Eating rice vs. eating noodles, which one makes you fatter? Here’s the truth!

We all know that staple food must be eaten, which is not only the main source of energy, but also contains a lot of good things that the body needs, such as protein, B vitamins, dietary fiber, etc. However, staple food should not be eaten too much, otherwise it will be converted into fat and deposited in the body, leading to obesity.

Studies have found that compared with people who prefer pasta, people who prefer rice have a lower risk of high body fat and abdominal obesity, and the association is stronger in people with a normal BMI (body mass index).

Rice and pasta are indispensable staple foods in the Chinese diet. Rice and pasta are important sources of carbohydrates, protein, fiber, essential vitamins and various minerals.

1. Why do people who love to eat rice have lower body fat?

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There are three main reasons why eating rice is not easy to gain weight:

① Rice gluten can fight obesity

Previous animal experiments have shown that wheat gluten may promote weight gain by reducing heat production and energy expenditure, while rice protein may play an anti-obesity and triglyceride-lowering role by affecting the environment for fat decomposition and production.

②Differences in cooking methods

The calories of raw rice and raw white flour are similar, basically 345 kcal/100 g. But once the raw rice is cooked and the flour is made into noodles and steamed buns, the difference increases.

The amount of water absorbed by flour during the cooking process is lower than the amount of water required by rice, which may cause wheat products such as steamed bread to have a higher energy density than rice.

③ Differences in pairing preferences

When eating rice, we often pair it with more vegetables, meat and other foods. The diet structure is relatively more balanced, which is conducive to weight control.

However, when eating noodles, a large amount of oil may be added. For example, Shaanxi's oil-splashed noodles and Wuhan's hot-dry noodles are high in fat and not nutritionally balanced.

2. Not eating rice and noodles may have 5 harmful effects

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Rice and noodles are both common staple foods on the table, but more and more people believe that staple foods are the "culprit" that causes obesity and diabetes, so they begin to refuse to eat staple foods. Is it really good for your health not to eat staple foods?

A study was published in The Lancet Public Health. The researchers selected data from 15,428 subjects aged 45 to 64. The relationship between carbohydrate (staple food) intake and mortality risk was studied and the results showed that carbohydrate intake and mortality risk showed a U-shaped relationship.

When carbohydrates provide 50-55% of daily energy, the subjects have the lowest risk of death; when carbohydrate intake accounts for less than 40% or more than 70%, the risk of death will increase.

Long-term insufficient intake of staple foods may cause these harms to your health.

①Constipation

People who eat less staple food tend to have less total food intake, which means less food residue. When it is reduced to a certain level, it will not stimulate the body to have a bowel movement, and a small amount of feces will remain in the intestines. The water will be easily absorbed by the large intestine, making the feces dry and hard, which can induce constipation.

②Bad breath

The body does not take in enough carbohydrates for energy and can only consume fat and protein for energy. When the body metabolizes these substances, it tends to produce ketones. The taste of ketones is similar to the smell of rotten fruit, which can cause an unpleasant odor in the body, especially in the mouth.

③Fatigue

Insufficient intake of staple foods can easily lead to insufficient energy supply to the brain, resulting in symptoms such as hypoglycemia. You will feel particularly tired and weak and lack energy on a daily basis.

④ Hair loss

Eating too little staple food is equivalent to dieting, which can easily deprive the hair of adequate nutrition and cause hair loss.

⑤ Amenorrhea

For women, not consuming staple foods for a long time will cause the body to enter "energy-saving mode", which can easily lead to amenorrhea, which is very detrimental to women's health.

3. Five types of “oil-rich foods” are easily used as staple foods

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1. Fried rice

After adding seasonings such as oil and salt, the fat content of rice, which originally only has the aroma of rice, will greatly increase, and the fried rice in restaurants is even more "greasy".

In fact, the fat content of rice itself is very low, with only 0.2% fat content per 100 grams of rice. After being made into fried rice, the fat content rises to 6%~8%. Eating a bowl of half a pound of fried rice will consume 100~200 kcal more calories than eating ordinary rice.

However, when you make fried rice at home, you can control the amount of cooking oil, and using a flat non-stick pan can also help save oil.

For other dishes to be eaten with fried rice, you can give priority to cooking them cold, blanching, and other oil-saving methods, which will help keep the overall oil intake within the standard.

2. Fried cakes, fried noodles, fried rice cakes

Similar to fried rice, the fat content of fried cakes, fried noodles, and fried rice cakes is generally around 5% to 8%, which is dozens of times higher than the raw materials.

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Especially for fried rice cakes, rice cakes made from glutinous rice are very sticky. If you put too little oil when frying, it will easily stick to the pan, so you need to put more oil when cooking.

3. Puff pastry

Among foods, any food with the word "crispy" in it usually hints at the fact that it is high in fat.

Because it is almost impossible to create a crispy and fragrant taste of food without oil.

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The fat content of different breads varies greatly, ranging from a few percent to several dozen percent.

"Puff pastry bread" such as puff pastry and crepe bread has the highest fat content. This type of bread has obvious crispy layers and is crispy when eaten.

The crispy taste and three-dimensional layers are inseparable from the "contribution" of fat, especially the hydrogenated vegetable oils that are not very "friendly" to health and have a relatively high degree of saturation, also called "vegetable butter", "margarine", "shortening", "margarine", etc.

Similar pastries include pineapple cakes, gold coin cakes, peach cakes, and fried sesame cakes, which are all high in oil.

4. Ma Tuan, Ma Hua, and You Tiao

These are staple foods made using the frying process. They have taken a "bath" in the oil pan, which greatly increases the fat content.

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According to the data in "Chinese Food Composition Table 2004", the fat content of glutinous rice balls is as high as 30%, fried dough sticks is 31.5%, and deep-fried dough sticks is 17.6%.

Moreover, the larger the contact area with the oil in the pan, the higher the fat content.

5. Sesame sauce biscuits and fried pancakes

This type of food is made without fermented dough, and will be very hard without oil. In order to achieve a good taste and texture, a lot of oil is "wrapped" into it.

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For example, the fat content of oil cakes is as high as 23%, and the fat content of sesame paste biscuits is mostly above 10%. In addition to oil, sesame paste biscuits also contain sugar. From the perspective of nutrition and calories, they can be classified as pastries and snacks.

Source: Chongqing Tianji Network Co., Ltd.

Source: Health Times, Life Times, 39 Health Network

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