You may have heard that white rice is not so healthy for you. But you may not have the details about why health experts make this statement.
Did you know that there is a way to eat white rice to lower the health risk it presents?
White rice is a refined, high-carb food with most of its fiber removed.
This low fibre makes it so unhealthy for an all-the-time meal. Can your take few minutes and think of how many times you ate rice in the last one week?
Interestingly, in this article, we offered better ways of eating your rice to reduce the health risk it poses.
For instance a 2015 study emphasised the need for caution in consumption (1).
It stated: “There was found a positive association between white rice intake and risk factors of Cardiovascular Disease, including metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
“Furthermore, it seems that there is no any significant correlation between white rice consumption and incidence of CVD and its mortality”.
In Nigeria, this specie of rice is the most popular food. Some persons can eat rice in the afternoon and also in the evening.
Some eat it over 8 times in a week and this is why we are writing about it.
This specie of rice has become a habit for many Nigerians and telling them to stop eating white rice is unappealing.
Several women in Nigeria battle weight gain especially those that have started giving birth.
Of a truth, rice is one of the foods they need to adjust its intake.
Your weight loss journey may just become easier if you would follow the strategies we offer here.
Nutritional Fact Of White Rice
This kind of rice (shot and medium grain 100g) contains 130 calories, 94% of carbohydrates (29g) and 2% protein.
Because it is low in fibre it has high glycemic index, making the sugar in rice digests fast. This sugar also finds its way into the blood stream fast.
As a result, this meal is unhealthy for diabetics. Red rice is the ideal rice for diabetics.
To lower the health risk associated with white rice, we offer below, a better way of eating it.
1. Cook It The Safe Way
Parboil and wash it to reduce the amount of chemical preservative that may have been added.
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You may add coconut oil in your rice while steaming it after parboiling. Coconut oil helps to increase the amount of resistant starch in the rice.
You can also add cumin seeds, or cloves. These are known for their ability to lower blood sugar level and also control blood pressure.
These items further enhance the taste of your rice. You will love it.
2. Apply Portion Control
One way to lower the side-effect of this specie of rice is to apply portion control when you serve it.
Get a plat that is smaller than your usual plate and use that to serve what you will eat.
This way, you will not eat more than you are supposed to eat.
3. Add Other Fibre Rich Foods
One of the very foods to add to white rice to make it healthier is red kidney beans.
This beans is rich in fibre and also very nutritious. Follow the instruction in the red kidney beans article with link above.
Ensuring that you do not eat white rice alone lowers the health risk that goes with eating it.
4. Add More Vegetables To White Rice
Unfortunately, for a heavy eater, lowering portion of meal is a big task.
But you can achieve portion control by filling the other parts of the plate with vegetables.
There are different vegetables that are available to add to your rice meal.
Whether prepared as jollof or the way it is, white rice could become a major trigger for weight gain, high blood sugar level, and even heart diseases.
Changing the way you eat it will change the effect it has on your health too.
Kindly share with your friends and loved ones to help them improve the way they consume rice.