Tak nak makan nasi la, nak diet...

gambar nasi yang cam best... huhu

When common people talked about dieting (the lay-man's term for weight management), one of the most common advise that they will give you is to avoid rice and substitute rice with other carbohydrate such as noodles or bread...  

Although many have given testimonials that this practice works, the question remains, is there any scientific evidence to back up this claim? 

During our clinical nutrition attachment to KK Beserah, this topic was raised and the answer provided by the dietitian was that there is no point in replacing rice with bread if you end up eating more bread to satisfy your hunger... 

There is some merit to this answer, this dietitian emphasize more on the portion of the food compared to the type of carbohydrates... This is because it is a well known fact that, there are many of us whose hunger cannot be satisfied with certain carbohydrates... For example, you might often hear something like "Eh, roti je ke, mana kenyang...". 

But still she did not answer the question...

I have read another article in newspaper which divides rice into white rice and brown rice... The article continue to bash white rice as the source of all evil (obesity etc) while promoting brown rice as the better alternative... In the end, it concludes that eating rice is the healthier option due to proteins present in rice etc but suggested people to take brown rice instead of white rice... From my opinion, this article do not give any credit to other carbohydrates, it only present one-sided arguments on rice only...

Then, there is a pamphlet on Glucerna SR formula which I read while doing community pharmacy attachment last semester... It compares different carbohydrates based on their glycemic index... Let me quote some info on glycemic index before I go on any further...     

     The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating. 

     Foods with a high GI are those which are rapidly digested and absorbed and result in marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Low-GI foods, by virtue of their slow digestion and absorption, produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, and have proven benefits for health. 

     Low GI diets have been shown to improve both glucose and lipid levels in people with diabetes (type 1 and type 2). They have benefits for weight control because they help control appetite and delay hunger. Low GI diets also reduce insulin levels and insulin resistance.

Now, back to the argument rice versus other carbohydrates...  The pamphlet showed that rice have a high glycemic index value compared to noodles, brown rice and some other carbohydrates... Thus, eating rice would cause the blood glucose to spike, make you feel hungry earlier and all the other disadvantages of eating high glycemic index food... 

People who want to lose weight should avoid high glycemic food and substitute them with lower glycemic index food...

Neway, I don't have that pamphlet with me anymore, that is why I stop short of providing any values of glycemic index in the paragraph above... Maybe I'll stop by at the pharmacy to take another pamphlet (someday in the distant future)...

There are a lot more reference on glycemic index of food in the internet but most of them usually contain western food (pasta) instead of Malaysian food (such as noodles etc), thus making comparison can be a bit difficult... 

Furthermore, glycemic index apply to all carbohydrates,  even food with simple sugar like glucose, thus it kinda make the list of glycemic index values into a very long list containing every fruits and products like honey, which actually defeats the purpose of having that index because the long complicated list makes it harder for common people to assess their food themselves...

Conclusion:
Yes, substituting white rice for other low glycemic index food such as brown rice, noodles and whole wheat bread is good for health, especially for those who are trying to lose weight... However, in addition to choosing the better source of carbohydrate, the meal portion should also be followed....  

-end of post-

Ps: I still eat rice.. and also other carbohydrates... Hehe