Is it Okay to Not Eat Noodles, Buns, and Rice During Weight Loss? What Can We Still Eat?
During weight loss, it's perfectly fine to eat staples like noodles, rice, and steamed buns, and it hasn't been said that it's not possible, and even when dieting, these staple foods are essential to eat.
Why do we need staples? Take a look at the Dietary Pyramid in the Dietary Guidelines, staple foods are in the lowest layer of the pyramid, which shows that staples are the foundation of the entire pyramid. Without this foundation, we can't build the pyramid up. Staple foods mainly provide carbohydrates, which are eventually converted into glucose to provide the body's most basic energy. If we don't even have this basic energy, it's like a race car without fuel! We can control the intake of staples during weight loss, but we shouldn't completely eliminate them.
What are the drawbacks of not eating staples?
- Lack of glucose will make us lack glucose energy, leading to low blood sugar, dizziness, fatigue, and lack of motivation.
- Lack of glucose will lead to increased consumption of fats and proteins, increasing the burden on the liver and kidneys.
- Glucose has a protective effect on protein, and protein is an important component of the human body, essential for the immune system, muscle repair, organ repair, carrier synthesis, enzyme synthesis, hormone synthesis, etc. A dramatic increase in protein consumption can lead to more dangerous factors, such as muscle loss, reduced immunity, hair loss (hair is composed of keratin), and atrophy of the reproductive system, including menstrual irregularities, amenorrhea, and even infertility.
We can optimize staple food intake in the following ways:
- 'Fine grain' refers to grains that have been finely processed, such as white rice and various noodle products made from refined wheat flour. We can make mixed grain rice, coarse grain rice, or make coarse grain buns using coarse grain flour to compensate for the loss of dietary fiber from fine grains. Dietary fiber cannot be directly digested and absorbed; it can inhibit the absorption of part of the fat and cholesterol and increase satiety.
- We can choose starchy foods as alternatives to staples, such as potatoes, yams, and purple sweet potatoes. Starchy foods are rich in dietary fiber and provide plenty of carbohydrates. Eating them appropriately can be a weight loss assistant.
- Pay attention to the amount of staple food intake. Excessive intake of staples will increase sugar absorption, which is not conducive to weight loss. The Dietary Guidelines recommend a daily staple food intake of 200-450g, which includes 50-100g of starchy foods and 50-150g of coarse grain foods. A meal should provide 1-2 small portions of mixed whole grain rice plus 1/2 or 1 small potato-sized starchy food, which is the most suitable intake, approximately one bowl of rice plus a half-sized red potato.
Weight loss friends can pay attention to increasing the proportion of whole grain foods and vegetables, choose lean red meat, avoid excessive intake of fatty meat such as pork belly, and eat them in moderation. Also, don't ignore the intake of eggs, dairy, and soybeans, although it's for weight loss, nutrition should still be balanced. We need to control total calorie intake, not just the types of food.
