If you want to lose weight, the first advice that most people will give you is to ditch rice totally. But, why so? Is rice really the culprit? Or are we ignoring some basic facts here? So, first things first – rice is not unhealthy or fattening. It is a rich source of carbohydrates and fiber but it gets a bad reputation mostly because it is a high glycemic index food.
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This means that it is digested very quickly which can cause sudden spikes in your blood sugar levels. Moreover, since it is digested quickly, you end up feeling hungry again soon after eating it which may add unnecessary calories to your day.
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White Rice: This one is perhaps the unhealthiest, no guesses there. Most of the nutrients, minerals and fiber are stripped off during the industrial processing. 100 grams of white rice will have about 150 calories (as per USDA). White rice is a high glycemic index ingredient and therefore, diabetics should either avoid it or consume it in limited quantities.
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Brown Rice: This is the variety of rice that you must switch to if you want to lose weight. It is full of dietary fiber which boosts your metabolism and helps in weight loss. 100 grams of brown rice contains about 111 calories (as per USDA). The good old khichdi is the healthiest way to use rice for weight loss but you can also use it in your soup along with chicken or fish chunks during the winter season to make a wholesome one-pot meal.
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Red Rice: This variety of rice gets its rich colour from an antioxidant called anthocyanin. The compound is believed to have properties that can help in weight management. The manganese present in red rice helps in strengthening your metabolism too. A cup of red rice (one cup is equal to 250 grams) would generally contain about 216 calories.
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Black Rice: The darker the colour of rice, the more antioxidants it is known to contain. Black or wild rice is also unpolished and contains micro-nutrients such as folate, vitamin B6, zinc, phosphorus and niacin. The black sticky rice is known to be light on the stomach. A cup of black rice contains about 280 calories.
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Now that you know that you don’t need to banish rice from your life in order to lose weight.
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