3 Rice Noodles Recipes for Weight Loss
There are many benefits to eating gluten free rice noodles. They are cheap and convenient, and more importantly, full of flavour. You can combine them with a range of ingredients to create healthy, tasty meals that are ideal when you are trying to lose weight.
Health benefits of gluten free rice noodles
Gluten free rice noodles are full of nutrients such as protein and minerals, whilst being low in fat. This means they are a good starting point for a healthy diet, which is essential for weight loss. Minerals that you are likely to find in rice noodles include magnesium, iron, calcium and zinc.
Brown and whole grain rice are less processed than white rice, and therefore likely to retain more nutrients. Their effects also tend to fill you up more and last longer, meaning you are less likely to need to snack through the day. Eating less obviously has advantages when weight loss is your goal.
Rice noodles are also a very versatile form of food. You can mix them with pretty much any combination of ingredients to create tasty, nutritious meals. A rice noodle dish with lots of vegetables and not too much fat is ideal for a weight loss diet.
- Salad
Many Asian salads, including Thai salads, are known for including noodles. They are often combined with shallots, spring onions fish sauce, chillies and lime juice. Other herbs and spices may include lemongrass, coriander leaf, ginger and galangal. Beansprouts are a popular ingredient. Protein comes from meat (minced or steak), seafood or egg. As the protein and noodles both need cooking, this is not a cold salad as in the West but should be served warm.
- Stir Fry
Many of the ingredients used in noodle salads can also be used in a stir fry such as Pad Thai. Rice noodles can be combined with beef, chicken or tofu (from a weight loss perspective, chicken or tofu is probably better), plus onions, garlic, chilli, fish sauce, lime juice, peanuts and beansprouts. Seafood is also a common addition. As with noodle salads, you can mix and match ingredients based on your personal taste and what best suits your dietary requirements.
It is easy to make a stir fry. Heat a small amount of oil in a wok or pan until very hot, then add your ingredients. Start with onions, garlic and dry spices, then longer cooking items including meat, then any other vegetables, seasonings, sauces or thickening agents (cornflour, arrowroot etc.). Cut pieces fairly small to help them cook more quickly. Noodles should be cooked in boiling water according to instructions, then added to your pan. This can be done in minutes.
- Soup
Another popular dish with many variations throughout East and Southeast Asia is noodle soup, which can be made with rice noodles. Popular rice noodle soups include Crossing-the-Bridge noodles, kuyteav and kaho poon. Noodles, spices, vegetables and protein are simmered together in a light broth.
The mere fact that rice noodles are low-calorie and nutritious in their own right means it is easy to make weight loss recipes using them. Whether a soup, salad or stir fry, just combine vegetables, protein and spices for a tasty meal.