Switching to this instead of rice can make all the difference in the world.
Sometimes it’s the smallest decisions that can change your life forever. — Keri Russell
EDITORIAL DISCLAIMER: Any advice or recommendation given in my writing is what works for ME and may not be the best regimen for you based on your psychological or physiological makeup and stability. Please consult a doctor when making decisions about your health.
When it comes to your fitness goals, rice is definitely the enemy.
When I was a fitness novice, I remember thinking that chicken and rice were the bodybuilder’s main source of food for everything.
You would read in all the fitness magazines from gurus, as this was the easy to cook and digest food for most people short on time and money.
However, as I matured in my fitness journey, I was amazed to learn that there is a food that is a million times better (Okay…maybe not a million…but definitely better) than rice, and many people just don’t realize it.
This food is easy to cook, equally easy to prepare, and relatively cheap.
What is this magic food from the bodybuilding gods you ask?
Luscious amazing sweet potatoes.
Not only do they add much more color to your plate, which is typically a good barometer of a staple diet, there also are a number of other reasons that you should switch your weekly rice intake with them immediately.
Sweet potatoes are much more nutritious than rice
Across the board, sweet potatoes dominate rice like Shaq dominated the NBA in the late 90 and early 2000s when you compare the volume and quality of nutrients they each provide from their consumption.
Sweet potatoes are considered a superfood because of the high volume of various nutrients they contain.
Along with a large amount of vitamin A (up to 400% of the amount you need for the day), they also provide a host of other great nutrients that aid the body tremendously.
These include Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Potassium, and Zinc as well as a group of natural compounds called carotenoids that give them their rich color and act as antioxidants that protect your cells from daily damage.
All of these nutrients are known to help prevent a number of diseases in the body, such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
They contain fewer calories and are easier to manage for your diet
White rice is typically not recommended for a healthy fitness diet because it is so highly processed and lacks nutrients. For this reason, many people substitute it with brown rice instead.
And while brown rice is definitely much better in term of types of nutrients it provides for your overall health, it still doesn’t match the volume that you receive from sweet potatoes.
When you compare the two, it’s a no brainer.
Sweet potatoes have fewer calories, coming in at 90 calories versus 112 calories for brown rice in a 100 gram serving. Sweet potatoes also win related to fewer carbs (21 grams versus brown rice’s 24 grams) and fiber (13% of your DV from sweet potatoes versus 7% from rice).
Lastly, from a volume and satiety perspective, 100 grams of rice does not seem to fill one up in the same manner as 100 grams of sweet potato.
Initially, I thought this was more of an illusion than reality, until I discovered from research this is due to sweet potatoes much higher volume of soluble and insoluble fiber that keep you feeling fuller much longer…always a win-win in my book.
They just taste much better
This is probably what takes the cake for me overall when I compare the two.
Normally, unflavored rice is not terrible and typically has a taste that is bearable. However, it is much better with some type of butter, oil, or salt that will quickly change it from somewhat healthy to not healthy at all.
On the other hand, a baked sweet potato straight out of the oven has a pretty good taste without any additional flavoring needed.
And if you did want to spice it up a little, adding cinnamon or (my personal favorite) siracha is a low or no-calorie solution that could add a lot of flavor without the potential tradeoff that you would have to make with butter or salt.
And while I can’t promise that you won’t initially miss rice a little when you first make the change, your taste buds will quickly forget when they realize how good sweet potatoes truly are.
Thanks so much for reading.
I promote an AC (alcohol-conscious), i.e., sober lifestyle to encourage others to get in the best shape of their lives and create the lives of their dreams.
I’m always looking to help those you desire to put in the work to improve, so if you’re interested in getting the AINYF Fitness Lifestyle Plan to help you on your journey, please email me at ken@kenmmiddleton.com with a request.
Also, feel free to follow me here on Medium, on Instagram at @kenmmiddleton, or check out my Medium publication AINYF which has tips, insights, and strategies on how to live a thriving AC lifestyle.
Thanks for reading again, and remember…
You never lose the battle until you stop fighting…