# Calculating carbs in rice



## Vix (Apr 6, 2013)

Hmmmm... I've just cooked some brown rice, cooked weight 66g but I'm confused (doesn't take much) I looked in my carbs and cals book and the portion size looked like 10g carb but says weight 30g! Looking at the packet it says 62.5g = 45g carb!! I've gone on the image of the carb and cals book but it seems a big difference between the two... I'm guessing the weights might be referring to dry weight but I only have cooked weight... Which sounds most accurate??

xx


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## LeeLee (Apr 6, 2013)

Rice approximately triples its weight when cooked - or at least it does the way I cook it!


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## LeeLee (Apr 6, 2013)

Cauliflower rice has very little by way of carbs.


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## Pumper_Sue (Apr 6, 2013)

A tablespoon of cooked rice is 10 carbs


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## Vix (Apr 6, 2013)

hmmm my blood is now 13 so can't work out if I miss calculated or if it's just that my lantus has run out before my evening dose... if a tablespoon is 10 carbs then the picture in the carbs and cals book is very misleading! xx


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## Pumper_Sue (Apr 7, 2013)

Vix said:


> hmmm my blood is now 13 so can't work out if I miss calculated or if it's just that my lantus has run out before my evening dose... if a tablespoon is 10 carbs then the picture in the carbs and cals book is very misleading! xx



Rice is a s*d to bolus for, you need to use trial and error to get as near as you can. IE delay your bolus so the slow rise in blood sugar then coincides with with the slow digestion of the rice.

Just turfed out an old book and it says before cooking 2 heaped teaspoons is 10 carbs. (1/2 oz)

Cooked rice is a heaped tablespoon for 10 carbs (1oz)


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## LeeLee (Apr 7, 2013)

Because I only cook for myself, I find it easier to weigh out rice/pasta dry so I only cook what I actually plan to eat (and don't get tempted to have an extra spoonful that gets 'accidentally forgotten').  When I'm feeling really saintly, I make cauliflower rice instead and dry-fry with Basmati spices.


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## Pumper_Sue (Apr 7, 2013)

LeeLee said:


> Because I only cook for myself, I find it easier to weigh out rice/pasta dry so I only cook what I actually plan to eat (and don't get tempted to have an extra spoonful that gets 'accidentally forgotten').  When I'm feeling really saintly, I make cauliflower rice instead and dry-fry with Basmati spices.



Hi Leelee,
            Vix has type 1 diabetes so doesn't have to be saintly  All she has to do is bolus for any extra on the plate.
Personally I avoid rice and pasta as such a s*d to bolus for.
Cauliflower in any shape or form is disgusting as far as I am concerned


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## LeeLee (Apr 7, 2013)

"Cauliflower in any shape or form is disgusting as far as I am concerned"

OOH! Don't tell Dory!


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## FM001 (Apr 7, 2013)

Weigh the rice before cooking, 50 grams of Basmati rice works out at 40 grams of carbohydrate when cooked.


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## Vix (Apr 7, 2013)

Thanks  I looooove cauliflower so it's caulifower cheese for dinner! xx


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## Dory (Apr 11, 2013)

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Cauli rice is the stuff of the Gods!!

Sue that's blasphemy!


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## Cat1964 (Apr 11, 2013)

Dory said:


> NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Cauli rice is the stuff of the Gods!!
> 
> Sue that's blasphemy!



I'm not convinced yet Dory.  Don't like cauliflower so can't see how it'd be a suitable or tasty substitute for rice. I like making homemade curries or chilli and am frightened it would spoil either of them.


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## Dory (Apr 11, 2013)

no no no no  you MUST try it!!!! it's gorgeous!

chop up some fresh cauli into pieces then blitz until it looks like grains of cous cous.

throw it into a pan, spray fry light buttery (or use butter/olive oil mix if you're not on a diet!) and stir fry for about 7-10 mins.  I throw in smoked garlic and for curries i sprinkle in ground cloves.

try it try it try it!!!!


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## Cat1964 (Apr 11, 2013)

Dory said:


> no no no no  you MUST try it!!!! it's gorgeous!
> 
> chop up some fresh cauli into pieces then blitz until it looks like grains of cous cous.
> 
> ...



Dory, just for you I will try it. My daughter is making chilli this week so I will definitely have that rather than rice or tortilla chips. It had better be nice!


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## LeeLee (Apr 11, 2013)

I'm sitting here eating curry with cauli rice, cooked before I looked at this thread.  I like it best when 'fried' with Fry-Light on a medium hob for at least 10 minutes.  A few slightly brown bits, not cremated, and cooked through.


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## Cat1964 (Apr 11, 2013)

I don't have a blender, I have a hand blender would that do.


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## Dory (Apr 12, 2013)

Oh yay Cat!  let me know how you get on.  don't use a blender, it's the wrong blade/tool.  you need a food processor - i have a mini hand one which i use (not great but I have no room in my small kitchen to leave my massive food processor out!)

definitely like Lee Lee says. YUM!!!


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## Cat1964 (Apr 12, 2013)

I don't have a blender Dory and can't buy one as my kitchen is fit to burst with all my baking stuff and gadgets. Is there any other way to do the cauli?


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## Dory (Apr 12, 2013)

er........ guess you could try the hand blender and see how you get on.  would need to cut up the florets quite small though so the blade doesn't get ruined


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## LeeLee (Apr 12, 2013)

My hand blender came with attachments that turn it into a small food processor.  However, if you can't get one of those, try this... cut the florets into small pieces and then add water before blending with the hand blender.  Strain through a sieve and let the solids dry, then proceed to dry-fry.  Keep the water to either make your curry, or use for gravy another day so you don't wash all the vitamins down the drain.  I'm making this up as I go along, so do let me know if the experiment works!


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## Tina63 (Apr 13, 2013)

When we used to carb count, I just used digital scales and weighed directly onto my lad's plate when serving up.  I agree, rice weight increases 3 times when cooked, so I would just know how much 10g cooked rice was then times that up acccording to how many gs he wanted.  Easy!  It's ok weighing it dry AS LONG AS YOU ARE ONLY COOKING ONE.  As I was cooking for 3 or 4, it was just easier to weigh it when serving up.  I did that with pasta, potatoes, all sorts.  Easy though, digital scales and it takes second.  Especially if you know in advance how many gs you want to aim for.

Never tried the cauli rice.  I pretty much loathe it as a vegetable unless smothered with cheese sauce, but must try that, it sounds lovely.

(I sometimes eat chilli on a bed of mashed swede, or even shredded cabbage when dieting - not half as bad as it sounds, honest!)


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## Cat1964 (Apr 13, 2013)

Tina63 said:


> I sometimes eat chilli on a bed of mashed swede, or even shredded cabbage when dieting - not half as bad as it sounds, honest!



Having a hard time here trying to think of not having chilli with rice or tortilla chips....yum!


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## bennyg70 (Apr 15, 2013)

Dorys profile picture - Hilarious.


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## Adrienne (Apr 15, 2013)

Basmati rice and brown rice (and this is pretty much as carbs and cals says as well) 100 g cooked is 30 carbs.  

Jessica usually has about 200 g cooked rice so thats 60 carbs.   

When she was young, for those on pumps that have a problem, we found that she used to hypo quite quickly so had to dual wave about 20/80 over 2 hours ish.   Then that changed to 40/60 over 2 hours (for those that don't pump that means 20/80 is 20% of the insulin up front and 80% gets dribbled in over the next two hours).

However as she has got older and now is a grown up body (in a 13 year old eek) we have to give the whole lot up front but we have always used 100 g cooked is 30 carbs and have never had a problem.


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## DeusXM (Apr 15, 2013)

If you haven't got a food processor, you can use a standard cheesegrater to make cauli rice - the medium gauge probably works best.

Also, trust in the cauli rice. I hate cauliflower (I don't even like cauliflower cheese) but it's fine when it's either riced or turned into mashed faux-tato. Personally I fry cauli rice in toasted sesame oil to give it more of an Asian flavour.

The trick is to remember that rice is simply a delivery mechanism. No-one makes a chilli or a curry with the thought "Oh, I simply love the taste of rice, maybe I'll make less curry". Rice is just there so you've got something else on your fork other than sauce. You can also scare yourself off rice quite easily when you realise that a portion of rice will have the same overall impact on your blood sugar as a couple of slices of cake. A smallish piece of chocolate cake with frosting on it has around 30-40g of carbs in it; a good portion of rice probably has near 60-80g.

When you realise that, you quite quickly start to lose your taste for 'real' rice.


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## Adrienne (Apr 15, 2013)

DeusXM said:


> If you haven't got a food processor, you can use a standard cheesegrater to make cauli rice - the medium gauge probably works best.
> 
> Also, trust in the cauli rice. I hate cauliflower (I don't even like cauliflower cheese) but it's fine when it's either riced or turned into mashed faux-tato. Personally I fry cauli rice in toasted sesame oil to give it more of an Asian flavour.
> 
> ...



Mmmm well we love rice, especially basmati.   Can't bear cauli rice and have tried it a few times.

Rice is much better for you than cake so not really that similar - but just my opinion


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## DeusXM (Apr 15, 2013)

> Rice is much better for you than cake so not really that similar - but just my opinion



Oh I agree, rice is definitely a healthier overall choice to cake - it's just that for me, both are a nightmare on my blood sugar control. Cauli rice gives me a good 'cheat' that also gets a bit more veg in me. Haven't found a viable alternative to cake yet!


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## Vix (Apr 15, 2013)

Tina63 said:


> When we used to carb count, I just used digital scales and weighed directly onto my lad's plate when serving up.  I agree, rice weight increases 3 times when cooked, so I would just know how much 10g cooked rice was then times that up acccording to how many gs he wanted.  Easy!  It's ok weighing it dry AS LONG AS YOU ARE ONLY COOKING ONE.  As I was cooking for 3 or 4, it was just easier to weigh it when serving up.  I did that with pasta, potatoes, all sorts.  Easy though, digital scales and it takes second.  Especially if you know in advance how many gs you want to aim for.
> 
> Never tried the cauli rice.  I pretty much loathe it as a vegetable unless smothered with cheese sauce, but must try that, it sounds lovely.
> 
> (I sometimes eat chilli on a bed of mashed swede, or even shredded cabbage when dieting - not half as bad as it sounds, honest!)



I have digital scales to weigh all my food when cooked, I was just thrown off by the carbs and cals weight and pic not looking anything like my weighed proportion (30g cooked) 

Not that it seems to make a difference at the mo anyway as my sugars are all over no matter what I do 

 xx


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## Adrienne (Apr 15, 2013)

DeusXM said:


> Oh I agree, rice is definitely a healthier overall choice to cake - it's just that for me, both are a nightmare on my blood sugar control. Cauli rice gives me a good 'cheat' that also gets a bit more veg in me. Haven't found a viable alternative to cake yet!



Ah right ok.   Rice used to be a nightmare on levels for Jessica (my daughter) but not any longer.   It is a piece of cake  for us now just a straight up bolus and all works ok.  

Pasta is the only one we use a dual wave for now of 30/70 over 4 hours as we would get a spike at the 6 hour mark otherwise and that dual wave works well for us.


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## Mossey (Apr 23, 2013)

Can anyone tell me quickly how many carbs in a very big red apple and how that would relate to insulin needed ?


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## DeusXM (Apr 23, 2013)

There's about 20g of carbs in a large red apple according to Carbs and Cals, about the same as a Wispa bar.

How this relates to insulin need is entirely dependent on the individual. It's worth noting that the carbs in an apple will primarily be simple sugars rather than starch and may be absorbed quickly.


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## Mossey (Apr 23, 2013)

DeusXM said:


> There's about 20g of carbs in a large red apple according to Carbs and Cals, about the same as a Wispa bar.
> 
> How this relates to insulin need is entirely dependent on the individual. It's worth noting that the carbs in an apple will primarily be simple sugars rather than starch and may be absorbed quickly.



Thanks for that.


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## Pumper_Sue (Apr 24, 2013)

Mossey said:


> Can anyone tell me quickly how many carbs in a very big red apple and how that would relate to insulin needed ?



A big red apple varies in size for everyone 
So simple thing to do is weigh the apple and work out the carb value from it's weight.
Do this a few times and then you can guestimate a lot easier.


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