Killing obesity with rice

The congratulations go to PSC Studio’s Sirinthorn Ratchawittayalai, the winner in the student category for the video “Don’t break up with rice”, which makes the point that as rice has been a staple in Thailand for a long time, so not eating the grain is like breaking up with a long-time partner. 
Pats on the back also go to the winner in the general category, the Technic Krungthep Photographers team, who also won the Popular Vote award on social media with the video “I’m not paying, you make me look fat in photos”. The hilarious video presents a fun story about how women blame everything for their weight gain without looking at their own eating behaviour.
Sopan Manathanya, president of the Thai Rice Packers Association and Charoen Laothamatas, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, launched the campaign to educate Thais about rice consumption. 
All 10 videos that made it into the finals were screened at the recent press conference and the winners were presented with prizes worth more than Bt230,000 in total. The highlight was a special talk show by fitness and food experts Sopan Manathanya, Somkiat Makcayathorn, Dr Kanawat Chantaralawan, and Pim-on Mokkhasmit who shared the benefits of rice and health tips.
Sopan said, “The health trend influences how people live their lives today. People are more careful about what they eat, and a lot of people who watch their weight mistakenly believe that rice makes them fat. In fact, according to the Ministry of Health, rice is very nutritious and lower in calories than many other types of food. This project aims to educate the public about the benefits of rice and change their perception, so that they have correct understanding about rice, using creative videos and the power of social media.”
Somkiat Makcayathorn shared the statistics of rice consumption in Thailand. “In the past 20-30 years, consumption per person per year has dropped from 180 kilograms to 90 kilograms. However, according to the Department of Hygiene, Ministry of Health, the number of Thai people who are obese increases by 15 per cent annually. We hope this project will convince consumers that rice does not cause obesity.”
Dr Kanawat added: “The easiest way is watch your weight is to consider the input and output. A woman needs about 1,200 calories per day, while a man needs about 2,000. To lose weight in a sustainable and healthy way, you should lose 0.5kg a week so that the body can adjust itself without crashing the systems. You should also get the nutrients you need, and every day, 50 per cent of your food should be carbohydrate, 30 per cent protein, and 20 percent fat. You must also consider your lifestyle and activities in order to adjust your caloric intake.”
Pim-on recommended more exercise. “to lose weight, you must exercise regularly – you can’t just make excuses that you have no time. Also, you must eat three healthy meals a day. Rice is filling and doesn’t leave you craving snacks. Many women today reduce the portion of their meals, which makes them crave snacks during the day. They end up drinking sugary drinks or eating bread, which is even more fattening than rice.”
Based on the Department of Hygiene’s calorie chart, 100 grams of rice give only 133 calories, while other types of carbohydrate such as bread gives 267 calories. Instant noodles give 400 calories, and flat noodles give 160 calories.
Even clean food can give as many calories as rice. For instance, skinless chicken breast gives 173 calories, skinless fish gives 173 calories, beef gives 233 calories, and grilled pork gives 333 calories.
Remember: rice does not make you fat – what makes you fat is eating more than you burn. 
To watch the videos, go to Facebook.com/riceneverfat.