Rice!?

MissKosmos

As far as dieting goes... How bad is Rice (Brown or White)? I'd like to make some and pack it for lunches... like bento box style. Are those carbs bad?

Phoenix_Down

Good news, there's no such thing as bad carbs.

In terms of weight loss, calories are what matter.

I prefer white rice, personally. It's personal preference. I may be wrong, brown might have minute difference nutrient wise but it wasn't ever significant enough for me to switch to it.

MissKosmos

Phoenix_Down wrote: »

Good news, there's no such thing as bad carbs.

In terms of weight loss, calories are what matter.

I prefer white rice, personally. It's personal preference. I may be wrong, brown might have minute difference nutrient wise but it wasn't ever significant enough for me to switch to it.

Ah that's good to know !

NoelFigart1

It's all about portion. A bento takes care of that well. (And Onigiri are delicious!)

jgnatca

There's a difference Glycemic Load between white rice and brown rice. Converted white rice has a lower Glycemic load, along with brown rice. Not a huge difference. Rice is good!

MissKosmos

NoelFigart1 wrote: »

It's all about portion. A bento takes care of that well. (And Onigiri are delicious!)

Yeah! Well currently I'm only using a small container... but I'm planning on buying an actual bento box set..Think its a wonderful way to get excited about eating (Smaller Portions) because you can make it very cute looking and can really experiment with what goes in it. Seeing that most bento boxes incorporate rice...I wanted to verify that Rice is a good idea for someone trying to loose weight... Not sure how much rice is reasonable..1/2 cup - 1 cup??

HardcoreP0rk

Hey, if you're gonna be making rice, you might want to try the oven method. I like it because my stove burner is terrible at simmering and the smallest draft blows out the flame. Great for brown rice and even quinoa. You don't have to babysit it as much....

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/baked-brown-rice-recipe.html

MinnieInMaine

I believe 1 cup (loosely packed) cooked is a standard serving for rice and that's going to be around 200 calories.

Need2Exerc1se

I know "bad" is huge mental trigger on this site, but typically when someone says "bad carb" they mean fast digesting. There isn't a big difference in this respect between white and brown rice. Both are fairly fast digesting when eaten alone.

But that has to do with blood sugar spikes, not calories.

NoelFigart1

Actual bento boxes run between 480 and 1000 ml.

If you fill it according to Japanese principles, the calorie count of the meal roughly corresponds to the size of the bento box.

A proper bento has a ratio of 4:3:2:1 4 parts rice (or carbs), 3 parts protein, 2 parts vegetables, 1 part sweet (like a strawberry or slice of fruit, mind)

The Japanese eat a much, MUCH more carb-heavy diet than most Americans. For an average bento for a woman, we're looking at a couple of onigiri, which would have about half a cup of rice each.

The whole carb-non-carb thing is mostly nonsense. Weight loss is about being in a calorie deficit. You could do that on Twinkies, if you had a mind.

That said, you might have health conditions or activity levels that make you want to eat more or less carb-intensive food. (As my swimming training ramps up, I'm more likely to have that big ole bowl of oatmeal rather than the low-carb bacon and eggs, for instance) Diabetics need fewer carbs, endurance athletes who are otherwise healthy need more... That make sense?

For strict weight loss, it's all about the calories.

For how you FEEL? You may have to talk to your doc and experiment.

SuggaD

Nothing wrong with rice. Black and red rice are especially yummy, imo. Then brown then basmati.

jgnatca

North American bento boxes are too big! When will the manufacturers get it?

Hardcore, I am TOTALLY keeping that recipe, thanks!

Basmati rice, baby!

segacs

I used to eat a lot of rice, but since I started counting calories, I often skip it as it just doesn't seem to be worth the calories to me. It's been easy for me to cut out or reduce, because I never really have rice cravings.

But hey, there are no good foods or bad foods. There's just the need to make choices and to prioritize. I still eat rice on occasion (usually with sushi) and it's fine. If it fits your macros and all that...

kevinmacpa

Rice are fast digesting carbs compare to other alternatives such as oats, whole grain breads, starchy vegetables such as sweet potato, etc.

The faster it digests, the easier it is to have a lot of glucose get in to your blood flow. The higher your blood glucose level, the more insulin your body produces to try to convert those glucose into stored energy. Unless you are getting ready for a workout or need the energy for post workout recovery, you don't want too much glucose or too much insulin suddenly get into your system.

Eating protein and fat with carbs will slow down the total digestion, but when possible, you would want to have more slow digesting carbs if possible.

Brown rice digests slower than white rice, so brown rice is a better choice. But if it's all the same to you, why not make some sweet potato for your bento box rather than rice? Sweet potato tastes better, and has much more nutrient than rice.