You Asked: Which Is the Better Fitness Fuel, Rice or Pasta? (2024)

FAQs

You Asked: Which Is the Better Fitness Fuel, Rice or Pasta? ›

In their refined forms, white pasta wins out versus white rice, so save that for your cheat days. In terms of true health, weight loss and performance benefits, however, the fibre and mineral content of brown rice makes it the perfect fuel to feed your fitness goals. Go with the grain.

If you're looking for a slight boost of protein during, say, a recovery period, pasta offers that. Or if you have a sensitive stomach, go with white rice before a workout, because it contains the lowest amount of fiber of your pasta and rice options.

At 117 calories per 100g vs pasta's 160 calories per 100g, rice has significantly lower calories, so swapping pasta to rice may be beneficial for anyone controlling their calories as a way to lose or maintain their weight.

Rice: With 28g of carbs per portion, rice is your jet fuel. Plus, wild rice contains magnesium, which helps your body to create ATP energy, staving off fatigue during your HIIT class. Pasta: Although it has fewer carbs, pasta is quickly digested, so feasting on a bowl two hours before training offers plenty of energy.

Intense workouts significantly deplete sugar (glycogen) in your muscles and eating the right carbohydrates are important to replenish what has been used. Athletes prefer white rice as a great carbohydrate choice to accomplish this goal.

Pasta has the most “carbs per 100 gram cooked serving” at 33 grams, with white rice following as a close second at 28 grams. Couscous is third at 23 grams, and quinoa has the fewest carbs at 21 grams. Couscous and quinoa have a similar carbohydrate profile, while rice and pasta have more carbs.

Adding pasta to your daily diet is a healthy way of building muscle mass as it's rich in carbohydrates and protein. Adding light sauces, lean meats and low-fat cheeses to your dish is also recommended. You could also add olive oil for a dose of healthy fats.

In fact, whole wheat or whole grain pasta is the best option for weight loss as whole wheat pasta takes longer to digest than pasta made from refined flour. Slower digestion means blood sugar will rise slowly after consumption, preventing your body from storing excess fat.

A good bowl of spaghetti or risotto can be part of a weight-loss plan. In fact, as long as you don't overdo the portions, pasta may help you eat a higher-quality diet, according to results published in a 2020 meta-analysis in Frontiers in Nutrition.

For example, whole grains are better for our health when compared to simple carbs – which is why brown rice or black rice are regarded as the healthiest options. You should certainly be looking into eating whole grain rice. Furthermore, some types of rice have lower levels of carbs, or lower calories, than others.

Should I have pasta or rice? ›

Rice also has less carbohydrates than pasta, making it a slightly better choice for anyone who is watching their carbs. We can see from this that pasta is higher in dietary fibre than rice, which plays a really important part in a healthy diet and the health of the body's digestive system.

Rice may be healthy, but is it okay to eat it every single day? Both Newman and Caspero recommend eating a wide variety of foods because that's the best way to get all the nutrients the body needs. That said, eating rice every day can be healthy, as long as you are meeting your nutritional needs through other foods.

Overall, potatoes contain more vitamins and nutrients than rice. And if given the choice between rice or potatoes, 9 times out of 10, we would certainly go with potatoes simply because they are more versatile and can be made in many different ways.

If you're looking for something light that will provide energy without causing spikes in blood sugar levels or adding extra calories then go with rice; if you want something with more B vitamins then opt for pasta. Whichever one you choose just make sure to get plenty of protein along with it!

Brown Rice

Varieties of brown rice such as Jasmine or Basmati still contain their germ and bran layers, meaning they provide fitness buffs with a range of important nutrients including B vitamins, bone-building phosphorus, and magnesium.

Beans & Legumes — Beans and other legumes like chickpeas supply stellar starchy, slowly digested complex carbs. Plus, they also provide a powerful punch of muscle-building plant protein. Quinoa — Like whole grains, this super seed is a complex carb.

Healthy carbohydrates (carbs) from whole grains like oatmeal or cold cereals, rice, pasta, beans or starchy vegetables provide long-lasting energy that will help you to get the most from your workouts. Lean protein like chicken, low-fat dairy products, and eggs also are good sources of pre-workout fuel.

For people who exercise regularly, especially those who are strength training, white rice is a great addition to your diet. It ranks high on the glycemic index, which helps with energy recovery and replenishes glycogen levels in muscles.

Examples of complex carb-rich foods to load up on ahead of your workout include rolled oats, buckwheat, whole-wheat bread, lentils, beans, whole-wheat pasta, blueberries, raspberries, apples, potatoes and yams.