Rice or Roti which is a healthy choice?
The two main staples of our Indian diet is rice and chapattis. These two complete our meal. Most of us have a habit of eating rice or chapatti in all meals. But the sad, truth is they are carbs and to lose weight the first advised thing is to give up carbs. Usually, people who follow a proper diet are allowed to take a limited amount of carbs till the goal is achieved. That is because both roti and rice have their own set of pros and cons. So, let’s find out which one is the better option for weight loss.
1. Starting from the calorie count, rice and roti both have a different amount of calories. One cup of rice contains 568 calories and one bowl of rice has 378 calories. So rice is higher in carbs than roti.
2. Sodium intake has a very important role in weight loss. A limited sodium intake is allowed when you are on diet. And for that rice is a better option. 100 gm rice contains 1 mg sodium whereas; 50 gm of wheat is full of 190 mg sodium. In this case, prefer rice.
3. Rice is high in calories and they are not filling as compared to chapattis. Rice contains starch which is easier to digest. Hence, you feel hungry soon after eating rice and end up eating more.
4. A single bite of roti is full of calcium, potassium, iron, and phosphorus. However, rice has lower levels of all these three nutrients. Prefer eating chapatti for nutrients intake.
5. Talking about the fat content, roti, and rice both have a small amount of fat. One cup of both contains 3 gm fat. If you are trying to lose weight, then Chapatti is a better choice among both. Try not to have rice for dinner; it can lead to more weight gain.
Conclusion:
Roti is rich in nutrients and has fewer calories. So prefer eating chapatti while you are trying to lose weight. But, the does not mean you eat a dozen of rotis. Eat 4 chapattis in a day and have them before 7 pm if you want to eat them for dinner. For a nutrient richer roti, get other grains mixed in your flour like wheat bran, channa atta, etc. Also, if you love rice and cannot give up on them then try brown rice
