When kids eat more tomatoes, they stay up later at night.
Tomatoes must keep kids up at night.
In reality: The connection? It's summer time. Tomatoes are more available, and they don't have as strict of a bedtime, because they aren't in school.
Just because two things happen at the same time does not mean that one causes the other.
Correlation does not imply causation.
Asian people might include rice more in their diets, but they also eat fewer red meats, more vegetables, more fish. Their rice serving is between 1/2 cup to 1 cup when they do eat it.
They eat rice every single day... a large tupperware container full each, i'm sure they eat it at evening as well, not sure what tomatos or kids have to do with anything chinese diet related.
Every BODY is different. Some of us process white rice like a sugar laden treat and it makes us want more and more and more. If you can handle a controlled portion counting the calories or however you measure your food - cool! I could eat a cooker full of white rice in a sitting - not good. As to the ethnic references- there are truly genetic differences in humans that affect body types so applying what for instance someone of Chinese genetic makeup does with someone with Eastern Euro genes does is not valid.
They eat rice every single day... a large tupperware container full each, i'm sure they eat it at evening as well, not sure what tomatos or kids have to do with anything chinese diet related.
*laughs* The tomatoes and children and bed time analogy was... an analogy. It's sometimes easy to mistake correlation for causation.
Eating a lot of rice does not "make" Asian people thin. It's the diet overall that keeps them trim. Rice just happens to be one part of their diet.
Yes. They do eat it every day. They eat a pretty good deal of it every day, for almost all meals. However, in combination with the OTHER parts of their meals that they've been eating for thousands of years it keeps their diets balanced and mostly healthy.
Asian people might include rice more in their diets, but they also eat fewer red meats, more vegetables, more fish. Their rice serving is between 1/2 cup to 1 cup when they do eat it.
You are correct about fewer red meat and more fish. The rice serving, however, is more than 1/2 cup to 1 cup. My sister, for example, eats about 4-5 cups just for lunch in addition to fish and vegetables.
You are correct about fewer red meat and more fish. The rice serving, however, is more than 1/2 cup to 1 cup. My sister, for example, eats about 4-5 cups just for lunch in addition to fish and vegetables.
I'm sure it differs per family and person, of course. The "your mileage may vary" rule is always in effect. The women I've conversed with about it most commonly eat about a cup per meal (granted they don't measure it out, so their estimations could be off, but I can only take their word for it).
I have a close Asian friend and yes, she eats rice often...daily if not more...BUT she also eats lots of fish and drinks a lot of hot tean..she also makes lots of brothy soups....I have never, ever seen her eat a sweet
oh i love white rice....but i never eat it. i have been brainwashed i think that anything white ( sugar, bread, rice ) is bad so i don't eat it. however i will say that a long time ago i used to eat it a few times a week (1 cup dry) which made 2 cups cooked and i lost weight doing this (in college). i didn't ever find rice filling tho.
also if you google duke university rice diet you will see morbidly obese patients followed a diet of rice only and lost loads of weight.
i think if you count calories and want rice every now and then you will be fine.
I don't think it's "bad", unless you need to eat tons of it. For me, it's GREAT- b/c I love love love white rice. Worse than that, I love the boxed flavored rice with loads of sodium. I eat it about 3-4 times a week, one cup (210 cals) mixed with shrimp and veggies. A large filling meal for less than 350 cals and virtually no fat, and plenty of protein from the shrimp. More importantly, I'm SATISFIED. I don't find myself craving yummy foods after, b/c I just ate one of my favorite yummy foods. You know? So it really depends on the person.
Worse than that, I love the boxed flavored rice with loads of sodium.
I love boxed rice, too. I found this recipe for rice seasoning mix. Tastes a lot like boxed rice, even better, actually. I skip the boullion in the recipe and simply make the rice with low-sodium/low-fat chicken broth instead of water.
I'm Asian, but didn't grow up in an Asian household. I love white rice, but I limit how much I eat of it because it's easy for me to overeat.
While it's true that correlation does not mean causation, a diet relatively high in white rice may at least be ONE factor in the Asian = Skinny equation. Rice IS filling and (prepared the way most Asians cook it) low-fat and semi-low-calorie.
That said, it is VERY important to be slim in Asia. I tend to think that the constant conscious awareness of weight is the primary factor in why Asians (in general) tend to be thinner. But that's just a guess.
ETA: And maybe genetics, too. Sure, there are heavyset Asians for sure. But even I, as an American raised Asian that spent many years living on pizza and tacos, find it difficult to gain a lot of weight.
Last edited by banananutmuffin; 08-03-2011 at 02:24 PM.
i eat 1-1.5c of white jasmine rice most days and i lost 15lbs last month. i try to keep my fiber high with the fruits and veggies i add in. I love brown rice too, but for some reason the white jasmine rice makes me feel like im not depriving myself of anything.
I love brown rice. It is a staple in my diet, and I eat it multiple (4-5) times a week. 1 c cooked brown rice is 150 calories. It works as a base for stir fry (which I eat all the time) and for my favorite lunch I mix in reduced fat mushroom soup and some tuna YUM!.
There are several cultures which are rice-based, and they all tend to be slim. While this will not just be down to the rice, it does suggest that unless you have obvious problems with rice personally, it's certainly not going to do any harm and may help. It's generally useful to look at cultures which tend to produce slim people and think about which aspects of the diet may be at work there and which ones you can incorporate into your own diet.
As for genetics, people who come from healthy Asian cuisines to America and take up an American diet are well known, as a group, for putting on weight and starting to develop medical problems which are common in America but weren't in their native countries. It's primarily about diet, not genetics.
Rice is a staple in my diet too. Indeed, as a vegan I base my larger meals (as opposed to those based on soup or salad) round a complex carbohydrate, rice or pasta, and my breakfast is usually porridge or similar, and it's always worked well for me. Wholegrain versions are better for most people (if you have IBS-D, for instance, then you should stick to the white versions), and there is lots of research into the benefits of wholegrains. If you want to switch to wholegrains but don't like them, keep exploring different versions. The only wholewheat pasta I really like is the fusilli shapes, and with rice I like brown Thai jasmine rice, organic brown basmati rice, and put Thai red rice in soups.
Just a note for people who prefer white rice but would like to eat more brown rice: I have a rice cooker, and in it I will often mix half brown rice, half white rice. The rice cooker means it comes out (surprisingly) perfectly cooked despite the typical different cooking times. And really, it tastes pretty good. Even my hubby (staunch white rice advocate) will eat it.
I eat it about 3-4 times a week, one cup (210 cals) mixed with shrimp and veggies. A large filling meal for less than 350 cals and virtually no fat, and plenty of protein from the shrimp. More importantly, I'm SATISFIED. I don't find myself craving yummy foods after, b/c I just ate one of my favorite yummy foods. You know? So it really depends on the person.
