White rice is a familiar traditional dish in everyone’s daily meals. Rice contains a significant amount of starch, providing the body with enough energy to function productively every day. Therefore, it can be said that using a weight loss menu with white rice sounds like an impossible idea. But in reality, the opposite is true; this is something that many leading nutrition experts recommend. The article below suggests some simple, economical, and effective weight loss menus with white rice at home for your reference. Let’s explore them now.
Can eating white rice help you lose weight?
Rice is recognized as one of the most popular staple foods, not only in Vietnam but also in many other countries around the world. However, white rice has never seemed to be included in weight loss menus compared to brown rice or red rice because this type of rice contains only carbs in the form of starch and glucose, but is low in fiber and nutrients. 100 grams of white rice contain only about 9 grams of fiber, 2.91 grams of protein, and 0.37 grams of fat, but they have as many as 123 calories.
Though high in calories, nutrition experts say avoiding white rice for weight loss is unnecessary. White rice is gluten-free, easy to digest, and offers key B vitamins. It may also stimulate metabolism, supporting weight management. By designing a suitable white rice diet, you can control your weight effectively.
How to eat rice to lose weight
To implement an effective weight-loss diet plan with white rice, you can refer to the tips below:
Control your food intake
Daily food intake is crucial for weight management. When using white rice for weight loss, eat it in moderation—limit to 1-2 bowls daily to control calories. Divide meals into smaller portions and avoid pairing white rice with other carbohydrates or fats.
Changing the way you cook rice
One of the tips many people use when following a weight-loss diet with white rice is to change the way they cook it. According to some studies, soaking white rice for several hours, then boiling and draining the water, helps remove the high carbohydrate content, thus contributing to effective weight loss.
Also, you should minimize frying rice because this method requires more oil or butter, ingredients that contain unhealthy fats. Changing your eating habits
Changing your eating habits is also a tip you should consider when following a weight-loss diet with white rice. Specifically, you should use cold rice instead of hot rice. According to some studies by nutrition experts from Japan, the starch in hot rice stimulates the digestive system when ingested. This accelerates metabolism, making you feel hungry faster and crave more food, thus making weight gain easier.
Conversely, cold rice produces resistant starch. This compound inhibits the activity of the digestive system, slowing down digestion in the stomach, thus making you feel full for longer.
Weight Loss Menu with White Rice in 3 Main Stages
Below is a suggested weight loss menu with white rice in 3 main stages that you can refer to and apply to quickly achieve your desired weight:
Stage 1 – 800 calories
Stage 1 begins with a simple, economical weight loss menu with specific dishes for each meal as follows:
• Breakfast: Oatmeal with fruit and chia seeds. Dessert: A cup of unsweetened green tea.
• Lunch: A bowl of white rice, a plate of stir-fried green vegetables, preferably kale or broccoli.
• Snack: Low-fat yogurt or Greek yogurt with some fruit.
• Dinner: Rice cooked with mushrooms served with some grilled vegetables. Dessert: A cup of unsweetened herbal tea.
Phase 2 – 1000 Calories
In Phase 2, the white rice diet menu offers a variety of dishes for each meal, including:
• Breakfast: Toast with half an avocado and half a cup of cheese. Dessert: A cup of unsweetened green tea to aid digestion.
• Lunch: A bowl of white rice with half a cup of stir-fried or boiled green vegetables, possibly with a portion of grilled chicken breast.
• Snack: Mixed fruit (apples, oranges, bananas, pears), possibly with low-sugar yogurt.
• Dinner: Sushi with vegetables and fish, dessert: a cup of unsweetened herbal tea.
Phase 3 – 1200 Calories
For the final phase of your white rice weight loss diet, you can refer to the menu below:
• Breakfast: A bowl of quinoa with a cup of unsweetened green tea.
• Lunch: A bowl of white rice with half a cup of stir-fried vegetables and a medium-sized grilled fish.
• Snack: Mix unsweetened yogurt with dried fruit and your favorite nuts.
• Dinner: A serving of boiled chicken breast with mushroom risotto, followed by a cup of unsweetened herbal tea.
Suggested Dishes for Weight Loss
To refresh your white rice weight loss menu while still ensuring effective weight control, you can refer to some popular white rice dishes below:
Chicken Rice
When mentioning dishes that should be included in a popular white rice weight loss menu, chicken rice is a must-mention. This is a simple, easy-to-make dish that’s delicious and keeps your weight-loss diet from getting boring. You should prepare the chicken by steaming it with lime leaves or boiling it. The best part to use is the breast – the part of the chicken that contains plenty of protein essential for the body. You can cook the rice in the chicken broth to make the rice more flavorful. Additionally, you should eat it with a plate of raw or boiled vegetables to make the dish more complete.
Rice with Vegetables
Rice with vegetables is a suitable suggestion for days when you’re feeling bland or don’t know how to design a weight-loss menu with white rice. You should boil or stir-fry the vegetables; you can use root vegetables rich in vitamins and essential nutrients, such as carrots, green beans, broccoli, etc. You can stir-fry them with rice to enhance the flavor of the dish. However, a small note is that you should only use a very small amount of cooking oil or replace it with olive oil or brown rice oil to ensure the effectiveness of the weight loss process.
White rice with beans
If you are looking for a weight loss menu with vegan white rice, don’t miss the rice with beans. You can use red beans, black beans, or green beans to cook with white rice. The above-mentioned beans not only contain many nutrients that are good for the body but also combine harmoniously with white rice, creating a delicious flavor for the dish. You can eat it with a little sesame salt to avoid feeling bland. It can be said that white rice with beans, eaten with sesame salt, is a “national dish” that almost every generation in Vietnam has enjoyed.
What to note when losing weight with white rice?
The weight loss menu with white rice is recommended by many nutrition experts. However, to ensure the best results in weight management with this type of rice, you should note the following:
• Avoid consuming foods high in cholesterol, such as liver, heart, and pork offal.
• Avoid foods high in unhealthy fats such as margarine and processed foods.
• Limit sweets and stimulating drinks such as beer, wine, and carbonated drinks.
• Eat plenty of green vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins and minerals.
• Exercise regularly and combine it with adequate rest to stimulate the body to burn excess fat effectively.
The above are some suggestions for a weight loss menu with white rice. Hopefully, after reading this article, you will find suitable dishes to plan and design a reasonable menu and apply it starting today to achieve your desired weight loss. A proper diet contributes 70% to the results of weight loss and maintaining a fit physique. The remaining 30% comes from regular exercise. Therefore, you should dedicate time to exercising every day or at least 3 sessions per week at reputable sports and fitness centers to receive advice on training programs suitable for your physical condition.
