Healthy fight 101: Rice vs Pasta

Pasta and rice are often the dishes you prepare when you are not sure about what to cook. A quick wink by the way to the our students reader from elsewhere who should know these foods quite well.

You can cook them in different ways which will play a role on the carbs that you consume. But it’s normal to ask yourself which one is the healthiest and the best for your health as well.

Let’s ask first the question we ask before each healthy fight.

 

Are rice and pasta healthy?

As mentioned above, it’s likely that you eat pasta or rice quite often. It’s therefore normal to ask yourself if they’re healthy or not.

First of all, they are not bad for your health when consumed in moderation. Of course, if you eat them every day or two days, it might not be that healthy.

Then, if you want to add some vegetables like spinach or broccoli, it can be very beneficial and you could transform into a quite healthy meal. Indeed, these two greens can be known as superfood and healthy foods which can help you to lose weight by the way.

However, to be even more healthy, we recommend that you choose whole grain pasta and brown rice. Some might think that Basmati could be a good option as well. Complete and brown have the same properties than white rice and normal pasta, but there are loaded with more fibres. There will also give you more nutritional benefits that your body need. Your body will thank you for that!

Finally, what you add to your pasta or rice dishes will be very important. For instance, if you make carbonara pasta with lots of cream and bacon, it will no longer be healthy at all. It will be the same case if you add a lot of butter and sauce to your rice. Worst of all will be cheese and ketchup, as it will add a lot of fat and sugar. Something that we might be able to do when we are young, but which can be more complicated when we get older. Indeed, our body change his metabolism, then it digestion might be different.

That’s why kids often can allow themselves to eat more sugar and fat that adults. Even if they also need to be controlled especially if they don’t do any sport activities.

Read –> How to organise and build your healthy meal

           –> Different ways to boost your metabolism

 

Rice

100 grams of rice or pasta is often enough for a person during one meal. Moreover, those 100 grams of white rice contain 130 calories with 28 grams of carbs.

It contains around 3g of protein and 0,5g of fibre. 100 grams of rice also contain vitamin B-6, magnesium, and a little bit of potassium, calcium and iron as well.

Read –> What are vitamins and their properties

 

Pasta

Now, for the same quantity of pasta, you’ll have about the same nutrients.

For instance, these 100 grams of pasta contain 131 calories with 25 grams of carbs. It contains around 5g of protein and approximately the same amount of magnesium. Compared to the rice, pasta doesn’t have vitamin b-6 and calcium but it contains a bit of cobalamin and more iron than rice.

Read –> What are minerals and their properties 

 

Do they make you gain weight?

We know these foods are eaten very regularly, or even every day for some people. Moreover, everyone has different opinions on the subject. And it’s therefore normal to wonder if rice and pasta make gain weight or not.

In fact, when you eat these foods often but do not overeat them, it won’t affect your weight. However, if you add sauces and butter, of course it will not be beneficial for you. As seen because sauce might contains sugar and food.

A sauce that you might made yourself can be better. Spices ans a bit of olive oil are also great options to add some taste to your meal.

 

Conclusion – who win the healthy fight?

So, rice vs pasta, who won?

In reality, these foods have almost the same properties and it’s therefore difficult to decide between the both. So, that game was a draw! As long as you don’t add fatty foods to pasta and rice, they won’t be harmful to your health.

Furthermore, don’t overcook it and try to mix them with vegetables to lead a healthy lifestyle.

And the last word: opt for brown rice and whole grain pasta which will be healthier and will enable you to have a better health.

 

 

Sources and further readings:

Sharecare: https://www.sharecare.com/health/health-value-of-foods/what-is-healthier-white-rice-pasta

Draxe: https://draxe.com/is-pasta-healthy/

 

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