How much should you eat rice at breakfast?

Many people avoid eating rice or other carbohydrates for breakfast. In fact, there are those who accidentally skip breakfast. Most of the reason is because you are on a diet. However, does not eating rice at breakfast make you lose weight?

Is it true that avoiding eating rice at breakfast can lose weight?

Actually, you don't always have to eat rice at every meal, including at breakfast. You can replace them with other types of carbohydrates, such as potatoes, bread, vermicelli, sweet potatoes, and various other staple foods.

However, if you really avoid eating all types of carbohydrates at breakfast, then instead of the diet being successful, you will end up feeling tired and unwell throughout the day.

The reason is, carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the body to function normally. If you allow your body to fast on carbohydrates since the morning, especially after a night on an empty stomach, then the body will not be able to provide energy for optimal activities.

The importance of eating rice and other sources of carbohydrates for breakfast

Not only does not eating rice or other carbohydrate sources make you less excited about the day, this habit will actually ruin your diet program. It has been proven that deliberately starving yourself while dieting actually makes it more difficult for you to lose weight.

To prevent hunger when dieting, the body will save energy used by reducing the number of calories burned. The body ultimately chooses to use energy from the muscles so that muscle mass decreases. As a result, your metabolism slows down too.

The longer you limit your daily food intake, the fewer calories your body will expend. This is the body's natural mechanism to protect you from hunger. Starvation mode occurs when the body receives very few calories in the long run. As a result, the body will limit calorie burn and weight loss may not occur.

Risk of insufficient carbohydrate intake at breakfast

Many argue that carbohydrates are not needed, because there is still energy reserves from body fat. This has a point. When you don't skip the intake of carbohydrates which are the main source of energy, the body will immediately take up spare fats. Some people think that this is a good thing and can reduce the accumulation of fat.

However, unfortunately this process will produce substances called ketones. This substance will be automatically produced by the body when the body does not get sugar from food. When the body produces too many ketones, your blood will become acidic and then ketoacidosis occurs. This condition will cause various symptoms such as:

Feeling thirsty all the time.
Fatigue.
Dizzy.
Continuous urination.

So, don't avoid eating rice or other carbohydrates at breakfast, because your body needs them to produce energy.

How many servings of carbohydrates should you eat at breakfast?

In healthy people, total daily carbohydrate needs are about 45-60% of total calorie needs. Meanwhile, for breakfast you can take 20% of it. So, let's say, for example, your calorie needs in a day are 2000 calories, then you need 900-1200 calories from carbohydrates. Or the equivalent of 225-300 grams of carbohydrates.

So, at breakfast the portion of carbohydrates you consume is 20% of 225-300 grams, which is 45-60 grams of carbohydrates. The need for carbohydrates is equivalent to half to one serving of rice, or two slices of white bread.

So, don't be afraid of getting fat or gaining weight. if indeed you eat rice or other carbohydrates as needed, then your weight will be stable. Don't forget, too, to eat the right kind of carbohydrates. Choose complex carbohydrates like staple foods and avoid carbohydrates like sugar that will not make you full.