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| Healthy Diet Plans >> Calories >> Rice calories |
Rice caloriesWeight watchers are often cautious about including rice in their diets as it is considered to be high in carbohydrates. But when compared with 100 g of whole meal bread, cooked brown rice has far fewer calories for the same weight. Rice calories, as far as dieters are concerned, should be the amount of calories in a cup of cooked rice. A cup of raw rice grains has more calories because there is more rice in a cup of uncooked rice. Rice expands up to three times in volume when it is cooked. A nutritious diet ensures that the body burns calories fast by maintaining a robust metabolism. While counting calories is important, one should also keep an eye on food labels for nutritional value. Nutritional facts and energy in the form of calories per serving on food labels include details of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins, folate, and dietary fiber, as well as the types of fats found in the food item. Knowing about the sodium, cholesterol, and polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fat content in the food will enable people with heart disease, high blood pressure, etc. avoid such foods. For instance, though steamed rice calories per cup may be low, fried rice calories and the high fat and sodium content in a Chinese take out make it unsuitable for those with coronary artery disease or high blood pressure. Rice calories need to be looked at from the point of view of various types of rice preparations and the different varieties of rice used in cuisines around the world. Rice cakes are popular as low-fat low-calorie snacks around the world. Rice noodles, pancakes, or snacks using rice flour, flattened or beaten rice are other sources of rice calories. The different varieties of rice include brown rice, which may be long grain or medium grain, and white rice that is glutinous or parboiled. Long grain white rice that is enriched with vitamins and minerals is fairly common on super market shelves in its regular raw form and in the convenient pre-cooked or instant rice packets. Medium and short grain white rice, both enriched and un-enriched, are popular choices for those who prefer to get their rice calories from delicious risottos, paella, or even sushi. Wild rice, as the name implies, grows in the wild in small lakes and shallow streams and is harvested usually by hand. For a serious dieter, rice calories per ounce of food consumed actually help in reducing the quantity of food eaten. Rice is more filling, and the complex carbohydrates in brown rice ward off hunger pangs for a longer time. Considering its high fiber content and higher nutrient value, brown rice should be an essential part of any weight loss program. In addition, brown rice calories are fewer than white rice calories for every cup of rice eaten. Combined with buttermilk, rice is a soothing food that can be easily digested even by those with diarrhea and other disorders of the digestive system. For millions of people in Asia, where staple food is rice, how many calories they consume depends on the dishes that accompany the rice served at each meal. Eating rice at breakfast, lunch and dinner is common in many of these cultures, but one does not see obesity as a major problem in these societies. Standard meals in the Asia include generous helpings of vegetables, sea food, and fruits, whereas in the west, calories abound in processed foods and fast food, which are regularly consumed. Weight watchers are advised to choose aromatic food with herbs and spices as they satisfy hunger more completely, in contrast to bland foods that make a dieter feel deprived. For those who want to limit their consumption of rice calories, basmati rice, available both as regular and brown rice, provides a fragrant option, and you can buy it per pound or per ounce. Served with chicken, meat or fish, the aroma of cooked basmati rice blends with that of the piquant spices it is cooked with, and small servings of the rice are perfect for rice calorie counter. Even for those vary of rice calories, cooked brown rice can be added as a filling to baked tomatoes or stuffed bell peppers so that they can enjoy the benefits of brown rice. Apart from different varieties of rice used in various parts of the world, we can also find cooking oil made from rice bran. This rice bran oil is said to extremely heart friendly, and its use is advised for heart patients and those with coronary artery disease. Broken rice, a by product of the rice milling process is also used in puddings and gruels. In many countries, the starchy water that remains after rice is cooked is drained off and used to thicken soups and gravies. This gruel is extremely easy to digest and is an excellent source of instant energy. Since rice contains no gluten, it is suitable food for even those with gluten allergies. In these times of financial uncertainty, brown rice is a cheap and nutritious choice to feed a growing family. Even left over rice can be used innovatively and creatively to create a healthy and filling breakfast or snack. Leftover wild rice can be used as filling in omelets. Brown rice filling can be used in a variety of stuffed meats like veal, turkey, or chicken instead of the regular bread or potato filling. In vegetable based dishes like cabbage rolls, stuffed zucchini, mushrooms or acorn squashes, wild rice or brown rice filling adds to the nutritional value, making it a perfect accompaniment to a protein rich main course. It is a good idea to add rice to a dieter’s grocery list because it is a versatile food that can be used in many ways to enhance the nutritive and calorific value of a meal. Eating rice gives a feeling of fullness, satiating hunger pangs at the same time and providing the body with instant energy. Unpolished or brown rice is packed with essential nutrients that the body needs particularly when a person is on a diet, limiting the intake of food. |
| Submitted on January 16, 2014 |