congress on Obesity in Glasgow found that obesity is quite low in countries where people consume more quantity of rice (more than 150 gms per day) compared to countries where rice consumption is pretty low (14 gms or less) 

Professor Tomoko Imai from Kyoto, Japan, who led the conference said that “Given the rising levels of obesity worldwide, eating more rice should be encouraged in the western countries”

Well, at least this study gave us hope that we are eating the right way! 

Three Main types of Rice

There are 40,000 identified and grown species of rice, but these can be broadly classified in to 4 main categories

White rice

Refined from mills, these grains are low on fibre and high on carbohydrates. Usually, preferred for general usage and taste. With a sweet aromatic flavour and glucose rich values, white rice is a powerhouse that fuels the body with energy. 

Red Rice

Red rice is a naturally pigmented rice variety, which is known well for its nutrient rich grains. These grains help lower cholesterol. Anthocyanins, a compound found in red rice, gives its vibrant colour and make this type of rice a healthier option than brown or white rice.

Brown Rice

Brown rice is a variety of whole grain, which is higher in fibre, vitamins, and minerals than white rice. Its nutrients help improve glycemic control, which benefits those with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. It has also proven helpful in reducing bad cholesterol. 

While, the major factor determining the increase in Body weight is calories, nutrients play a role in being a healthy part of the diet. Rice, irrespective of the type, has more or less the same calories making it a good food for weight loss. 

Nutritional Value of rice varieties

	White rice	Brown rice	Red rice
Calories	123	123	111
Carbohydrates (grams)	26	25.6	23.5
Fibre (grams)	.9	1.6	1.8
Protein (grams)	2.91	2.74	2.3
Fat (grams)	0.37	.97	.8
Potassium (mg)	56	86	78.5
Iron (mg)	0.24	.56	.54
Calcium (mg)	19	3	2.4

So, how do you eat rice for weight loss?

Though brown rice is highly recommended for people dealing with a high body fat percentage, if you master the art of cooking and eating the rice for weight loss, the type of the rice doesn’t really matter a lot!

Several studies have shown that cooking rice in slower methods (traditional pots, boiling methods) are highly beneficial healthwise rather than using electric or conventional pressure cooking methods. Some other studies have shown that soaking rice before cooking has been beneficial for health. 

The reason behind this would be how a slow cooking method helps in eliminating heavy starch from the refined rice. Both the methods are safe if you don’t have any problem with consuming starchy rice. Nonetheless, there are healthy ways to eat rice (the right way), to achieve your fitness or weight loss goal.

Conclusion – The right way to eat rice for weight loss

Eating only rice will make it an unbalanced diet filled with nothing but carbohydrates. So to make eating rice healthy, one should consider eating it with other whole foods. Have the next few tips in mind to make your weight loss more healthy and efficient!

• Incorporate healthy fats into your diet (Eggs, nuts and milk)

• Home cooked rice meals with healthy veggies are healthier than takeaway rice meals. 

• Make sure that you get a load of veggies (they are rich in many micronutrients)