Rice is the culprit!

No wonder diabetes patients are avoiding to take rice.

Eat Less 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 recognise 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, colours and smells. Make eating a
culinary delight. Enjoy your food in the original flavours.

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.
It's your life. Decide what you want to eat!