Pasta & Rice??

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TiffanyCza
TiffanyCza Posts: 30 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Rice and pasta are a REALLY big part of my life.
As a Puerto Rican lady, I eat a lot of rice but recently I started not eating the traditional spanish rice, just a cup of white rice with mixed veggies and pasta, sigh I just feel like it is impossible to replace.

I have a few questions though.

1) Will cutting out these two make a big difference in my weight loss?

2) Is there a healthier version of the two that I can eat?

3) Some replacements for the two. I love potatoes but are the instant ones really bad?

Replies

  • Officialas
    Officialas Posts: 50 Member
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    Hi hi! From personal experience, me cutting out a large majority of these foods did wonders for my weightloss, however, it doesn't necessarily mean that eating pasta or rice will not help you with losing the weight! If you want to still enjoy all these foods, just simply replace them with the wholemeal/brown options (whole meal pasta, brown rice, etc) as these have a much higher dietry fibre content (far more nutrients than the white options). Not only that but portion control in itself is what it's all about, that way your calories are easily tracked so you don't go over your daily intake :)

    When it comes also to potatoes, my only concern for instant ones would perhaps be the levels of sodium in them to preserve them/make them taste as great as they do. If there is a low sodium option, then I don't see a huge issue with instant ones :) Hope this was helpful!
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Pasta and rice aren't inherently bad (in spite of what the low-carb lobby would like you to believe!), the key is to make sure that you are eating a whole lot of different foods and that your diary balances out (with calories and your macronutrients - fat, protein, carbs) at the end of the day.

    Unless you have a specific medical reason to avoid pasta and rice, I don't see the point, especially when it is something you eat so regularly. Maybe just consider your portion sizes, change the ratios of veggies to rice and pasta (ie. add LOTS more veggies) and you may also want to bump up your intake of lean protein and healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, nuts etc).

    I wouldn't go to instant potatoes instead - they are processed nonsense. If you want to eat potatoes, then cook with real potatoes - white or sweet. Once again, make sure that they fit into your macros for the day.

    I suggest that you plan a day or two ahead. Enter all the meals you think you want to eat for the day and have a look at how your diary balances out. If you have planned to eat 2 cups of rice in the day and you are way over carbs but under protein, cut your rice down and add in some chicken or fish or meat or eggs. If your sugar is too high, drop some sweets or fruit and substitute veggies or nuts or something else that helps you balance the day.

    It's all about finding a way of eating that you can sustain for the rest of your life. Good luck!
  • Lynxie83
    Lynxie83 Posts: 246
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    As Ruby and Oficialas both said portion sizes will be the key with those two food groups! I too love my pasta and rice and I absolutely LOVE :smooched: Potato! It must be the Irish heritage coming out in me :bigsmile:

    I haven't cut them completely out of my diet, but I mix it up a bit. I'm trying recipes with brown rice and whole meal pasta and I was surprised at how tasty they are! I use taste.com for a lot of my recipes, along with the mountain of cook books I have at home.

    Potato has been my down fall so far, I've found out I can't seem to limit myself to one or two potatoes (especially roast potato), I end up eating half a dozen, so I've almost completely removed it from my diet until I can learn to control myself! :blushing:

    It's as Ruby says, mostly about moderation and making sure you get a balanced diet! If you cut something out of your life and you love it, or crave it, it leads to you caving and binging! If you take the view point of a healthy diet and regular exercise you'll find it works itself out.
  • DesireeLovesOrganic
    DesireeLovesOrganic Posts: 456 Member
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    I like my rice too and it hasn't hindered my weight loss. I wouldn't eat plain white rice though, I get the Village Harvest Organic Brown basmati rice. Have you tried quinoa? It kind of reminds me of rice but has more protein. I would not eat instant potatoes personally (I like real unprocessed foods) but I do eat potatoes, sweet, yellow, red, I like them all. I eat pasta too, whole grain organic pasta but I measure it out exact serving size because pasta (for me) is easy to over eat. I have been eating more "brown rice" pasta and I don't mind it at all...
  • TiffanyCza
    TiffanyCza Posts: 30 Member
    Options
    Hi hi! From personal experience, me cutting out a large majority of these foods did wonders for my weightloss, however, it doesn't necessarily mean that eating pasta or rice will not help you with losing the weight! If you want to still enjoy all these foods, just simply replace them with the wholemeal/brown options (whole meal pasta, brown rice, etc) as these have a much higher dietry fibre content (far more nutrients than the white options). Not only that but portion control in itself is what it's all about, that way your calories are easily tracked so you don't go over your daily intake :)

    When it comes also to potatoes, my only concern for instant ones would perhaps be the levels of sodium in them to preserve them/make them taste as great as they do. If there is a low sodium option, then I don't see a huge issue with instant ones :) Hope this was helpful!

    Thank you so much. I figured the brown/whole meal would be much better but I was not sure at all.
    I have learned how to portion my meals very well, just sort of trying to learn how to do it with baked chicken, etc
    I invested in a George Foreman, OMG I love them, and to make grilled chicken will be so easy
  • TiffanyCza
    TiffanyCza Posts: 30 Member
    Options
    Pasta and rice aren't inherently bad (in spite of what the low-carb lobby would like you to believe!), the key is to make sure that you are eating a whole lot of different foods and that your diary balances out (with calories and your macronutrients - fat, protein, carbs) at the end of the day.

    Unless you have a specific medical reason to avoid pasta and rice, I don't see the point, especially when it is something you eat so regularly. Maybe just consider your portion sizes, change the ratios of veggies to rice and pasta (ie. add LOTS more veggies) and you may also want to bump up your intake of lean protein and healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, nuts etc).

    I wouldn't go to instant potatoes instead - they are processed nonsense. If you want to eat potatoes, then cook with real potatoes - white or sweet. Once again, make sure that they fit into your macros for the day.

    I suggest that you plan a day or two ahead. Enter all the meals you think you want to eat for the day and have a look at how your diary balances out. If you have planned to eat 2 cups of rice in the day and you are way over carbs but under protein, cut your rice down and add in some chicken or fish or meat or eggs. If your sugar is too high, drop some sweets or fruit and substitute veggies or nuts or something else that helps you balance the day.

    It's all about finding a way of eating that you can sustain for the rest of your life. Good luck!

    Thank you for replying ! I sort of knew the instant were just blech so I will stick to the regular ones. I am really starting to get the hang of it but still trying to figure out how to exactly measure chicken etc. I invested in a George Foreman grill so I can make grilled chicken because I'm not a fan of baked.
  • TiffanyCza
    TiffanyCza Posts: 30 Member
    Options
    As Ruby and Oficialas both said portion sizes will be the key with those two food groups! I too love my pasta and rice and I absolutely LOVE :smooched: Potato! It must be the Irish heritage coming out in me :bigsmile:

    I haven't cut them completely out of my diet, but I mix it up a bit. I'm trying recipes with brown rice and whole meal pasta and I was surprised at how tasty they are! I use taste.com for a lot of my recipes, along with the mountain of cook books I have at home.

    Potato has been my down fall so far, I've found out I can't seem to limit myself to one or two potatoes (especially roast potato), I end up eating half a dozen, so I've almost completely removed it from my diet until I can learn to control myself! :blushing:

    It's as Ruby says, mostly about moderation and making sure you get a balanced diet! If you cut something out of your life and you love it, or crave it, it leads to you caving and binging! If you take the view point of a healthy diet and regular exercise you'll find it works itself out.

    Hehe, that's funny but great self-control. But you are right, with moderation :wink:
  • avasano
    avasano Posts: 487 Member
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    Total bump, on Dukan right now but man I miss the rice.....
  • TiffanyCza
    TiffanyCza Posts: 30 Member
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    I like my rice too and it hasn't hindered my weight loss. I wouldn't eat plain white rice though, I get the Village Harvest Organic Brown basmati rice. Have you tried quinoa? It kind of reminds me of rice but has more protein. I would not eat instant potatoes personally (I like real unprocessed foods) but I do eat potatoes, sweet, yellow, red, I like them all. I eat pasta too, whole grain organic pasta but I measure it out exact serving size because pasta (for me) is easy to over eat. I have been eating more "brown rice" pasta and I don't mind it at all...

    I am currently without a job but when I do get one, I am really planning on incorporating more organic foods. I have not tried quinoa but I will definitely look it up. Processed foods were a problem for me before and I have stopped eating them for a while (aside from the instant potatoes I had a few days ago) and since I have cut that out of my diet, my body doesn't feel right when it's consumed. But thank you for replying! :smile:
  • TiffanyCza
    TiffanyCza Posts: 30 Member
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    Total bump, on Dukan right now but man I miss the rice.....

    My friend was doing Dukan, how is it? I really am bad at diets :noway: , I just prefer watching what I eat.
  • gatorginger
    gatorginger Posts: 947 Member
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    check out www.dashingdish.com and www.skinneytaste.com and you should find some lower calorie recipies for your favorite foods
  • Le_Joy
    Le_Joy Posts: 593 Member
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    You don't *have* to cut them out, but I stay in my calories better if I don't have much of these. One cup of rice is like 200 cals (depending on the type) and doesn't really fill me up at all. 4 oz of chicken is only @120 cals and makes it longer before I get hungry again. And you could try quinoa instead of rice. if you have somewhere with bulk foods it shouldn't be too much money.

    Last time I lost weight I did low fat & vegetarian so there were plenty of grains in my diet and it worked just fine.
  • neurochamp
    neurochamp Posts: 261 Member
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    Also check out www.eatingwell.com - they list lots of healthy recipe makeovers!
  • TiffanyCza
    TiffanyCza Posts: 30 Member
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    check out www.dashingdish.com and www.skinneytaste.com and you should find some lower calorie recipies for your favorite foods

    I am checking these out as we speak. Loving what I have found so far. Thank you!
  • TiffanyCza
    TiffanyCza Posts: 30 Member
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    You don't *have* to cut them out, but I stay in my calories better if I don't have much of these. One cup of rice is like 200 cals (depending on the type) and doesn't really fill me up at all. 4 oz of chicken is only @120 cals and makes it longer before I get hungry again. And you could try quinoa instead of rice. if you have somewhere with bulk foods it shouldn't be too much money.

    Last time I lost weight I did low fat & vegetarian so there were plenty of grains in my diet and it worked just fine.

    I am the same here, if I do have rice, I make sure I have veggies to go right with it.
  • TiffanyCza
    TiffanyCza Posts: 30 Member
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    Also check out www.eatingwell.com - they list lots of healthy recipe makeovers!

    Yes :love: another website! thank you
  • Longisland2NC
    Longisland2NC Posts: 60 Member
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    I try and use Spaghetti squash instead of Pasta (its sooo good with some tomato sauce and veggies - even throw some chicken into it....I cannot even tell the difference! YUM!!) and you can put cauliflower in the food processor (or you can cut it by hand) to use instead of rice.....

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