We don’t like to rule out foods. Nothing should be off-limits. We usually say that you should be able to eat anything you want. You just have to enjoy food in moderation as part of a healthy diet and are mindful of your portions and the frequency at which you eat them. Telling yourself that you can’t eat something can lead you to binge on it in the end.
But, for some things, that might be unrealistic. For instance, in late December, we wrote about research that showed that white rice impacts blood sugar the same way table sugar does. That’s a rough find. It makes white rice go from a “sometimes food” to something we consider striking off the list completely. Is white rice worth the impact when it has practically no nutritional value as far as vitamins or nutrients?
We talked about alternatives to white rice, including quinoa, cauliflower rice and more. But today, we’re looking at RightRice. It’s a rice-like product made from vegetables that is packed with protein and fiber. While it was initially only available at Whole Foods and on Amazon, it’s now carried in many large supermarkets countrywide.
While it comes in many flavors, there is a plain version that tastes like white rice. It’s made from lentils, chickpeas, peas and a little rice flour. The rice flour gives it the texture of rice, but it has twice the protein and five times the fiber of white rice. A third of a cup of white rice has 39 net carbs; the same amount of RightRice has 25 grams of net carbs. While 25 grams of net carbs isn’t what we would consider a low-carb side dish, in comparison, it’s a shocking difference. If only rice will hit the spot, this is a much better option than white rice!
RightRice has to be cooked on the stove; it doesn’t work well in a rice cooker. But it does slot into any rice-heavy recipe you like, from paella or fried rice to rice pudding.
A serving has 180 calories, 10 grams of protein, five grams of fiber, 15 percent of your daily amount of iron and 12 percent of your daily potassium. The same amount of white rice has about 240 calories. It also cooks much faster than normal rice cooked on a stove, which is nice.
The only drawback is that it’s more expensive than rice. Rice is incredibly cheap. RightRice can work out at a dollar a serving — a bag is four dollars on Amazon and holds four servings. To us, that is a lot for a plain side dish. If you have been avoiding rice but missing it, this might seem like a fair price to you. If rice is a favorite side dish and you want to give it up but just can’t, this could be perfect. It’s pricey, but you have to weigh that against your preferences. It was only online and in Whole Foods last year, and now it’s spreading rapidly to other stores. We expect to see it everywhere soon. If you love rice, give it a try. It can certainly be a stepping stone to giving up the carb-heavy grain!
