
The Rice Diet
Nutritionist Toby Amidor on
Rice Diet
Toby Amidor, MS, RD is a registered dietitian with a master's degree in clinical nutrition and dietetics from New York University. She is also currently pursuing her doctoral degree in nutrition education from Teachers College, Columbia University.
For the past seven years, Toby has been an instructor at The Art Institute of New York City where she teaches aspiring chefs about nutrition and food safety. She has also recently expanded her teaching there to include the Art Institute Online, the schools online division.
Toby has written extensively and her publications list includes The All New Joy of Cooking (under Know Your Ingredients), where she helped compile the food composition table of over 300 foods. She was also a reviewer of the Jewish cultural food section of the web-based Nutrition Care Manual, which is compiled by the American Dietetics Association to help guide practitioners.
Toby consults for various food marketing and food safety companies and has appeared in a variety of media outlets including Good Day New York (WNYW Fox5 NY), WebMD, Working Mother Magazine, The New York Daily News, Fitness Magazine, and several articles published on Scripps Howard Foundation Wire.
Bread, Pasta & Sweets (carbs)
in moderation
Fruits & Vegetables
in moderation
Milk & Dairy
in moderation
Fast Weight Loss
nutritionist
strongly agrees
Feeling Healthier
nutritionist
kind of disagrees
Simple Rules
nutritionist
agrees
Frequent Meals
nutritionist
disagrees
Great Tasting Food
nutritionist
disagrees
Easy To Eat Out
nutritionist
disagrees
Affordable
nutritionist
kind of disagrees
A Nutritionist Weighs in...
This diet has you lose weight very quickly and it is extremely low in calories, fat, and sodium. To ensure your safety and proper nutrition on this diet, it should be done under the supervision of a doctor or via The Rice Diet Program in North Carolina.
If you can throw out the salt shaker and spend four weeks in North Carolina, this might work for you
Extreme calorie deprivation will make you feel hungry. Additionally, not much meat, fish, or poultry is allowed until you reach your goal weight. If you are a lover of eating animal products or hate the feeling of hunger, you will have a hard time on this plan.
You will need to throw out your salt shaker and replace it with lots of herbs, spices, and no-salt condiments (such as onion powder). You will also need to read labels very carefully and determine if your breads and snacks have no added salt. Given that we live in a society that uses salt to preserve food, finding such specialty items will be time-consuming and costly.
In order to follow the meal plans properly, you will need to cook, especially since restaurants and supermarket do not sell many low-salt foods. Lowering salt in your diet is healthy (especially since most Americans eat too much salt); however, on this diet, salt is so low that you're actually cautioned about possibly fainting while in hot tubs and saunas during phases one and two.
Success is reported by those who have gone to The Rice Diet Program in North Carolina. This is expensive and you'd need to take at least a month out of your life to do this. This may be a good alternative if you are set on following this plan, especially because you will have constant medical supervision.
| Diet Pros |
Diet Cons |
- Emphasizes whole grains, fruits, and vegetables
- Increases knowledge of serving sizes
- Many recipes included if you buy the book
- Focuses on the importance of rest, exercise, meditation, and social support
- Rice Diet Program has been done at a medical facility in North Carolina for a long time
- Reasonable exercise regimen
|
- Calorie and salt restrictions are very strict
- Possibly low energy on such a low-calorie diet
- Some cooking is required
- Eating out may be difficult
- Weight loss is rapid and possibly dangerous
- Pricey if you want to attend the Rice Diet Program in North Carolina
|
But, What Can I Eat?
See what's in & what's out
What do other members think about this diet?
Read Rants & Raves