You may have heard some people who attempt to lose weight or strive to maintain their current weight say – “I have stopped eating rice. I eat bread instead” giving an insinuation that rice makes one fat and bakery products will not.
No single food can be fattening. As has already been mentioned in past issues, it is the total amount of energy that all the foods eaten in a day that can make you gain or lose weight. Every single food that contains any carbohydrate, protein or fat provides energy, again, measured in kilocalories (kcal) or simply calories. We need energy to fuel the body’s involuntary (e.g., breathing, heart pumping, blood circulation, other body processes) and voluntary activities or our physical activities, exercises. Everyone can eat.
Cereals such as rice, corn, wheat; processed products such as flour in noodles, bakery products; root crops like camote, gabi are the major sources of carbohydrates.
The less processing done, the better. Processing can greatly reduce levels of some nutrients and can even eliminate fiber which is associated with healthy weight, lower cholesterol and blood glucose levels in addition to intestinal health. So, when it comes to rice, the not-so-polished ones like the brown and red are much preferred than the well-milled white rice. In addition to higher fiber, vitamin B, among other nutrients, brown and red will take more time to be chewed such that when the satiety signal is felt, one has consumed less rice and thus less calories.
In terms of calories, let us compare the rice and rice alternatives foods on a “per serving” basis. One serving provides 100 kcal from their carbo and varying protein content. One serving of rice regardless of color is equivalent to ½ cup, packed. If you don’t have a measuring cup, it is more or less the same as rice served in fast foods. One serving of bakery product depends on what type but mostly 35 grams – 1 ½ slices of regular-size loaf, 1 ½ pcs pandesal (medium size or 7x6x3.5 cm to be exact), 1 ensaymada, ½ cup pasta or binatog, 4 pieces Calasiao puto, 8 pieces Marie cookies, 1 medium pc or ¾ cup cubed kamote or gabi, 1 ¼ cup cubed potato. You may appreciate having measuring cups in the house, not to measure every food item every time but you can initially compare.
No one will advise totally getting rid of rice nor its alternatives in the diet. It is just to reduce your current intake. Start by reducing 2-3 servings in one day. For Filipino adults with no weight nor blood sugar problems, the Food Pyramid states 5-8 servings total in one day. You may say you will be hungry. Eat more fruits which provide 40 kcal per serving. Eat more vegetables, ½ cup of which provides 16 kcal only. Imagine 100 kcal versus 16 kcal?
