Does Rice Makes You Fat?
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5/1/2020
Written By: Ryan Chan |
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I am sure you have heard your friends or relatives telling you to cut down on rice because it makes you fat. Or maybe someone you know is currently cutting down on rice portion in order to lose weight. But does rice really make you fat?
Answer: Rice doesn’t make you fat. Additional calories do.
If you are consuming more calories than you burn, aka caloric surplus, additional calories will be stored as fats and/or use by your body for repair and recovery. In that case, weight will be gained. If you are able to burn off more calories than you consume, aka caloric deficit, including the calories from rice, then you will not gain weight.
Rice is just a source of calories, like any other food, that you consume and contribute to your overall calories intake. 1 bowl of cooked rice is about 136 calories. That’s about 34g of carbs which is roughly 15 minutes of jogging or 40 minutes of brisk walking.
Answer: Rice doesn’t make you fat. Additional calories do.
If you are consuming more calories than you burn, aka caloric surplus, additional calories will be stored as fats and/or use by your body for repair and recovery. In that case, weight will be gained. If you are able to burn off more calories than you consume, aka caloric deficit, including the calories from rice, then you will not gain weight.
Rice is just a source of calories, like any other food, that you consume and contribute to your overall calories intake. 1 bowl of cooked rice is about 136 calories. That’s about 34g of carbs which is roughly 15 minutes of jogging or 40 minutes of brisk walking.
So what’s with all the commotion about rice?
1. Not Enough Physical Activity
People are just not exercising enough. If you are someone that is physically active, burning more calories than you consume, then a fair amount of rice would not result in any fat/weight gain. Problem comes when a person is less physically active resulting in less calories output. In that case, it becomes important for one to take note of what he/she consume.
2. Spikes Your Blood Sugar Level
White rice in particular is categorised as simple carbs. This means that they digest very quickly in the body, resulting in a spike of your blood sugar level. This spike stimulates your pancreas to release a large amount of insulin, which often leads to a “carb coma” or blood sugar “crash”, leaving you with low energy, hungry and cravings.
In short, rice does not keep you full for long and may cause irregular energy level.
3. Convenience
If you are looking to go on a diet to reduce your calories intake, of the 3 macronutrients – Carbs, Protein, Fat, carbohydrate is the easiest to reduce. Protein aid greatly in weight management and is rarely recommended to reduce unless it is consumed excessively or due to medical condition. Fat on the other hand is often found within your food thus it is difficult to solely reduce it. Carbs often present themselves in a pure portion, such as rice, bread, noodle, making it an easy target to reduce. And due to its scientific reasons (eg. Elevated blood sugar, poor energy level, promotes hunger and cravings etc), it makes sense to reduce the consumption of simple carbs.
People are just not exercising enough. If you are someone that is physically active, burning more calories than you consume, then a fair amount of rice would not result in any fat/weight gain. Problem comes when a person is less physically active resulting in less calories output. In that case, it becomes important for one to take note of what he/she consume.
2. Spikes Your Blood Sugar Level
White rice in particular is categorised as simple carbs. This means that they digest very quickly in the body, resulting in a spike of your blood sugar level. This spike stimulates your pancreas to release a large amount of insulin, which often leads to a “carb coma” or blood sugar “crash”, leaving you with low energy, hungry and cravings.
In short, rice does not keep you full for long and may cause irregular energy level.
3. Convenience
If you are looking to go on a diet to reduce your calories intake, of the 3 macronutrients – Carbs, Protein, Fat, carbohydrate is the easiest to reduce. Protein aid greatly in weight management and is rarely recommended to reduce unless it is consumed excessively or due to medical condition. Fat on the other hand is often found within your food thus it is difficult to solely reduce it. Carbs often present themselves in a pure portion, such as rice, bread, noodle, making it an easy target to reduce. And due to its scientific reasons (eg. Elevated blood sugar, poor energy level, promotes hunger and cravings etc), it makes sense to reduce the consumption of simple carbs.
Conclusion
If you are a physically active individual who has no problem with your weight, then the consumption of simple carbs such as white rice could aid in energy production for better performance during your workout. However, if you are someone who is looking to lose weight, you may cut down on your rice consumption or swap it to something that can keep you full for a longer period of time, such as fibre and protein rich food (eg. Lean meat, egg, vegetables). For more information on how you can achieve a successful diet for weight loss, click here – The Key To Successful Dieting.
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