Don't Eat Too Much Rice

[j_avonni]

"Just wanted to get your comments on this article."

DON'T EAT TOO MUCH RICE

The human body was never meant to consume rice! You see, our genes have
hardly changed in more than 30,000 years. However, our food choices and
lifestyle have changed dramatically. The caveman would hardly recognize
our food or way of life. Caveman food was never cooked as fire was not
yet tamed. Thus, he ate only those foods that you can eat without
treatment with or by fire. He ate fruits, vegetables, fish (sushi
anyone?), eggs, nuts and meat. Yes, even meat. You can even eat meat
raw if you were starving in the forest. You have the necessary enzymes
to digest meat.

However, rice, like wheat and corn, cannot be eaten raw. It must be
cooked. Even if you were starving in the desert, you cannot eat rice in
the raw form. This is because we do not have the system of enzymes to
break rice down. You were never meant to eat rice. To make matters
worse, you not only eat rice, but also make it the bulk of your food.

In some parts of Asia, rice forms up to 85% of the plate. Even if you
take rice, keep it to a minimum. Remember, it is only for your tongue -
not your body. Actually, rice and other grains like wheat and corn are
actually worse than sugar. There are many reasons:

Rice becomes sugar - lots of it
This is a fact that no nutritionist can deny: rice is chemically no
different from sugar. One bowl of cooked rice is the caloric equal of 10
teaspoons of sugar. This does not matter whether it is white, brown or
herbal rice. Brown rice is richer in fibre, some B vitamins and minerals
but it is still the caloric equal of 10 teaspoons of sugar. To get the
same 10 teaspoons of sugar, you need to consume lots of kangkong - 10
bowls of it.

Rice is digested to become sugar.
Rice cannot be digested before it is thoroughly cooked. However, when
thoroughly cooked, it becomes sugar and spikes circulating blood sugar
within half an hour - almost as quickly as it would if you took a sugar
candy. Rice is very low in the "rainbow of anti-oxidants"

This complete anti-oxidant rainbow is necessary for the effective
and safe utilisation of sugar. Fruits come with a sugar called
fructose. However,they are not empty calories as the fruit is packed
with a whole host of other nutrients that help its proper assimilation
and digestion.

Rice has no fibre. The fibre of the kangkong fills you up long before
your blood sugar spikes. This is because the fibre bulks and fills up
your stomach. Since white rice has no fibre, you end up eating lots of
"calorie dense" food before you get filled up. Brown rice has more fibre
but still the same amount of sugar.

Rice is tasteless - Sugar is sweet. There is only so much that you can
eat at one sitting. How many teaspoons of sugar can you eat before you
feel like throwing up? Could you imagine eating 10 teaspoons of sugar in
one seating?

Rice is always the main part of the meal - While sugar may fill your
dessert or sweeten your coffee, it will never be the main part of any
meal. You could eat maybe two to three teaspoons of sugar at one meal.
However, you could easily eat the equal value of two to three bowls (20
- 30
teaspoons) of sugar in one meal. I am always amused when I see someone
eat sometimes five bowls of rice (equals 50 teaspoons of sugar) and then
asks for tea tarik kurang manis!

There is no real "built in" mechanism for us to prevent overeating of
rice How much kangkong can you eat? How much fried chicken can you eat?
How much steamed fish can you eat? Think about that! In one seating, you
cannot take lots of chicken, fish or cucumber, but you can take lots of
rice. Eating rice causes you to eat more salt.

As rice is tasteless, you tend to consume more salt - another villain
when it comes to high blood pressure. You tend to take more curry that
has salt to help flavor rice. We also tend to consume more ketchup and
soy sauce which are also rich in salt.

Eating rice causes you to drink less water. The more rice you eat, the
less water you will drink as there is no mechanism to prevent the
overeating of rice. Rice, wheat and corn come hidden in our daily food.
As rice is tasteless, it tends to end up in other foods that substitute
rice like rice flour, noodles and bread. We tend to eat the hidden forms
which still get digested into sugar. Rice, even when cooked, is
difficult to digest

Can't eat raw rice? Try eating rice half cooked. Contrary to popular
belief, rice is very difficult to digest. It is "heavy stuff". If you
have problems with digestion, try skipping rice for a few days. You will
be amazed at how the problem will just go away.

Rice prevents the absorption of several vitamins and minerals. Rice when
taken in bulk will reduce the absorption of vital nutrients like zinc,
iron and the B vitamins.

Are you a rice addict? Going rice-less may not be easy but you can go
rice-less. Eating less rice could be lot easier than you think. Here are
some strategies that you can pursue in your quest to eat less rice:

Eat less rice - Cut your rice by half. Barry Sears, author of the Zone
Diet, advises "eating rice like spice". Instead, increase your fruits
and vegetables.

Take more lean meats and fish.
You can even take more eggs and nuts. Have "riceless" meals. Take no
rice or wheat at say, breakfast. Go for eggs instead.

Go on "riceless" days - Go "western" once a week.
Take no rice and breads for one day every week. That can't be too
difficult. Appreciate the richness of your food. Go for taste, colors
and smells. Make eating a culinary delight. Enjoy your food in the
original flavors.

Avoid the salt shaker or ketchup. You will automatically eat less rice.

Eat your fruit dessert before (Yes! No printing error) your meals. The
fibre rich fruits will "bulk up" in your stomach. Thus, you will eat
less rice and more fruits.

[jaeger]

.
I once asked a clinical dietician on the best way for a couch potato to still keep healthy despite lack of regular exercise. The advise I got was - don't eat starchy carbohydrates - rice in particluar; saying you only eat rice (or pasta) only if you intend to burn it (thru exercise or hard manual labor).

Further explained that starchy carbs has chemical composition of C6-H10-O5 and when you add one molecule of water (H2O) becomes C6-H12-O6 which is sugar. Water is introduced during the digestion process and the resulting sugar should be burned or else it will get us very fat.
.

[wildthing]

....whoever wrote that article was probably not asian (filipino, vietnamese, malaysian, indonesian or thai descent) and probably have not gone to asia either to observe that most asians who eats rice are NOT as fat as americans who does not eat rice or hardly eat rice at all.

Same logic of genetic evolution...our asian genes have evolved to sustain or utilize the nutrients from rice.

Kung couch potato ka...kahit na anong kainin mo hindi ka pa rin magiging healthy....kulang sa advise sa iyo ang dietician mo kasi our body's primary need is to satisfy our ENERGY requirement...all metabolic functions ng katawan lies on ENERGY...we normally get this from sugars...but generally any material na merun C, H, & O..(proteins and fats/oil also have these molecules) can become the source of this energy...so kung kulang ang kain mo ng carbohydrates...the other nutrients will be re-diverted to become ENERGY pa rin.

If we look at food, it is the EXCESS of this materials (carbo, protein and fats) which makes us fat. But as a whole may factor din ang metabolic needs ng katawan mo and our genetic metabolical function (hyper-metabolic genes will need more energy, proteins and fats). This explains bakit meron tao na kahit san-damakmak kumain e hindi naman tumataba.

[docpete]

have you tried eating you meals without rice. parang di kumpleto ang kinain at parang nanghihina ka.your body is already conditioned for that meal with rice.moderation lang ang kelangan.

[yebo]

there is a diet where it is prohibited to eat carbohydrate rich foods like potato, rice, corn and other cereals. that includes bread. you can eat as much meats (lean), even if it is cooked in oil. they have even proven that you can eat as much hamburgers as you want and not get fat BUT only as long as you don't eat the bun.

another way to lessen rice intake is to drink a glass of water or juice before eating. this fills you up and you eat less.

[tebs]

atkins diet yun
-no carb diet. yun ang pinagagawa sa kuya ko ng doctor nya ngayon. to lose around 20 pounds in 2 weeks. tingnan natin kung may effect. hehehe

[cumbersome]

Haha. Too many generalizations. Anything in excess can, and will mess you up. Actually, a protein-intensive diet can be a lot more dangerous, because it'll send your body into ketosis and mess up your kidneys.

[number001]

Its actually NOT what one eats but rather it has a lot to do with amount of portion taken. Excess of anything is bad. Everything needs balance. Sorry for the generalizations.

[BlueBimmer]

to add, no matter what you eat, if you have a sloooow metabolism, you WILL get fat.

[ian_rex]

actually i tried eating lunch & dinner without rice. masama ang effect, the more i prohibit myself the more i crave for it...