5 substitutes for white rice, no worries about belly fat, good for health

You can’t completely cut carbs in your menu, but you should replace them with some similar foods.

For various reasons such as weight loss, diabetes… some people will cut carbs in their meals. However, cutting carbs like this has a significant impact on health.

Why is cutting carbs bad for the body?

Carbohydrates (also known as starches or carbs) are the main source of energy for the human body. It is digested, absorbed quickly, then converted to glucose in the blood for transport to the brain and muscles for use.

If you don’t eat carbs or eat too little, your blood sugar will drop, leading to a sluggish brain. The most typical symptoms are poor concentration and drowsiness. In addition, starch also provides energy for working muscles.

When the body lacks starch for a long time, it will certainly make the body’s functions unstable, causing harm to some organs.

Especially, for middle-aged and elderly people, the digestive system is weaker, starch will be easier to absorb. If you eat meat and fatty foods, your metabolism slows down, leading to hyperlipidemia and high blood pressure.

In some studies, it is also shown that starch is difficult to cause overweight and obesity. The main culprit is foods that contain too much fat.

Healthy starchy foods

When it comes to starch, people often think of white rice. White rice is the main food of most families today. However, rice undergoes a milling process that reduces the vitamin and fiber content much, leaving starch as the main ingredient.

White rice has a good taste, is easy to digest, but has low hunger resistance and nutritional content. Therefore, nutritionists recommend that people replace them with other healthy starchy foods below.

1. Oats

The protein content in oats is the highest of any cereal grain, rich in amino acids and easy to digest. It is also rich in beta glucan, which helps regulate blood sugar and balance blood lipids.

2. Sweet potatoes

In addition to starch, sweet potatoes are also rich in carotene. When carotene enters the human body, it will be converted into vitamin A, which has the function of protecting eyesight, preventing night blindness, dry skin, and enhancing human immunity.

Among starchy foods, sweet potato has the highest carotene content, 100g contains 750mg of carotene.

Sweet potatoes are also rich in fiber and minerals, which is good for blood pressure control.

Compared with solid rice, the starch content in sweet potatoes is much lower, which can replace sweet potatoes as the main food in meals. The recommended daily amount of sweet potatoes is 50-150g. Overdoing it can cause bloating and acid reflux. Starch in raw sweet potatoes is difficult to digest, so it must be baked or steamed.

3. Brown rice

Unlike white rice, brown rice retains the bran layer filled with nutrients outside. Brown rice is a food that is very high in fiber but lower in calories and starch than white rice.

When polishing the outer layer of rice, brown rice will become white rice, and anthocyanins, minerals, fiber and vitamins will disappear. Although the taste of brown rice is not as good as white rice, it is chewier and drier so it forces people to chew it thoroughly, which is beneficial for weight loss.

4. Buckwheat

Buckwheat is considered a “champion” of fiber, has anti-constipation effects and protects the intestines effectively. In 100g of buckwheat contains 13.3g of fiber, while white rice contains only 0.7g.

In addition, in buckwheat also contains rutin, quercetin, which can regulate blood sugar levels after eating.

5. Potatoes

Potatoes contain more vitamin C than other starchy foods. Vitamin C has many functions such as antioxidant, boosts immunity, improves absorption of iron, calcium and folic acid.

100g of potatoes contains 27mg of vitamin C, much higher than tubers, beans and vegetables. The starch content in potatoes is 1/4 lower than in white rice.

Potatoes have a delicious taste, in order for the nutrients to be best absorbed into the human body, it should be processed in the form of steamed, boiled and baked. Many people often like french fries, causing the body to load too many calories.