How the rice diet works to lose weight quickly

The rice diet is excellent for quickly losing weight and cleansing the body. Let’s see how it works and an example of a menu!

If you are looking for a simple diet to lose weight, but that above all works, then perhaps the rice diet is right for you . This cereal, which lends itself to many recipes and preparations, has many advantages: it can be eaten without problems by those who are gluten intolerant, it contains fiber, minerals and vitamins, it is easy to digest and it is low in calories.

The German physician Walter Kempner, who was looking for a diet suitable for diabetic, hypertensive and obese patients, devised this diet to lose weight quickly. Today this diet is increasingly popular: let’s see how it works and what foods are allowed !

How the rice diet works: the variations

The rice diet exploits four fundamental properties of this food: it satisfies, has few calories, stimulates diuresis and is rich in fiber. There are two different variations of the diet, one structured in two phases and the other in nine days, but also other different diets that we will analyze one at a time.

The white rice diet

The two-phase phase is divided into a first phase, called detoxification , in which only 800 calories per day are consumed. This phase lasts a maximum of two weeks, during which it is allowed to eat only boiled rice seasoned with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, vegetables and fruit (but in moderation). Simply put, almost all the calories that are consumed come from rice.

During this first cycle, the most restrictive safe, tends to lose more weight and belly deflates and becomes flatter.

We then move on to the second phase, where instead we take about 1200 calories per day, adding legumes, chicken, fish, low-fat cheeses, cooked and raw vegetables, fresh and dried fruit and other cereals to rice. So this is a more varied cycle, where’s the alternate more foods. There is also the possibility of alternating rice with different cereals, such as quinoa or spelled.

In general, in both phases, it is important to use a few condiments and not to overdo the salt: rather use spices and aromatic herbs .

The rice diet in 9 days

That of the nine days is certainly a much shorter diet, because it lasts only twelve days (nine of the actual diet, anticipated by three days of detox). In the first three days of detoxification, it is allowed to eat only rice and other rice-based diet products, such as crackers. Over the next nine days, lean proteins are added, such as chicken and cottage cheese, fruits and vegetables.

Even if you opt for this you can alternate rice with other similar cereals .

The rice and chicken diet

This declination of the diet, much more extreme , indicates a menu consisting of rice and chicken, which for 9 days should be consumed alternating between lunch and dinner and never eating them together. Fresh fruit for breakfast and yogurt or dried fruit for snacks are the only exception.

The advantage? That with a little imagination you can create many dishes, perhaps combining seasonal elements, light condiments and spices with the two key elements.

Rice and tuna diet

Also in this case two foods are placed at the center of the diet, but this time to complement the rice we find tuna, fish rich in mineral salts such as iron, iodine and selenium and vitamins, in particular of group A, B, D. a source of Omega 3.

Here too the advice is to create delicious recipes by alternating the two foods without ever eating them together. Ah, and for those who have not understood it, consume the tuna fresh and not canned!

Rice diet menu: what to eat

As we have anticipated, in this diet regime it is not allowed to eat only boiled rice, at least not in the phases following that of detoxification.

In addition to eating rice every day, the permitted foods are vegetables, cereals and pseudocereals (millet, quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth), legumes, low-fat cheeses, low-fat fish, chicken and olive oil.

Moreover, rice is also inserted in other forms, such as yogurt or biscuits .

They are however prohibited other vegetable oils, butter and various fats, sugar, sweets, carbonated drinks and alcohol. Together with these foods, make sure you drink at least 1 and a half liters of water a day!

So let’s see an example of a complete weekly menu:

Monday

– Breakfast: three rice cakes, coffee or tea
– Snack: fresh fruit (no more than 150 g)
– Lunch: two rice cakes, steamed fish, vegetables
– Snack: fresh fruit (no more than 150 g)
– Dinner: light risotto (80 g), two fruits

Tuesday

– Breakfast: three rice cakes, coffee or tea
– Snack: fresh fruit (no more than 150 g)
– Lunch: grilled meat, vegetables and two rice cakes
– Snack: fresh fruit (no more than 150 g)
– Dinner: 40 g of rice with boiled or steamed vegetables, two boiled eggs and 1 rice yogurt

Wednesday

– Breakfast: three rice cakes, coffee or tea
– Snack: fresh fruit (no more than 150 g)
– Lunch: fresh cheese, vegetables, 1 fruit
– Snack: fresh fruit (no more than 150 g)
– Dinner: light risotto (80 g), 1 fruit and 1 rice yogurt

Thursday

– Breakfast: three rice cakes, coffee or tea
– Snack: fresh fruit (no more than 150 g)
– Lunch: Mixed salad with fish or meat and 2 rice cakes
– Snack: fresh fruit (no more than 150 g)
– Dinner: boiled rice (80 g) with cherry tomatoes, oil and basil, cooked ham (2 slices)

Friday

– Breakfast: three rice cakes, coffee or tea
– Snack: 150 gr of fresh fruit
– Lunch: 100 g of white meat or fish, vegetables, 2 rice cakes
– Snack: 150 gr of fresh fruit
– Dinner: 70 gr of mushroom risotto, two fruits, 1 rice yogurt

Saturday

– Breakfast: three rice cakes, coffee or tea
– Snack: fresh fruit (no more than 150 g)
– Lunch: 130 g of bresaola with arugula and cherry tomatoes and 2 rice cakes
– Snack: fresh fruit (no more than 150 g)
– Dinner: 60 g light risotto, steamed vegetables, 1 rice yogurt.

Sunday

– Breakfast: three rice cakes, coffee or tea
– Snack: fresh fruit (no more than 150 g)
– Lunch: light risotto (60 g), boiled vegetables
– Snack: fresh fruit (no more than 150 g)
– Dinner: 150 g of grilled fish, mixed vegetables

Does the Rice Diet Work?

Many think that rice makes you fat, yet this diet promises results and even in a short time. In short, the question is legitimate: does this diet work? It is a low-calorie diet based on rice, a carbohydrate also rich in vitamins and useful for detoxifying our body, but at the same time it is a high-protein diet, which therefore in the long run could tire the kidneys.

In short, like all extreme diets, the first thing to do is make sure you can undertake it: avoid it if you have particular intolerances , diseases, in particular low blood pressure, kidney problems or if you are pregnant . Then contact a nutritionist, which we always recommend for every diet.

In general, then, if slavishly followed this diet can lead to good results, although the downside is that, relying almost all on a single food, is likely to simmer in a hurry and make it easier transgression.

Find out all about the protein diet too .

Photo source: https://pixabay.com/it/photos/riso-ciotola-di-riso-asia-cibo-2380808/