Unpopular gym opinion: rice is overrated.

[Draig]

If you are cutting, beans are the most underrated carb on the shelf.

I switched most of my carbs to black beans and the difference in how I feel at 4pm is night and day.

Here is why they win.


1/ Fiber
One cup of cooked black beans has about 15g of fiber. That is roughly half your daily target in one side dish. Fiber is what keeps you full when calories are low. And being full is the whole ballgame when you are cutting. Most people don’t fail a cut because of macros. They fail because they are white knuckling it by day 11.


2/ Protein
Same cup gives you around 15g of protein. Rice gives you 4. When your protein target is high and your calories are capped, getting protein FROM your carb source is a cheat code.


3/ Low glycemic
Beans sit around 30 on the glycemic index. Slow digesting starch, flat blood sugar, no 2pm crash that has you standing in front of the pantry making bad decisions.


4/ Volume
227 calories for a full cup. It looks like food. It eats like food. You are not staring at a sad little scoop of rice wondering where dinner went.


5/ Cheap and stupid easy
A can costs about a dollar. Rinse, heat, eat. No meal prep martyrdom required.


The honest downside? Your gut needs a couple weeks to adjust. Ramp slowly. Your coworkers will thank you.


I’m not a nutritionist. I’m a guy who has started and quit more cuts than I’d like to admit. This one stuck.

 

[Halfi]

I wish I could eat beans. They make me way too gassy. Complete turmoil in my stomachs but man do I love them

 

[JJB1]

I wish I could eat beans. They make me way too gassy. Complete turmoil in my stomachs but man do I love them

 

[Sickxlost]

Facts. If I eat beans like I eat rice my entire family would leave me

 

[AmaoFitness]

I think beans are great.

That being said, I’m of the mind that most peoples take on rice being some kind of awful food for dieting is way overblown. Sure, timing matters for carbs in general. However, in my own experience, I’ve never once eaten rice, and then felt like I need to go find snacks later in the day.

Rice will always be a diet staple for me, whether I’m cutting or bulking. It’s easy, cheap, and goes with anything you want. It also doesn’t turn my ass into Mount Vesuvius.

 

[19NorFan]

You would have to consume about 7.5 pounds of cooked black beans to get 450 grams of carbs in for the day and would be consuming about 160 grams of fiber in the process. That's the problem that people have with that type of carb source, it's not very efficient.

The reason people stick to white rice is because it's an efficient way to get carbs in without blowing out your digestive system. I do add beans, chickpeas and lentils to my carb meals in cuts. It's a good way to add some bulk to your meals without raising overall calories. But I view these as just accessories to the meal, not something to base the bulk of your carbs around IMO.

 

[Sickxlost]

You would have to consume about 7.5 pounds of cooked black beans to get 450 grams of carbs in for the day and would be consuming about 160 grams of fiber in the process. That's the problem that people have with that type of carb source, it's not very efficient.

The reason people stick to white rice is because it's an efficient way to get carbs in without blowing out your digestive system. I do add beans, chickpeas and lentils to my carb meals in cuts. It's a good way to add some bulk to your meals without raising overall calories. But I view these as just accessories to the meal, not something to base the bulk of your carbs around IMO.

You imagine what 7.5lbs would look like?

 

[rawbuilt]

beans are terrible for digestion

 

[19NorFan]

You imagine what 7.5lbs would look like?

Yeah you'll have to flush like 3 times.

 

[Sickxlost]

Yeah you'll have to flush like 3 times.

 

[19NorFan]

Can you imagine the time and effort it would take to get all of that out every morning

 

[Omoplata]

It’s an opinion. If it works for you great. If not, find something else. Helpful post regardless.

 

[primalsource]

But there are so may rices! Anways, I never eat rice. If I want a carb it's potato all day.

Damn, now I want some rice... fucker.

 

[Chemicalreaction]

Theres a lot of different carbs out there the best carb is the one your body handles the best with blood sugars

 

[Draig]

You would have to consume about 7.5 pounds of cooked black beans to get 450 grams of carbs in for the day and would be consuming about 160 grams of fiber in the process. That's the problem that people have with that type of carb source, it's not very efficient.

The reason people stick to white rice is because it's an efficient way to get carbs in without blowing out your digestive system. I do add beans, chickpeas and lentils to my carb meals in cuts. It's a good way to add some bulk to your meals without raising overall calories. But I view these as just accessories to the meal, not something to base the bulk of your carbs around IMO.

Read the first sentence one more time amigo.

 

[chadmack]

I think or imo most people prefer rice over beans for the fast speed & ease of digestion

 

[J.S.]

Black beans and rice is pretty good to me, best of both worlds.

 

[balin]

I find beans for weight gain diets to not be the optimal main carb source as they digest slower. I do use them some for there health benifits.
I have used them in my dieting phase more. But don't make them the biggest souse there either.
I get a lot of volume/fiber/nutrition from all the veggies i eat, so a lot of beans can be to much for me.