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.