Like pasta, rice can accompany many dishes and is the staple food of many countries. But would it be good for your health to eat it every day? Dietitian nutritionist Raphaël Gruman answers us.
If rice seems to be a healthy food, could we eat it every day ‘nutritionally’ speaking? (after all, half the planet uses it as its food base, right?). We asked Raphaël Gruman, dietitian nutritionist, the question.
An interesting health food
Our expert recognizes that rice is a healthy food that can be eaten very regularly. “Rice is interesting, easy to use, to enhance, it does not present any major allergens and unlike gluten, does not cause bloating when consumed in excess.
Unlike pasta, for example, which can be a source of bloating, even in a person who is not gluten intolerant, he recalls. “Rice therefore has benefits, even if it can cause constipation a little if consumed without vegetables”.
But not to eat every day
If in theory therefore, rice has almost nothing to be criticized for, the response from our nutritionist is still frank “No, you can’t eat it every day.” Not because it involves risks, but simply because of the lack of variety it would create. “Consuming it every day would then necessarily compete with other foods that we also need and cause nutritional deficiencies. he warns.
Eating rice several times a week can be considered, but it should be replaced regularly with legumes, vegetables and other sources of energy.
Which rice should you choose if you eat it often?
If you are a rice lover, you should know that there are varieties that are more or less beneficial for your health. “If you have to choose, it is better to go for a rice that contains a maximum of fiber such as venere rice, black rice, or wild rice, but in any case not refined. Basmati rice, very popular, has the advantage of having a slightly lower glycemic index than other white rices, but remains refined and therefore low in fiber.
“The way of cooking the rice will also be taken into account. Overcooked rice will see its glycemic index increase. And its contribution to health will not be obvious. For even healthier rice, choose grains that are a little firm when consuming” concludes our expert.
