RICE - should we eat?

Rice is the staple food of many civilizations for thousand of years and remains the answer to the global hunger problem. However, in recent times nutritionists advocate avoiding rice altogether because it is deemed 'empty calories' that causes obesity and metabolic diseases. Do you ever wonder why Asians who are traditional rice eaters were spared in the past and able to maintain good health and keep in good shape then?

With increasing affluence, our lifestyle has changed drastically. Most noticeable is a shift away from physical activity and increased food consumption, worsened with the adoption of Westernization of their diets. These days our diet is no longer bland, but include more sugar, salt and vegetable oils for cooking, rather than traditional animal fats. Hence, rice is usually consumed together with lots of other rich or enriched foods.

White or brown?

The outermost layer of the rice grain is known as the husk which is removed during milling. The second layer called bran is highly nutritious and contains fibre, proteins and minerals. It can be light brown, black or red in colour, which gives the unpolished grain its characteristic colour. Brown rice is a whole grain, meaning both parts have been preserved.

What we usually see is the white rice - fully polished grain reduced to pure starchy carbohydrate, claimed to be unhealthy one as it reduces our metabolism affecting insulin sensitivity and other regular bodily activities. Below is the Nutrition Summary in a cup of cooked white rice:

Calories 204

Fat 0.44g

Carbs 44g

Protein 4.2g

2% 89% 9%

Based on 100g (3.5 oz), the percentages of nutritional values are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults -
 

Vitamin B present: B1 (6%), B3 (11%), B5 (20%), B6 (13%).
Minerals present: Manganese (52%), Zinc (11%), Magnesium (7%).

-- A cup of white long-grain rice contains just one gram of fiber as compared to four for a cup of brown rice. Fiber slows down the speed at which carbohydrates are converted into blood sugar or the “glycemic load” of a food. It also helps to absorb cholesterol in your digestive tract and avoid constipation. However, excessive amount of coarse fiber can cause indigestion.

-- The process that converts brown rice into white rice destroys 80% of vitamin B3, 80% of vitamin B6, 50% of the manganese and phosphorus content, and 60% of iron, along with dietary fibre and essential fatty acids. However, some food companies fortify white rice with vitamins and minerals to restore some of the nutrition content.

-- As the bran contains essential oils, it is more prone to spoilage than white rice, which has had the bran removed.
-- Protein from white rice is incomplete because it does not contain adequate quantities of an essential (must be obtained externally) amino acid called lysine, commonly used for preventing and treating cold sores (caused by the virus called herpes simplex) and for improving athletic performance. Other foods rich in this amino acid include beans lentils, soya products, nuts and dairy products.

-- The processing of polished rice removes all the chemical negatives found in the hull, husk and bran. Some examples are:-

** Phytate

Phytate or phytin in rice, binds to vital minerals like zinc and iron, rendering them largely useless to any animal that consumes it. Found in the bran, even heat does little to remove phytate. That is why brown rice eaters tend to have poorer mineral balances than white rice eaters.

** Trypsin inhibitor

Trypsin is a digestive enzyme produced by mammals to cleave protein peptides in twain and reduce them to amino acids for easy absorption. Luckily for rice eaters, trypsin inhibitor is located primarily in the outer embryo of the rice seed, with a bit in the bran, and none in the polished, milled seed. Bran-free white rice has no trypsin inhibitor. Steaming rice bran deactivates it too.

** Haemagglutinin-lectin

Rice contains haemagglutinin-lectin in the bran, which can bind to specific carbohydrate receptor sites in the intestinal lining and impede nutritional absorption. Standard steam cooking inactivates its toxicity.

-- If you are diabetic minimize or avoid white rice to maintain normal blood sugar. Any excess carbohydrates in your body will be converted into fat or glycogen in your liver for storage. One bowl of cooked rice is the caloric equal of 10 teaspoons of sugar. This does not matter whether it is white, brown or organic rice. As rice has to be thoroughly cooked to digest, it becomes sugar and spikes circulating blood sugar within half an hour of ingestion - almost as quickly as taking a sugar candy. No wonder results showed Asians who are traditionally rice eaters at the highest risk, showing a 55% increase in type 2 diabetes over other Asians who ate the least white rice.

If you only eat rice occasionally or in small quantities, the nutritional differences between white and brown rice just are not big enough to worry about.

Who should take rice....

+ Generally, how much rice you should take depends on your body type and lifestyle. For instance, a person with high metabolism is able to digest rice fast. Also one engages in strenous physical work requires the extra calories to perform the task well.

+ White rice provides you with an immediate source of energy since they are easily absorbed into your bloodstream from your small intestines. Your blood sugar level rises quickly because it is a simple carbohydrate that requires very little digestion. No harm to take it after an intense exercise session when your body has a low blood sugar level and need carbohydrates to prevent loss of protein.

Other comments

+ Rice contains potential allergens, which cannot be neutralized by processing. The incidence of rice allergy is rising in countries that eat a lot of rice. These people are usually sensitive to grains (eg wheat) as well suffering from food-related autoimmune disorders such as atopic dermatitis, eczema, gastrointestinal distress or asthma. There may not be an immediate reaction but remains the question of latent, hidden damage.

+ A safer alternative to consider is fruits containing another amino sugar - fructose but loaded with antioxidants. Thus, they are not empty calories and are packed with high nutrient contents that help in proper assimilation and digestion. Eating fruits before a meal can 'bulk up' the stomach, and thus eat lesser of other foods.

+ Even if you take rice, keep it to a minimum especially during dinner as it leads to weight gain. As white rice contains no fiber, you can be eating much before filling full. This lies the danger of overeating sugar without realising the effect. Imagine how many teaspoons of sugar are there in two bowls of rice consumed at one go.

+ No harm to include some rice with fruits, vegetables, lean meat, fish, eggs and nuts to complete a balanced diet. In predominantly rice eating societies like Japan and South Korea, where rice is typically paired with protein rich foods such as fish and meat, obesity rates are rather low.
 

Relish this plate of Yangzhou fried rice with chopped vegetables, seafood, eggs and meat added on. Be creative to include your favorite fruits and nuts as well. Do not keep the whole plate to yourself. Please share around with as many people as possible.


Useful tips


-  To cook nice and fragrant rice, add a few drops of lemon juice or oil after washing it.


-  If your cloth or fabric is stained with ink, use cooked rice or paste with a little detergent to smear repeatedly on the spot. To follow with soaking in water with ordinary cleaning agent for a period of time before washing.