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From: Greta (cache-mtc-ae06.proxy.aol.com)
In Reply to: Grains vs/potatoes posted by VTVegan on March 9, 2005 at 4:29 am:
Dr. Kempner's Rice Diet was only 800 calories a day so it was the calorie count more than anything else that allowed weight loss. The Rice Diet is still going though they allow calorie intake up to 1,600 calories these days but most still do the 800 calorie version. The Rice Diet also allows a variety of grains, not just rice. The potato versus grains question really brings me to the much bigger picture question of "Are calories as listed in calorie charts correct?" How were number of calories determined? In a lab or in human beings? If someone determined how much heat could be produced from a lump of food in a petri dish then maybe it's not quite the same in a human body. For example even though alcoholic beverages have a listed calorie count I read a study that showed that in fact the human body does not "use" those calories. So what about brown rice versus potatoes then? For me personally I lose weight eating either. I think that there is a lot more fiber in brown rice for example than a red potato, but potatoes have a lot of potassium which is good for reducing blood pressure. If you look at it from a nutrient standpoint the REALLY best thing to do is to eat BOTH whole grains AND potatoes and get the varied nutritional benefits that a better rounded diet creates. I think that if you stay away from cake, pie, cookies, donuts, butter, ice cream, meat, etc. why split hairs about whether it will help lose weight more if you eat brown rice versus potato? The very lowest calorie density are not EITHER of those, it's green veggies. So eat whichever (grain or potato) helps you get the most greens eaten!! I love a pot of brown rice with veggies tossed in, but I also love a pot of veggies with potato tossed in. I have wondered the same thing, VTVegan, because some people on the McD board have been saying that they lose weight faster eating potato instead of grain. Maybe it IS true but I think it would be really hard to prove. Maybe if a person could somehow eat a certain number of calories of rice one month and the exact same calorie amount of potato the next month and see how the loss compared? Who could eat so perfectly that they would know for sure? In the long run, it's who manages to stay on plan for the LONG RUN. Variety is a key to making long term adherence happen. That's another reason to go ahead and eat both.
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