Rice on Rice on Rice

Published: Thu, 06/29/17

Hi

You eat rice, she said? I get this question, or something similar on the regs when I join someone for a meal.

A friend of mine the other day offered me some of her delicious Egyptian dish that she made and some white rice with a type of noodle in the rice. Btw, the dish was incredible and very favorable, and the rice too! Gasp, white rice at that.

P.S. I eat all the carbs too - brown and white!

Check these infographics out on the comparison of rice and potatoes. Your mind will be blown. Be sure to read the description with the infographics. 

What is the deal?!

I don’t know, and I will continue to fight the good fight. We still believe that carbs are the enemy - they are not the enemy. I believe one of the reasons is that we have to have something to blame. We believe in black or white terms. That there can't be any neutrality. I disagree! We have to stop allowing food to have power over us. It also doesn't have any moral values. The only reason that foods have been labeled bad is because of the emotions or power that we attach to them.

"We aren't good if we enjoy some ice cream and we are good if we eat broccoli and boiled chicken." Nope, food is food, and it holds no moral value.

The diet or weight loss industry has lead us to believe we have to cut things out. We have to suffer to be healthier. I have not met one person that was successful from suffering through a diet. They were miserable, hungry, and when the diet was over, they gained all the weight back, plus some.

Carbs still get a bad rap. I should say starchy carbs. If one more person says they try not to eat carbs, I might combust, or that I don't eat carbs after 12, or at night, and lastly I don't eat bread because it makes me fat. I eat bread almost every day, so apparently, I am going to turn into loaves of bread or gain all the weight.

You probably heard me say this before, so you don't eat vegetables then? Vegetables are a carb. Blank stare....

Carb are our friends, starchy, and non-starchy ones. Ya know, the issue is the consumption - the amounts that we eat.

Yes, we will gain weight when we overeat any macronutrient - carbs, fat, or even protein. It's the TOTAL calories - energy intake!

When we go all deprivation mode and cut carbs out, it just creates a caloric deficit. Basically,  you are eating fewer calories. There is nothing magical about it.  You are taking in less energy than before. Therefore you will see the scale drop (water decrease) - not actual fat loss.

So, instead of cutting starchy carbs, eat them according to what your body needs or feels. It may take a bit of honing in and listening to your body. You will have to pay attention to your Hunger, Energy, and Cravings. Your activity level, etc. Something that is so foreign to most of us.

I know it was for me. It took some work. Enough was enough. How'd I get there - practice, and patience.

Don't cut Carbs (starchy) out completely; they are your body’s number 1 fuel source. If you are looking to lose fat, not just weight - changing your body composition - create a moderate deficit - that could be cutting your portions down to start. Or, If you can track without being neurotic and don't have a history of a diet mentality, set your calories according to your body weight (body weight times 10-13) and macro breakdown to - 40% Protein, 30% Carbs, 30% Fat. That's a good place to start.

Carbs are your friend! That's all I have to Say about That, in my Forest Gump voice.

Hit me back with any thoughts on Carbs, specifically starchy ones. Of if anything else resonated with you in this email!

Thank you for reading and allowing me to take up space in your inbox! I hope you are having a lovely week.

Yours in Strength and Health,
Xo
Candace

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