There are numerous pros and cons of a rice diet plan, though specific benefits and disadvantages are likely to depend on the health of a person and the reasons why he or she may be starting such a diet. Some of the major benefits of this type of diet include a fairly immediate loss of weight with continued weight loss over the first month, steady weight loss continuing even beyond the first month especially with exercise, and the cleansing nature of this sort of diet. Negative aspects of this diet plan can include the restrictive nature of the diet and a potential lack of proper nutrition for some individuals.
A rice diet plan typically consists of a diet in which a person primarily eats rice, often brown or whole grain rice, along with an assortment of fruits, vegetables, and protein. Many of these diet plans involve an immediate change in diet and the first week of such a plan can be quite difficult. The first day of the plan may include nothing more than rice and fruit, with vegetables, protein, and non-fat dairy added in subsequent days and weeks. These diets are often intended to help someone cleanse his or her system and then develop a simple meal plan for each week.
This cleansing is one of the major benefits of this kind of diet, as the first few days see the loss of a great deal of weight. These diets often have very low amounts of sodium and with reduced sodium intake many people see immediate weight loss from reduced water retention. In the first few weeks of a rice diet plan, someone can lose a fairly large amount of weight even without exercise, although exercise can increase this weight loss. Weight loss then typically continues with each following week as long as the person stays on the diet and continues to exercise.
There are some potentially dangerous negative aspects of this diet plan, however, such as the major and sudden change in nutritional intake through meals. A person beginning this type of diet should usually consult a doctor or nutritionist first, especially if he or she may have health concerns already. A rice diet plan may also not provide someone with enough calories for healthy living, so anyone on such a diet should ensure proper caloric intake and may need to take daily vitamin supplements as well. The restrictive nature of this type of diet, primarily rice with some fruit and vegetables, can also make the diet difficult to stay with long term.