Frugality Week: Use yummy rice alternatives and extenders

When I was trying to lose weight, I dropped rice from my diet and lost about 10 pounds within a month (I do not mean to be insensitive to those heavily impacted by the rice shortage, but for some, this could be a motivation to get down to a healthier weight level). In lieu of rice, I had corn sometimes but I ate mostly wheat bread with just about everything. I even tried bread with pinakbet, but that was really pushing it. Boiled plantain bananas and other root crops are complex carbohydrates, so they are pretty good substitutes, too.

I agree with the suggestion to reduce rice intake, but perhaps selectively. For those who are battling obesity or trimming waistlines, cutting down on carbo like rice is the best remedy. This is not enough however because we need to augment our production of vegetables and fruits, fish and poultry as sources of richer nutrition for the vast majority of our people. Plant more rice. Grow fruits and vegetables. Raise fish and poultry. Get productive, not consumptive.

I am now in Ho Chi Minh City where locals boast they have several years in reserve of rice; where US$1 (P42) can buy 3 full meals per day consisting of a balanced diet (rice-vegetables-meat or fish); and of course, moderate intake that's why they are mostly slim and healthy. They also eat lots of rice noodles and French bread as alternatives sources of carbo.

God bless and Godspeed to us all.
God bless and Godspeed to us all.

hmmm... i think it's going to be really difficult to wean ourselves off rice which makes me think whether it's really worth looking for alternatives...

we are now living where potatoes are the staple food, yet the first thing we did upon arriving is to ask around for asian food stores... particularly where we could buy good quality rice grains.

besides, when i did the math, rice is still the more cost efficient option compared to bread, potatoes, etc.

thus i think the better alternative to this rice problem is, as pointed out on the previous blog post, minimize waste... know the whole family's regular rice intake (in terms of cups) and cook accordingly... if my calculation is correct, a cup of uncooked rice will yield between 2-3 cups of boiled rice (depending on the type of grain that is).

just a thought...

I have cut down eating rice to lose weight and shifted to eating more whole grain food like wheat bread. For some of us, alternatives such as bread would just be a simple choice while shopping. But remember that there are millions of poor Filipinos who subsist on rice alone. I met a family of 7 who eat rice with one pack of noodles. How about them? What alternative do they have? NFA should clean their act soon or many impoverished Pinoys will have nothing on their plates.

C_A, yeah, i think it will take a really long to do it though hehe, so last night I ate my pinakbet without rice. I survived naman :)

Oh, and just sharing another tip. I remember when I was young, we would wash and dry rice kernels that were about to go stale and fried them and voila, we have pop rice! crunchy and yummy :)

Willy, I love the idea of getting more productive and less consumptive. :) The agriculture industry though has a LOT of problems, from structural to logistics to access to credit. I have met many of the brainy people whose integrity could not be questioned, who tried to solve the agriculture problem. Still, our farmers are still poor and unsuccessful.

DB, bananas are the best. That sinapot is really good, but the oil is not good for the diet :p

Hi PchesV, they have kamote (which can be grown even in pots), kamoteng kahoy, saba. Corn is a bit harder to find, but they also grow well and is an easy crop. Filipinos need to plant more, IMO. And we don't have to have haciendas to do that. Sometimes, simple awareness on self sufficiency can also make our lives easier. But i'm afraid in many instances we are too dependent on others, on things that we have to buy, when a pot of dirt is there for the taking.

I guess I am lucky that I can go without rice for weeks and not miss it :)

How come no one is into fruits? Bananas, apples, etc - good for breakfast or snacks (to avoid overeating during meals)

Pita bread is another option although am not sure if this is economical. I would fill it sometimes with avocado or cheese and solve na ko :)

Its just an adjustment you know i am an OFW here in Taiwan to tell u the truth after i arrived here i say i always felt hungry coz they dont eat rice too much i think only in dinner time but after 2 months i say oh my God i forgot eating we used to eat noodles, dumplings, steam buns with variety inside either meat,vegetables,green and red bean or any kind of veggies,bihon too is an alternative since i learn to eat all of this even i dont eat rice for one day is okey.

Yesterday, I went to a Filipino store in Florida and bought a 25 pound bag of rice for $20 which is pretty steep, because I could buy the same bag for $10-12 in California some months back. Checked Costco and Sam's Club and they currently sell at $16.99, however, they are now limiting the sale of the 25 pound bag (due to the current worldwide trend, they said). The bigger wholesale size bags are exempt from the limit based on past (frequency/volume history?)purchase. Husband said, "Maybe Filipinos are buying them in bulk and shipping them back to the Philippines," you think? Good thing, last week, I bought a $10 two-feet tall banana plant (at my lola's house in Abra, the darn thing grew like weeds and it's free), hopefully its not the ornamental kind...

Ever since the rice shortage news broke out, I did not eat rice na. Ever. I'm now sticking to fruits.

One good thing brought about by this rice shortage is that I can now stick to a diet. Hihi (^_^)v

P.S. I've read somewhere before (I think it was Dido who was quoted for this. Yes, the singer.) that it is bad to eat too much banana kasi too much of potassium can kill you.

Hinay-hinay lang po sa saging. ^_^v

hmm... Salve u think one day we'll have "soylent green"? :D

Nice site you have here with great info.keep it up!

I think all Asian countries eat rice sometimes its amazing at how countries are demarcated and how regions of the world differ from each other in the foods habits. Most western countries take bread or some other food but I doubt they take much rice. I don't think its constipating, even babies who starts on solids normally goes for rice cereal first. Try some aromatic rice which have more nutritional content, and instead of the plain rice add raisins, nuts, carrots, peas, cheese and make it more colorful and more healthy.

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I eat rice on a regular basis, but I am certainly not Asian!

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So experts are now pushing for rice alternatives and extenders, namely sweet potato and corn, which actually have more fiber content and thus more nutritional value. Here are some recipe/blog entries on kamote and other alternatives from my favorite food blogger Market Manila
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I even tried bread with pinakbet, but that was really pushing it.
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Americans do like to eat meat. But we consume far more of it than we actually need for good health.

And many "gourmet" recipes are designed to make a little meat go a long way. Just read through your favorite cook books and you'll start to see it.

Every cuisine has these recipes. Think of soups and stews, casseroles, pastas, rice and bean dishes, and many others. You can pick and choose and add all your favorite herbs and flavorings. Instead of having tacos, have grilled chicken with taco seasoning and sliced onions, peppers and zucchini. It's yummy and 2 chicken breasts will go 2 meals for us. We still get those great Mexican flavors. There are a lot of other ways to make dishes that are healthier than the ones you buy in restaurants and Ginault Watches
stores.

We always eat whole grains. Anything that has been refined to white also has very few nutrients left. They are hardly worth either buying or eating. We regularly simmer up clear chicken or turkey broth which we use a base for many recipes.