Why brown rice is good for weight loss and how to cook it

In the East, rice is the most popular and revered dish. It has many varieties and does not become boring in the everyday menu due to different cooking techniques. It was Asian chefs who showed Europeans how to properly cook brown rice, recipes for losing weight and improving the health of the body.

In this article we will look at the features of preparing rice dishes, its beneficial properties and contraindications, and an effective diet based on this product. Diet recipes will help you lose extra pounds and diversify your diet.

Is brown rice considered dietary?

One of the most popular varieties of rice is brown (brown). However, it cannot be distinguished as a separate variety of this plant - it is only an unpolished (unprocessed) form of ordinary rice.

The natural shell of plant fiber gives the product a brownish tint. It does not look as appetizing as white (refined) cereals, but this is compensated by its rich composition and valuable properties. Brown rice is much healthier than its white “relative”. In dietetics, such a product belongs to the basic diet for weight loss. Benefits on diet:

1. Due to the large amount of fiber, it helps improve digestion and reduce body parameters in 1-2 weeks.
2. Cleanses the body and suppresses hunger, making the rice diet easier to tolerate than others.
3. The vitamin composition of the product helps to establish metabolic processes in the body and activates calorie consumption.
4. The chemical component gamma-arizanol reduces the level of cholesterol in the blood, which is often elevated with excess weight.
5. Absorbs water well, which ensures quick saturation on a diet.

Note! Rice goes well with all foods except protein. For this reason, the diet of the same name does not include meat, dairy products and beans in the diet.

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Choice

In order for efforts to lose excess weight to be effective, it is necessary to take a responsible approach to the conditions of dietary treatment. You need to start by selecting the cereal that really has a beneficial effect without causing a health hazard:

1. Suppliers of rice in Russia are China, the countries of Indochina and the Krasnodar region. According to the Genescan laboratory from Germany, 2/3 of Chinese rice is a genetically modified product.
2. Most varieties of brown rice have a shelf life of one year. The date of manufacture is indicated on the package. Therefore, we be sure to pay attention to this important information.
3. The packaging often indicates not the country of manufacture, but the supplier company, which makes it difficult to determine the origin of the cereal. It is better to use brown rice for weight loss, which is packaged in the country where it grows. It has better taste and is more healthy. When transported in ship holds, products are treated with pesticides against pests. To improve the presentation, the cereal is polished with talcum powder and treated with synthetic vitamins. All these tricks do not benefit the body.

Therefore, it is better to choose pure and affordable Krasnodar brown rice “Agro-Alliance”, which is produced from the Regul variety. The benefits of such brown rice for weight loss will manifest themselves after several preparations of this valuable product.

Benefits and harms of the product

Unpolished rice has a whole list of beneficial properties. These characteristics include:

1. Rapid saturation of the body, while carbohydrates from its composition quickly turn into additional energy for the body, and do not “settle” on the waist.
2. Vegetable protein from rice is perfectly absorbed in the human body and serves as a building material for muscles, healthy functioning of the brain and the entire nervous system.
3. Hypoallergenic, this product does not contain gluten and can be used in the diet of allergy sufferers.
4. Due to B vitamins, it strengthens the nervous system and improves sleep.
5. The plant fibers in the composition help cleanse all parts of the gastrointestinal tract, absorb and remove toxic substances from the body naturally.
6. Reduces stomach acidity and is an effective prevention of diarrhea.
7. It has a positive effect on the body during high mental stress, improves memory and concentration, and stimulates thought processes.
8. The high magnesium content allows you to protect the body from stress and adverse environmental factors.
9. Controls blood glucose levels and helps reduce high blood pressure, prevents the development of chronic hypertension.

With regular consumption of wild rice, you can significantly improve the health of the kidneys and the entire excretory system in the body, and get rid of the tendency to edema.

However, such a useful product also has certain disadvantages:

1. It is best to consume brown rice no more than 3 times a week. If you abuse this product, you may become prone to constipation.
2. Improper preparation of rice dishes can lead to dehydration. For this reason, you need to carefully follow the recipes and maintain a drinking regime throughout the day.
3. The product is only suitable for short-term storage, as it quickly oxidizes in air, loses all its beneficial properties and can lead to poisoning.

Note! To prevent the product from spoiling, the opened package of rice should be placed in an airtight container and stored in the refrigerator.

What are the benefits for losing weight

Nutritionists strongly recommend choosing brown rice for weight loss as it contains the maximum amount of vitamins and microelements. All these substances are capable of adjusting the body’s functioning in such a way that it is set up to get rid of unnecessary kilograms.

Here are the benefits of cereal in the fight against excess weight:

• even in small quantities it does not allow you to go hungry, because it is a nutritious and satisfying product due to its high calorie content (337 kcal);
• you should not be afraid of such a large amount of carbohydrates contained in it, because they do not have the property of being stored in the form of fats in reserve - they are completely processed by the body and burned;
• a small amount of protein allows you to preserve beautiful muscle mass and save it from splitting;
• beneficial effect on the nervous system (thanks to B vitamins) - a good prevention against compulsive overeating, when you want to munch on something;
• the body is cleansed of debris accumulated on the walls of the stomach with the help of plant fiber;
• as a result, digestion is improved, and extraordinary lightness appears in the stomach;
• the kidneys begin to work a little more intensely, which means that excess water is also released;
• The level of bad cholesterol and triglyceride fats, which end up in the form of deposits in problem areas, is reduced.

Thanks to its special chemical composition, brown rice is so beneficial for weight loss. White also performs similar functions, but they are several times weaker, because it contains much less substances valuable to the body due to the grinding to which its grains are subjected.

If weight loss is organized correctly, you can lose up to 3 kg in a week. However, the result will largely depend on the chosen diet and portion size.

Related article: Rice diet

Keep in mind. Losing weight on brown rice will be beneficial even for diabetics. After all, it has a low glycemic index - it lowers blood sugar.

Are rice noodles good for diet?

Rice noodles are also known by another name - funchose. This product is made from rice flour and is very popular in Asian cuisine.

A big plus of such noodles is that they are rich in almost any taste. Funchoza actively absorbs the odors of other ingredients, spices and sauces. At the same time, it maintains a dense texture.

Such products are mistakenly called high-calorie - in practice, boiled funchose contains only 120 kcal for every 100 grams of product. This figure is average and is quite suitable for a dietary diet.

However, noodles may cause problems in people with low insulin sensitivity. In this case, a portion of funchose will only increase your appetite and will not bring the desired satiety. This reaction leads to overeating.

For everyone else, rice noodles with vegetables, mushrooms, seafood (shrimp, mussels, squid, fish) or dietary poultry meatballs are a low-calorie dish and can be periodically added to the diet.

How much brown rice can you eat when losing weight?

It is impossible to accurately name the daily intake of brown rice for weight loss. The figure depends on the age and gender of the patient, the presence of concomitant diseases, the set goal, and the variety of the daily diet.

With a strict rice diet, you can eat up to 750 g of cooked cereal per day . The grain intake is reduced if other foods from the list of permitted foods are additionally consumed: fruits, vegetables, lean meats, low-calorie dairy products.

Other weight loss products:

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How to cook rice correctly

Brown rice has special cooking rules that maximize the taste of the dish. Cooking process in stages:

1. Thorough rinsing. It is necessary to remove bad grains, dust and dirt that got into the grain during collection and transportation. It is necessary to rinse the cereal in cold water several times until the water is completely clear. Next, brown rice should be treated with boiling water and again with cold water.
2. Then you need to soak the wild rice in water. To do this, place it in a deep container and fill with cold water. The optimal soaking time is 10 hours, i.e. The cereal can be left in water overnight before cooking.
3. If the previous two steps are followed, the rice should be placed in a cooking pot and filled with water (about 1 cup of grains per 3 cups of liquid). Before boiling, add 1 teaspoon of table salt and bring the product to a boil. The cereal should be cooked for about 5-10 minutes over high heat under the lid.
4. Then reduce the heat and simmer the rice for another 30 minutes in a covered pan.
5. After this, remove the container and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes. At the same time, the cereal will absorb the remaining water, while the rice will remain as fluffy as possible.

Note! The finished side dish goes well with vegetables, tomato and cream sauces, mushrooms and seafood.

Recommendations

To lose weight quickly and effectively, you need to learn how to cook brown rice correctly. Since it retains its natural shell, it is tougher than its white counterpart. This means that it needs to be heat treated longer. A few secrets will help you get the most out of it.

1. Before cooking, the cereal should be thoroughly rinsed several times under running cold water.
2. Cook brown rice longer than white rice, otherwise it will crunch unpleasantly on your teeth.
3. It is believed that heat treatment kills more than 90% of all beneficial substances. So it makes sense to eat raw, pre-soaked or sprouted rice.
4. The hunger strike, to put it bluntly, is unbearable. Unsalted, hard rice will not give you pleasure, no matter how well it is cooked.
5. To maintain such a diet, it is necessary to dilute the diet with other foods - low-calorie, but at least tasty (fruits, chicken breast, vegetables).
6. You need to drink at least 2 liters of water per day.
7. To improve results, you need to play sports or at least increase physical activity.

Such weight loss should be accompanied by consultations with a doctor and nutritionist, because long-term and frequent consumption of rice, even if all recommendations are followed, can be harmful to health.

Diet recipes

With Chiken

A fairly nutritious and tasty dish with a classic combination of rice and dietary poultry is prepared in a slow cooker. For preparation you will need:

• chicken fillet – 0.5 kg;
• brown rice – 200 g;
• water – 400 ml;
• onions – 1 pc.;
• carrot – 1 pc.;
• greens - to taste.

To begin, thoroughly rinse the chicken fillet, cut it and place it in a multicooker container. Turn on the “Bake” mode for 10 minutes. Next add rice and water. Peel the onions and carrots and chop finely. Add the vegetables to the container with the rest of the ingredients and mix everything thoroughly. Turn on the “Pilaf” mode and cook the dish for 45 minutes. The finished dish can be served with plenty of fresh herbs.

With vegetables

A vegetarian recipe for a dish that fully complies with the basics of dietary nutrition. Required Products:

• wild rice – 150 grams;
• water – 300 ml;
• onion – 1 piece;
• carrot – 1 piece;
• zucchini - 1 piece;
• bell pepper – 2 medium-sized pieces;
• garlic – 3 cloves;
• sea ​​salt – add to taste;
• sunflower oil – 10 ml.

First, sort and rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Then boil the cereal in salted water until tender (add oil at the end and drain the rice in a colander). Peel and wash carrots, onions, garlic, peppers and zucchini. Chop the vegetables into cubes and pass the garlic through a special press.

Place the vegetables in a deep non-stick frying pan and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes. Then add rice to the same container, mix well and simmer for 5-7 minutes over low heat under the lid. Serve the dish with a vegetable salad of fresh herbs.

In a frying pan

A simple recipe for rice and peas that can be cooked in a regular frying pan. Required Products:

• eggs – 2 pcs.;
• wild rice - 1 tbsp.;
• peas (fresh or frozen) – 0.5 tbsp;
• onion greens - add to taste;
• sunflower oil – 1 tbsp. l.;
• garlic – 1 clove;
• sea ​​salt - add to taste.

Rinse the rice well in water - about 5 times. Then cook the cereal until tender in salted water. Peel and thoroughly chop the garlic clove. Break the chicken egg into a bowl and beat vigorously. Wash the onion greens and chop finely.

Next, heat the frying pan and simmer the garlic in a minimum amount of oil, stirring constantly. Then gradually add the onion, beaten eggs and peas. Mix all ingredients and cook for 2-3 minutes. After this, pour in the cooked rice and let the dish sit for at least 30 minutes, covered.

In a slow cooker with mushrooms

An original recipe for brown rice with a balanced composition. The following products are needed:

• brown rice - 1 tbsp.;
• champignons – 200 g;
• bell pepper – 1 pc.;
• onion – 1 pc.;
• water – 400 ml;
• vegetable oil – 10 ml;
• black sesame seeds – 1 tbsp. l.;
• cumin – 0.5 tsp.

To begin, toast the sesame seeds and cumin in a dry frying pan for about 1 minute. Add oil, chopped peppers, onions to the multicooker bowl and simmer for about 10 minutes. Then add the washed and chopped mushrooms and cook the base of the dish for another 5 minutes. After this, pour water into the container with the food, add the prepared spices and simmer on the “Baking” mode for about 5-7 minutes. At the last stage, pour in the washed rice, mix gently and cook in the “Pilaf” mode for about 1 hour.

Note! During the last hour of cooking, the dish should be stirred approximately 2-3 times at equal intervals.

With seafood

An exquisite version of a dietary dish with seafood. List of ingredients:

• brown rice – 100 g;
• onion – 1 pc.;
• carrot – 1 pc.;
• sweet pepper – 1 pc.;
• garlic – 2 cloves;
• squid fillet – 100 g;
• peeled shrimp – 100 g;
• olive oil – 1 tbsp. l.;
• water – 300 ml;
• sea ​​salt – add to taste.

First, wash the rice and boil it in salted water. Then peel and finely chop all the vegetables. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and simmer the onion, garlic and carrots in it for 2 minutes over moderate heat. Then add pepper and salt, then cook the base for 5-7 minutes.

Pour washed and chopped seafood into the pan, mix them with vegetables and cook for 5 minutes. Add the boiled rice to the remaining ingredients, mix gently and cook for another 10 minutes. The finished dish goes well with soy sauce.

Cooking methods

Cereals for dietary nutrition can be prepared using methods that are conventionally divided into those that require heat treatment and those that do not.

1. Pilaf in a multicooker with chicken breast and fat-burning seasonings: pour 200 g of cereal with a glass of water and cook on the “Buckwheat” mode.
2. Porridge in the microwave: Pour the cereal into a microwave-safe container until it is covered with water. At a power of 800, stand for 10 minutes under a loosely closed lid and do not open the door for another 10 minutes to allow the rice to steam.
3. Porridge in the oven: pour a glass of cereal soaked in the evening with 2 glasses of water and keep in the oven for 45 minutes at 180ºC.
4. In a double boiler, rice, soaked with water in a ratio of 1:2, is kept for half an hour.
5. To cook on the stove, boil rice soaked overnight for 10 minutes, drain the water and add cold water, after 15 minutes of cooking, wrap it up for steaming.

Recipes without heat treatment:

1. Raw. A tablespoon of cereal is poured into a glass of water, which must be changed daily for 5 days.
2. Sprouted. Cover the grains with water and wait for white sprouts to appear.

In both options, chew the swollen grains when you feel hungry.

Brown rice diet

What to eat and how to cook

The rice diet is very popular. The basic rules of such a power system:

• the duration of the diet should be from 3 to 7 days, after which the body needs a break - approximately 1-2 weeks;
• standard portion of rice per meal – 60 grams;
• The basis of the diet is also vegetable broth. To prepare it, boil 300 grams of chopped vegetables (onions, carrots and celery) in 1 liter of water;
• fresh vegetables, herbs and fruits (apples, pears) are also acceptable on the diet;
• When losing weight, it is necessary to consume a large amount of liquid so that the rice diet does not provoke dehydration of the body.

Note! On a diet, you can drink not only pure water, but also herbal teas without sugar (for example, based on thyme, linden or lemon balm).

Sample menu

What results can you achieve?

By following the described diet, you can achieve significant weight loss. On average, in a week with a standard rice-based menu, you lose from 3 to 5 kg of excess weight. The new weight becomes stable without the return of lost kilograms.

At the same time, the level of cholesterol in the blood decreases, which has a positive effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system.

Diet options

Strict

Six times a day, eat 60 grams of brown rice without salt, sugar and oil. Fish and meat are prohibited. Fresh vegetables and unsweetened fruits are allowed. Duration - 1 week. This technique is contraindicated for pregnant women.

Sample menu:

Gentle

A glass of boiled or steamed rice in its pure form is eaten for dinner. Breakfast and lunch are as low-calorie as possible, without fats and carbohydrates. Duration: 2 weeks. Often the diet ends with intestinal disorders, so you need to be attentive to your well-being. To last longer, you can add a little salt to your food.

Fasting day

Five times a day, eat a handful of rice without any additives. It is difficult to tolerate, but the results (2 kg per day) are justified.

Main conclusions

Brown (brown) rice is an excellent dietary product that is healthier than the white version. Low-calorie soups and hot dishes can be prepared using unpolished grains. Useful properties of wild rice:

• saturates the body and satisfies the feeling of hunger by quickly filling the stomach cavity;
• reduces acidity and helps prevent diarrhea;
• improves memory, thinking skills and overall concentration, eases mental stress;
• Due to the increased magnesium content, it protects the body from stress manifestations that are characteristic of any diet.

Unpolished rice dishes can be supplemented with simple foods: various vegetables, herbs, lean meat and seafood. This side dish will diversify any diet or become the basis for a fasting day.

What kind of rice dishes do you like? Share proven recipes with dietary ingredients.

What is this product

Before reaching store shelves, rice may go through various stages of processing. If the entire shell is peeled off and polished to a white core, the end result is the usual white rice, devoid of almost all valuable substances. If only the yellow outer shell is removed from the grains, and the brown bran and germ are left, the result is a brown cereal. The color of the grains may vary, but will always be in the brown range. When cooked, such cereals have an unusual, slightly nutty taste.

Composition and calorie content

There are about two dozen botanical species and more than eight thousand varieties of rice. Despite the diversity, their chemical composition is actually the same:

• is a significant source of vitamins PP, H and group B - up to 30 percent of the daily requirement;
• contains microelements important for the human body: cobalt, magnesium, iron, selenium, phosphorus and related ones - from 30 to 60 percent;
• the composition contains chlorine, calcium and sulfur - a little more than 5 percent;
• the energy value depends on the cooking method, but the average content is as follows: carbohydrates - up to 80 percent, proteins - up to 18, fat - up to 2. The calorie content of dry cereal reaches 350 kilocalories, during the cooking process it decreases to 115;
• contains 8 amino acids that are necessary for the human body;
• contains up to 50 percent dietary fiber.

How much can you lose?

It is impossible to say exactly how many kilograms you can lose by following a brown rice diet. In the case of a weekly diet, you can get rid of 2-5 kg ​​without much effort.

By sticking to your usual diet and consuming the product once daily (during breakfast or dinner), you can lose 2 kg. It is necessary to take into account the weight of the person losing weight, age and characteristics of the body (including genetic data).

In most cases, you can lose 3–4 kg in a month. For greater effectiveness, it is recommended to perform physical exercises so that body weight decreases and the body is not harmed.

Shrimp balls

Brown rice, recipes for which are found even with seafood, goes well with shrimp. From these ingredients you can prepare a hearty, tasty dish - meatballs and serve them for lunch or dinner.

Even small cocktail shrimps are suitable for a treat.

What ingredients will you need?

For the dish you need to take:

• shrimp (small and already peeled) – half a kilo;
• rice (brown) – 2 cooking bags;
• potatoes – 2 pcs.;
• chili – 1 pod;
• garlic cloves – 3 pcs.;
• green onions – 45-50 g;
• olive oil – 1.5-2 tbsp. l.;
• sunflower oil – 4-5 tbsp. l.;
• salt.

Step-by-step cooking process

Cooking steps:

1. The rice is cooked in salted water directly in the cooking bags. First carefully study the instructions for preparing the cereal in this form.
2. The potatoes are peeled and sent to boil in salted water. To speed up the process, you can cut it into small pieces.
3. Already soft potatoes are mashed. This is done with a regular masher without using a blender. Otherwise, the resulting puree will not be suitable for forming meatballs.
4. About 1/3 of the rice cooked above turns into mush. This can be done conveniently using a suitable blender attachment.
5. The garlic gets rid of the husk and is finely chopped. Chili is used without the stalk and seeds inside. It is randomly chopped along with green onions.
6. The components prepared in the previous step are fried in olive oil.
7. Shrimp are taken already peeled of all excess. The remaining seafood pulp is finely chopped. Afterwards it is mixed with mashed potato mass, mashed rice and fried spicy ingredients.
8. The resulting mixture is salted and peppered to taste.
9. Neat small balls are formed from the potato-shrimp dough. It is convenient to do this with wet fingers. The prepared meatballs are dredged in flour on all sides.
10. The preparations are fried in hot oil until golden brown.

11. Afterwards, they are laid out on a paper towel/napkin so that the coating absorbs excess fat.

The finished meatballs can be served immediately.

Rules for serving dishes, decoration

The remaining dark rice is placed on portioned plates as a side dish. It's delicious to sprinkle large chili flakes on top of the cereal. Ruddy meatballs are distributed on the side dish. You can also place miniature containers with a variety of sauces nearby. For example, ketchup, mayonnaise, sour cream with mustard and other flavorful additives work well here.

Reviews

Among people watching their weight, rice fasting days are especially popular, during which a glass of boiled unsalted rice is eaten and about 2 liters of liquid are drunk. Reviews say that with this regime you can lose 1-1.5 kg of weight, and regular practice of such unloading maintains the weight at the same level.

In addition, hunger is not felt at all due to the good nutritional properties of the product. Naturally, in order for the weight not to “jump”, it is not enough to practice regular unloading; you must constantly adhere to proper fractional nutrition and lead an active lifestyle.

Brown rice is an excellent alternative to the usual white grain. It not only saturates, but also supplies the body with useful and necessary elements.

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