Expert

No food is good or bad. No food alone is healthy or unhealthy, and so no food can solely make you lose or gain weight: Health Coach Simran Kaur. Learn how rice works during weight loss.

Rice has been a part of our household for ages, expecting any diet which says no to rice is neither going to be sustainable nor practically possible to follow. However, their kinds can be different and so are their benefits. 

Coach Kaur advises, “Brown rice, red and black rice do have higher fibre, which leads to increased satiety levels and can help with better sugar control levels, so it is good. Moreover, it is important to pair it with an overall diet.”

If your diet is already messed up and you end up purchasing red/ black/ brown rice just in the hope that eating them will burn some calories and you lose weight, that’s not going to help! “Which colour rice you eat doesn't make any difference. Eat whatever you like, but eat it in controlled portions and definitely with the right food combinations!”

During weight loss, we tend to micromanage every move we make, especially in our diets. But this might not be required when it comes to time. Talking about the right time to consume rice (day vs night), Coach Kaur said, “Time doesn’t matter! Your overall calorie intake per day matters. If you eat in caloric surplus, you will gain weight, and if you eat in deficit, you will end up losing weight.”

“As a health coach, I recommend eating your dinner before 8 pm and then going to bed by 10:00 PM-10:30 PM, accomplished by a 20-minute post-dinner walk. And, please don't be afraid of adding carbs to your dinner,” advised Kaur.

According to Kaur, “Crabs are very, very important before going to bed. When you sleep, your body does a lot of functions (detoxification, cell regeneration, muscle building, etc). If it doesn't have proper energy to perform these functions, you will end up messing your system, so skipping it in the name of weight loss will make you gain more fat unknowingly!”

While white rice does have a higher Glycemic Index, pairing it with fibre and protein does reduce it and makes it a good choice to eat, said Coach Kaur. 

“However, if you are someone whose blood sugar levels are high, you should consider eating white rice after removing the starch while minding the portion of the rice. There’s no harm in eating brown or red rice since their glycemic index ranges from moderate to low,” advised Kaur.

• Incorporate fibre along with protein and carbs, cutting down on fats.

ALSO READ: White Rice Or Roti: What To Have With Your Lentils?

By now, we know that the rice isn’t the villain; large portions accompanied by saturated fats are. For sustained weight loss, it is important to make smart strategies like portion control, meal composition, cooking methods, and how you eat them! Be it rice or any other food, chewing and eating it mindfully plays a huge role. And yes, adding a post-meal walk will work like magic in your weight loss journey! So, quit blaming rice and embrace its power in bringing a balanced meal together.