Rice is considered as the main food in almost all Asian countries. People there always focus on a rice-centered meal (300 pounds yearly average consumption of a person) while meat is the focus of any diet in America (only 21 pounds yearly average consumption of a person). In fact, rice has become a staple item in all sorts of healthy diet choices these days and that too all through the world.
Rice and Weight Loss
Rice basically works as an amazing source of complex carbohydrates, which is considerably low in saturated fat. So, indulging in rice and related dishes will not make you fat easily. But there is a wide variety of options available in the market and it is quite difficult to figure out which one is the best for getting rid of excess body fat. White and brown rice are the most common ones among them, which can be found easily and are known to promote weight loss.
However, the question is that which one is better between these two? Let us do a comparison to decide on which one to pick for losing unwanted weight.
Brown Rice vs. White Rice for Weight Loss
You might already have heard that brown rice is much healthier than its white counterpart. Well, how much true is it? Let’s discover:
Also Read – Why Brown Rice is a Healthier Choice than White Rice? Here
- Calorie Count
The first and foremost condition for losing weight is reducing the intake of calories, while increasing the calorie burn of your daily workout and activities. It leads to a condition of ‘calorie deficit’ in our body, which encourages weight loss. It has been found that 1 cup serving of brown rice (218 calories) contains around 24 more calories than equal amount of white rice (242 calories). If we count for the whole month, we can reduce as much as 720 calories by replacing our daily white rice consumption with brown rice.
- Dietary Fiber
Dietary fiber plays a key role in keeping our stomach full for a longer period of time and thus, helping us eat less so that we do not put on much unnecessary weight. It also helps our body absorb lesser amounts of calories from carbohydrates and fat. Researchers have revealed that brown rice is a significant source of dietary fibers, which is certainly great for kicking fat away. A 1-cup serving of brown rice holds more or less 3.5 gm. of fiber, while the same amount of white rice contains only 0.6 gm. It means, a single serving of brown rice can fulfill as much as 14% of our daily dietary fiber requirement.
- Wholeness
Brown rice is a nutritious whole grain with loads of dietary fibers and lesser amount of calories. According to a study conducted in 2008 and published in the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition”, these characteristics of whole grains are beneficial for overweight people. Consuming whole grains along with limited calorie intake can be extremely helpful in shedding extra fat. However, being refined grain with lower level of dietary fibers and high amount of calorie, white rice could never be a better option than the previous one.
Also Read – Use Up Leftover Rice – 5 Delectable Recipes for You Here
- Energy Density
Energy density of a food indicates its capacity of keeping you full with considerably low intake of calorie. The lower it will be, the longer your stomach will be filled up, thereby helping you lose weight in a true efficient manner. Due to the presence of dietary fibers and water in high levels, the energy density of brown rice is comparatively much lower than that of the white rice. So, you should opt for brown rice as a perfect pick for weight loss. Also, make sure that you consume it before all other fat-rich eatables in order to limit their intakes.
- Nutrient Density
As said before, brown rice is a whole grain, while white rice is a refined grain. To be precise, brown rice offers all that wholesome nutrition, which is removed from white rice during the process of refinement. Hence, one doesn’t need to eat a lot of it to fulfill his / her daily requirements of nutrients. Take a look at the following list to know how much nutrient-dense brown rice is:
- A single serving (1 cup) of brown rice is rich in 2 gm. of protein.
- It contains a huge amount of vital vitamins, especially vitamin B1 (thiamin), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B3 (niacin), and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine).
- It is a wonderful source of essential minerals including manganese, magnesium, selenium, phosphorus, iron and zinc.
- It also contains gamma-oryzanolto some extent, which can help us keep our cholesterol levels under control.
Also Read – Try Rice Bags for Sore Muscles Here
Bottom Line
The above comparisons are enough to prove the goodness of brown rice and its effects on our body weight. It is undoubtedly a better choice than refine white rice, when it comes to shedding off those extra pounds around your tummy. However, make sure that you work out regularly and include healthy fat-free or low-fat food items in your diet in order facilitate the functions of brown rice.
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