Rice, couscous and other grains
Pasta, rice, quinoa, couscous and other grains. Delicious! A plate full or a small scoop?
Nice, that pasta bolognese and that rice with oriental curry, but how much is a good portion? The Nutrition Center recommends eating 75 to 100 grams of uncooked pasta, rice or other grains per person as a basis for the meal. Most manufacturers also use that amount neatly on their packaging, although they often assume the upper limit, so 100 grams.
And how much do you use? Of course you don’t have to use the scale, although it is quite smart to weigh how much you actually unconsciously throw into the pan. You can also use the ‘cup method’. A 75 gram serving is half a coffee cup of rice, quinoa or couscous and three quarters cup of pasta.
To swell! Also your size?
Pasta and rice swell in the pan. They take up about 2.5 times their weight in water when you boil it. Quinoa even takes up three times the weight. On your plate, that portion of 75-100 grams will eventually become 190 to 250 grams.
Quite a large portion, so quickly half of the plate. And that provides a lot of carbohydrates and calories. There are more and more voices saying that people eat too many carbohydrates and that it makes us fat. If you’re watching your weight, consider reducing your portion to a quarter plate. If you then fill a quarter of your plate with meat/fish or a substitute and half of your plate with vegetables, you will save carbohydrates and calories.
Spelled pasta, cauliflower rice and zucchini
One pasta is not the other. You can easily eat half a plate of white macaroni. But a whole grain variety or brown rice is much more filling, and also provides even more fiber and vitamins. Also try spelled pasta or Quinoa.
Prefer to cut down on carbohydrates? Try using vegetables as a substitute for pasta and grains. For example, you can make ‘rice’ from very finely chopped cauliflower. If you cut zucchini or carrot into thin strands, it’s perfect as a spaghetti substitute (and great with bolognese sauce). And lasagna? This is also very tasty with eggplant slices instead of pasta.
These are good portions
This chart shows what good portions are for rice, couscous and pasta.
Click image to enlarge
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