In this post I will cover everything you need to know about eating chicken and rice and answer the popular question can I eat chicken and rice every day?
You can eat chicken and rice every day for a short time because they are low-calorie dense foods that increase satiety and reduce hunger. Also, eating chicken and rice every day provides essential proteins and amino acids necessary to maintain lean body weight and drive caloric deficit.
Chicken and rice is been a popular diet that’s been tested over the decades to drive weight loss. However, because it’s monotonous, over the long haul it can get boring. Also, eating only chicken and rice for the long-term can create some vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Eating Only Chicken And Rice For A Month
Eating only chicken and rice for a month is a popular way to drive caloric deficit and reduce excess weight. Chicken is a rich source of lean protein, all essential amino acids, vitamins B, and minerals, where rice is a good source of fast digestive carbohydrates, fiber, and other nutrients.
One month of eating only chicken and rice comes with plenty of benefits, especially if you more a lean body weight and less fat.
Chicken and rice give you the energy to stay active.
During caloric restrictions our calorie intake is low. So does the willingness to exercise.
But when you eat chicken and rice, a mix of fast-digestive carbs with high protein will give you enough energy for your workouts, despite being in a caloric deficit.
Physical activity is a critical component of any weight loss change. Not only does it help with burning more calories, but most importantly, it helps to reduce stress (source). Why do people fall off the wagon?
Usually because of the stress.
Stress from dieting, from work, from home, from wherever. Accumulation of stress creates a “Fu#^ this!” moment. And that’s when we lose control.
A typical way to reduce stress, especially for people who struggle with weight, is eating.
Physical activity offers an alternative.
The more consistently you exercise, the less likely you’re to fall off the wagon because now you can address your stress in a new, different way, without raiding the pantry or the refrigerator.
But to be active you need energy.
So eating chicken and rice for a month can kick start this change and develop a positive habit of regular exercise. So you can stay in control.
Make sense?
NOTE: I recommend using something like basmati rice because it has more fiber and significantly more protein than regular white rice. You can check out the prices on Amazon here.
(if you buy through links on this page, I may earn a small commission).
Another little-known secret about eating only chicken and rice is that it lowers your appetite.
And when you have a lower appetite, you kind of lose interest and excitement in eating more food. At least temporarily.
Related article: Can I Eat Rice Everyday?
Eating Chicken And Rice Everyday To Lose Weight
Eating chicken and rice every day can help you to lose weight because those are monotonous foods, therefore they have lower sensory-specific satiety. A lower variety of foods leads to a temporary decline in satisfaction, therefore it lowers the overall appetite and food cravings.
Chicken and rice are excellent components to lose weight not only because of the high-proteins and the low-calorie density but also because of the phenomenon that’s called sensory-specific satiety (source).
Sensory-specific satiety means that with more variety of foods our appetite increases.
But with a lower variety of food, our appetite decreases.
So by lowering variety (only chicken and rice, chicken and broccoli), our perceived appetite goes down, therefore, not only do we feel less hungry, but we also eat less food in general.
Related article: Can I Eat Rice After Fasting?
Chicken And Rice Everyday
Eating less food is the main driver of weight loss, so reducing your diet to only chicken and rice can help you with weight loss results. However, this only occurs temporarily.
Because the longer you stay on the diet that consists of the same foods, eventually your cravings for something different will increase. So the longer you diet, your cravings goes up, not down.
In the long term, the appetite will come back, with a much bigger intensity.
So if you like to eat chocolate, and you haven’t eaten chocolate for a month because you’ve been eating chicken and rice only, this chocolate will be on your mind.
Plus, just because something works short-term, it doesn’t mean it will work long-term also.
This means you don’t want to stick to eating just chicken and rice in the long haul because it doesn’t deliver all the essential nutrients that your body needs. You may get away with a couple of months or so.
But no longer than that.
Related article: How Long Does It Take To Get Used To OMAD?
What Will Happen If I Eat Chicken And Rice Everyday?
If you eat chicken and rice every day for a short time it will reduce excess weight because chicken and rice have are low in calories. However, chicken and rice don’t have all the essential nutrients needed for the body, therefore, in the long-term, they can create some nutrient deficiencies.
So, in the beginning, you can see great results from eating only chicken and rice. But what happens after the first couple of months?
Those foods don’t offer (or just very little) some of the essential vitamins (C, A, D, K, E) and minerals (phosphorus, magnesium) (source).
So in the long-haul, you may want to reconsider eating just chicken and rice. It doesn’t mean you have to stop eating it.
If you see the results, and most importantly, if you like those foods, just add a variety of fruits and veggies to make sure you are on the safe side.
Keep in mind that some of the cultures thrive on eating rice with meat for the centuries all day long. So there is nothing wrong in those foods.
Related article: Can You Eat Only Chicken And Broccoli?
Can I Eat Chicken And Rice For Breakfast?
You can eat chicken and rice for breakfast because those are the staple foods that provide a lot of proteins and fast digestive carbohydrates. A high protein breakfast gives satiety and stimulates muscle protein synthesis, where a high carb breakfast supplies you with the necessary energy.
In some Asian countries, eating rice for breakfast is as normal as breathing.
In Thailand, Japan, China, Indonesia, or Malaysia, rice is the number one food source (source). And having no rice for breakfast means no power for the day.
Interestingly enough, the same countries have lower rates of obesity, metabolic syndrome and heart problems than any other nations out there.
This however cannot be contributed to the rice only. Because it may not be the causation, but simply the corelation.
Anyway, eating chicken and rice for breakfast is healthy and can provide plenty of energy for the day. In fact, this is the staple food for a lot of fitness models, movie actors, and bodybuilders.
Why Do Bodybuilders Eat Chicken And Rice?
Bodybuilders eat chicken and rice because they are affordable, widely accessible staple foods. Chicken is a source of lean proteins and white rice is a source of high-glycemic carbohydrate that digests fast, therefore immediately replace used glycogen in the muscles.
This means it is a perfect meal that can drive muscle protein synthesis and deliver instant glucose replacement.
Muscle protein synthesis is the process of breaking down proteins into amino acids, and shuttling them to rebuild muscle fibers after a tough workout.
White rice has a high glycemic index. It means it will be immediately disintegrated in the stomach by gastric juices. So the glucose, that is extracted from the rice, will be used to restore used glycogen after a workout (source).
So if someone is looking to build muscle, chicken, and rice is a perfect combo.
Relate Questions
Is Rice Good For Weight Loss?
Rice is good for weight loss as long as it’s consumed in combination with high-protein foods and high-fiber foods. Despite the high-glycemic index, the obesity rate is low in countries that consume white rice as a staple food.