Do we have to say goodbye to bread and rice? What doctors say about carbs

For many of us, "no rice means no meal." And when someone tells us we need to lose weight, the first thing we think of is saying goodbye to bread and carbohydrates. On “Vivas y Plenas,”we sat down with Dr. Silvia Clark to understand what really happens in our bodies, and what she told us was a huge relief.

Published by

Barbara Migliore

5 de octubre, 2026

Topics:

Vivas y Plenas

Carbs aren’t the devil

When we asked her why we feel so obsessed with giving up rice and bread, the doctor replied very kindly: "We've made carbohydrates out to be the devil," and we're "running in the opposite direction." And she reminded us of something important: "In reality, carbohydrates are just another food, and we shouldn't be afraid of them—but we shouldn't overdo it either."

She explained that carbohydrates are converted into glucose, and that our bodies need glucose to function, "not just in the brain but in the muscles as well." The problem arises when we overdo it and the body can no longer burn off what we eat, so it stores it instead: "That's where a lot of problems stem from." But no food—whether natural or processed to a certain extent—"is inherently bad." What a relief, right?

Fiber makes all the difference

We learned that not all carbohydrates are the same. The doctor told us that white bread "will never be as nutritious or as high in fiber as whole-wheat bread," and that whole-wheat isn't the same as multigrain either. She gave us a very easy-to-remember rule: "The closer we stick to a food's original composition, the better it will be for our bodies."

The same goes for brown rice, which not only doesn't spike blood sugar as quickly but also contains fiber and provides "food" for the good bacteria in our gut. And take those little packets of oatmeal—the ones with pictures for kids—they're loaded with sugar. We thought what he told us was very wise: "The further the food's form strays from its original state, the more it should serve as a red flag telling you: maybe this isn't the best choice."

Our white rice, guilt-free

We know how much we love our rice. The doctor told us that white rice "is notorious for causing one of those glucose spikes," but she reassured us: "A glucose spike is a normal reaction." What we can do is watch our portion sizes and pair it with a protein, like chicken or fish, and ideally with vegetables. That way, the body processes it more slowly, and we feel full longer.

And that goes very well with our meals: rice and beans is a more nutritious combination, and cassava, sweet potatoes and yams are complex carbohydrates that provide fiber. She also mentioned that some experts suggest saving carbohydrates for the end of the meal, but clarified that this is just a cue for our bodies and that we shouldn't obsess over it.

Gluten, the gut and fermented foods

We also asked her about gluten, because it seems like we all know someone who's stopped eating it. She told us that anything can be an irritant, that some people have a genuine sensitivity, but that "the root cause" is usually a leaky gut. That's why she recommended eating foods that support that layer of the gut, and that's where probiotics and prebiotics come in. Ideally, we should get them naturally, although "supplementation is also very important" when natural intake isn't enough.

Among fermented foods, she mentioned kefir—which many of us know as "kumis" in Spanish—as well as certain yogurts, kimchi and sauerkraut.

Store-bought bread, quinoa and feeling satisfied

Something that surprised us: bread fresh from the supermarket oven lasts barely a couple of days, while the bread on the shelves can last a month. The reason? They add sugar, because "sugar loves water and moisture," and that keeps the bread moist. They don't do it to harm us, she told us with a laugh, but now we know what to look for when we shop.

We also talked about quinoa, which one of us has been using instead of rice. The doctor explained that it's high in fiber, doesn't cause that spike in blood sugar and helps us feel full. And that matters, because when we go a couple of hours without eating, we give our liver a chance to use the energy it has already stored; if we consume sugar all the time, "we never give our liver a chance to do its job." Here's a tip we shared: at first, mix a little rice with quinoa so our bodies can gradually get used to the taste and texture.

Enjoying our culture, with understanding

We ended the conversation with an idea that really resonated with us: these are delicious carbohydrates that we don't have to cut out entirely. We can continue to enjoy our meals, our cultures and our family recipes—only now with a little more understanding of how our bodies process them.