Can You Lose Weight Eating Rice? By Chris Iliades, MD | Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH

 The Rice Diet, first developed in 1939 by Duke University medical researcher Walter Kempner, has been used successfully to treat obesity ever since. The diet was based on Dr. Kempner’s observation that people around the world who consume rice as a main source of food tend to have fewer issues with obesity, hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes.

The Rice Diet Solution is a book written by Kitty and Robert Rosati. Kitty Rosati, MS, RD, LDN, is a dietitian, and Robert Rosati, MD, is associate professor emeritus at Duke University and director of the Rice Diet Clinic in Durham, N.C. The book adapts the Rice Diet Program, as practiced at Duke University, to a weight-loss plan that you can follow at home.
The Rice Diet: How It Works
The Rice Diet is based on healthy carbohydrates. High-fiber vegetables, fruits, and grains make up the bulk of the diet; on “detox" days you will eat only fruit and grains. The Rice Diet is also low in salt and low in fat.
"You lose weight in the first phase of the Rice Diet because you are limited to about 800 calories per day, which is very low," says Yvette Quantz, RD, a sports and lifestyle nutritionist at Food Therapy LLC in Lafayette, La. “The American Dietetic Association says that you should be taking in 1,600 calories per day to maintain good nutrition."
After the detoxification stage, you stay on about 1,000 calories per day until you achieve your desired weight. In the final phase, which is maintenance, calories go up a little more, but the diet continues to be low on calories, fat, and salt and high on fruit, vegetables, and grains.
The Rice Diet: Sample Menu
The Rice Diet menu is divided into starches, fruits, vegetables, and dairy. In this sample menu, a starch serving can be one slice of bread, one-third cup of rice, or one-half cup of pasta. A fruit is one whole fruit or a cup of fruit. One vegetable is one cup uncooked or one-half cup cooked. Dairy is one cup of milk or yogurt or one-half cup of cottage cheese. This sample menu is from the phase of the diet that restricts protein. Later on, fish and lean meats may be added.

• Breakfast: your choice of one serving of starch, non-fat dairy, and fruit
• Lunch: three starches, three vegetables, and one fruit
• Dinner: same as lunch 

Click here for the article