Rice Diet Plan

The Rice Diet, was started in 1939 by medical researcher Walter Kempner at Duke University. It has been successfully in treating obesity in numerous people ever since. The diet was developed based on the observation that problems like obesity, hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes were lesser in population who were predominantly rice eaters. Book on Rice Diet Solution is written by Kitty and Robert Rosati. The diet program in this book is similar to the one practiced at Duke University. The weight-loss plan can be followed at home.

The Rice Diet: How It Works

The Rice Diet advocates eating healthy carbohydrates. Your diet in this program will predominantly include high-fiber vegetables, fruits, and grains. On the “detox" days the diet contains only fruit and grains.

Weight loss in Rice Diet occurs because you eat very limited calories about 800 calories per day, which is very low. However the American Dietetic Association does not approve of very low calorie diets. According to the American Dietetic Association you need about 1,600 calories per day to maintain good nutrition.

After the initial detoxification stage the calorie intake is increased (to about 1000 calories from 800 calories). After you achieve your target weight, in the maintenance phase the calorie intake is further increased slightly. However the diet remains low on calories, fat, and salt and high on healthy foods like fruit, vegetables, and grains.

The Rice Diet: Pros and Cons

According to experts on nutrition Rice Diet has several advantages

• It is high in fiber and healthy foods like fruit, vegetables, and grains. It can lower blood cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. As the diet is rich in fiber it makes you feel full for longer and helps in weight loss.

• The diet has been proven to be beneficial at Duke University and is not just another food fad.

• Nutrition experts say that diets with low-salt, low-fat, and high-fiber decrease the risk of several diseases.

• It is a complete diet as it does not exclude healthy foods and encourages you to do exercises. Healthy eating habits and exercises help to achieve target weight and maintain weight loss.

Some of the negative effects are

• the diet lacks in calories for an active person---so you will feel hungry very often.

• the diet is deficient in proteins ---it contains only about 16 to 20 grams of proteins as compared to a standard diet which has 46 to 56 grams of protein. The restricted amount of proteins can lead to muscle loss.

The Rice Diet: Short-Term and Long-Term Effects

Some experts say that Rice Diet is good for short-term benefits. Eating a carbohydrate rich diet with less salt and less of processed foods can be good in the short-term. However in the long term due to low amount of calories or protein most people find it difficult to sustain. After the target weight is reached you should slowly shift to more traditional diet and try to maintain weight by adopting healthy eating habits and lifestyle.