White Rice

[james24]

I asked about the cals in white rice recently and decided to stop eating it for a while as one poster mentioned the weight falls off you. Well a couple of weeks later and I cant believe the results, I have lost so much body fat in the places where i couldnt shift it.

I cannot for the life of me understand why. I carried on eating noodles (sen lek) but just stayed away from white rice. Why has this/does this happen... is there something in white rice that is not in other food that causes this? I would advie anyone to try if they are trying to shed weight.

[bkkjames]

Probably more to do with what you ate your rice with. For the most part - asians have been eating it for thousands of years I guess without getting too fat overall (excluding the donut and ice coffee crowds).

Want to lose weight-cut out all the crappy sugar and booze in your diet. I eat brown and white rice mixed regularly. Workout 3 times a week combined with the sugar/booze removal and have lost 6 kilos of fat while adding on more lean muscle.

[eslteacher]

Probably more to do with what you ate your rice with. For the most part - asians have been eating it for thousands of years I guess without getting too fat overall (excluding the donut and ice coffee crowds).

Want to lose weight-cut out all the crappy sugar and booze in your diet. I eat brown and white rice mixed regularly. Workout 3 times a week combined with the sugar/booze removal and have lost 6 kilos of fat while adding on more lean muscle.

Bingo. White rice isnt particularly fattening. Sure if you consume it in large amounts it can be detrimental but you can say that about many foods. Like you said Asians have been consuming white rice for thousands of years and they for the most part remain in good health. They also are responsible for some of the healthiest populations in the world.

Now is white rice healthy? Not really. But its not unhealthy either. It just falls somewhere in the middle. I'd actually suggest white rice over brown rice which contain harmful toxins if not properly prepared.

[james24]

I see your point but not true in my case as I still ordered food from the same restaraunts I always eat at except without rice.

[bkkjames]

Please enlighten me on how brown (gabba actually) contain toxins if not properly prepared. I thought whole grain stuff was better for you? Thanks

[JSixpack]

Probably more to do with what you ate your rice with.

Wrong.

Bingo. White rice isnt particularly fattening. Sure if you consume it in large amounts it can be detrimental but you can say that about many foods. Like you said Asians have been consuming white rice for thousands of years and they for the most part remain in good health. They also are responsible for some of the healthiest populations in the world.

Asians' traditional health can be explained by calorie restriction, veggies, physical work (+ walking, bicycling), and fish.

OP, this vid explains your weight loss when you stopped eating rice. Incredibly, I've managed to persuade two overweight Thais to stop eating rice and they've also lost.

[buzzer]

Please enlighten me on how brown (gabba actually) contain toxins if not properly prepared. I thought whole grain stuff was better for you? Thanks

That was my question too! Instead of waiting for an answer I did a search using ixquick.com ( a search engine that doesn't store information on you).

Anyhow one of the top hits has a lot of info on brown rice - including what is lost when converting it to white rice. It mentions the toxin problem - which seems to stem mostly from molds that can occur during improper storage after cooking, it seems. Also, it recommends storing the uncooked rice in the refrigerator in order to forestall the growth of molds.

Here's the link. I hope the moderators allow it. Brown Rice

A few months ago I searched around, and found that red rice seems to have better numbers - in terms of nutrition than brown rice. Also more expensive.

Most nutritious, generally is black rice (sometimes called purple rice) It does have a distinctly different taste, however, and might be eaten as a specialty food, or mixed with other rices.

If you have to eat rice, the ones that haven't been processed are a better deal. However, a researcher named Gary Taubes, known for his scientific research, turned his researching skills to nutrition, and, well - researched the research! He went back to research as early as some done in the 19th century - right up to present research, and spent years researching research on diet and health, heart disease, etc. His conclusions were stunning. He came away with a clear understanding that the research was biased, and the resultant "low fat diet" that the AMA and others promote as the best for health, is all based on faulty research.

Thus a low-carbohydrate diet is the healthiest, and saturated fats are not the enemy! Do a search on Gary Taubes, and you should find adequate information about him, including his own blog, a wikipedia entry, and an old Frontline interview. I listened to one of his interviews with Dr. Mercola, and am buying his book, "Why we get fat and what to do about it"

Hope this helps.

Buzzer

Edited October 13, 2011 by buzzer

[bkkjames]

Thanks for the info - we keep our un-cooked gabba in the fridge and suffice to say I don't make more than I can eat so storing in the fridge after cooked is a non-starter.

[bkkjames]

Probably more to do with what you ate your rice with.

Wrong.

Bingo. White rice isnt particularly fattening. Sure if you consume it in large amounts it can be detrimental but you can say that about many foods. Like you said Asians have been consuming white rice for thousands of years and they for the most part remain in good health. They also are responsible for some of the healthiest populations in the world.

Asians' traditional health can be explained by calorie restriction, veggies, physical work (+ walking, bicycling), and fish.

OP, this vid explains your weight loss when you stopped eating rice. Incredibly, I've managed to persuade two overweight Thais to stop eating rice and they've also lost.

Maybe wrong but don't tell me that fried this and that (using recycled cheap veg oil) is healthy for you. As I mentioned earlier, cut out the booze, sugar cakes and ice cream, get off your duff regularly and you too will lose weight. In fact, my calorie in-take is much higher now than when i was drinking beer, eating sweets and sitting on my ass but I have lost weight and it stays off.

[JSixpack]

Maybe wrong but don't tell me that fried this and that (using recycled cheap veg oil) is healthy for you.

Nobody told you that.

As I mentioned earlier, cut out the booze, sugar cakes and ice cream, get off your duff regularly and you too will lose weight. In fact, my calorie in-take is much higher now than when i was drinking beer, eating sweets and sitting on my ass but I have lost weight and it stays off.

Same principle as avoiding rice. It all depends on how much you eat of the various carbs. The OP stopped eating rice and lost weight, implying he didn't therefore eat MORE of the sugar cakes, etc. So, in his case, it was owing to the rice. If he stopped the other (including a lot of things not on your list), he'd lose more.

[bkkjames]

Maybe wrong but don't tell me that fried this and that (using recycled cheap veg oil) is healthy for you.

Nobody told you that.

As I mentioned earlier, cut out the booze, sugar cakes and ice cream, get off your duff regularly and you too will lose weight. In fact, my calorie in-take is much higher now than when i was drinking beer, eating sweets and sitting on my ass but I have lost weight and it stays off.

Same principle as avoiding rice. It all depends on how much you eat of the various carbs. The OP stopped eating rice and lost weight, implying he didn't therefore eat MORE of the sugar cakes, etc. So, in his case, it was owing to the rice. If he stopped the other (including a lot of things not on your list), he'd lose more.

well he said he ate sen lek noodle soup instead which is probably half the calories of his rice dish and fried meat = less calories = weight loss, go figure.

[JSixpack]

Maybe wrong but don't tell me that fried this and that (using recycled cheap veg oil) is healthy for you.

Nobody told you that.

As I mentioned earlier, cut out the booze, sugar cakes and ice cream, get off your duff regularly and you too will lose weight. In fact, my calorie in-take is much higher now than when i was drinking beer, eating sweets and sitting on my ass but I have lost weight and it stays off.

Same principle as avoiding rice. It all depends on how much you eat of the various carbs. The OP stopped eating rice and lost weight, implying he didn't therefore eat MORE of the sugar cakes, etc. So, in his case, it was owing to the rice. If he stopped the other (including a lot of things not on your list), he'd lose more.

well he said he ate sen lek noodle soup instead which is probably half the calories of his rice dish and fried meat = less calories = weight loss, go figure.

Figured, but doesn't really add up because, you see, your simple weight loss theory of calories in/calories out is simplistic and obsolete. No time to enlighten you. See the Gary Taubes reference above for a full explanation. Anyway, now you've changed your position from what he was eating with the rice to what he substituted for the rice, meaning you actually agree w/ me whether unwittingly or not.

[Tolley]

There is no doubt at all that white rice is fattening.

Jasmine rice which the thais use is the worse.

It is very high GI and with little or no nutritional value.

Traditionally going back thais did not eat white rice. White rice is a fairly recent phenomenon.

Eat brown rice or wild rice in place of white and you will do your body a big favour.

[Wrong Turn]

White rice causes an insulin spike, correct?

If I eat rice more than 2 days in a row, I get bloated and blow up (but I'm not storing water).

Can anyone explain this?

When I get off of white rice entirely, I thin out.

Simple carbs? Insuline (sugar) spike?

[JSixpack]

White rice causes an insulin spike, correct?

If I eat rice more than 2 days in a row, I get bloated and blow up (but I'm not storing water).

Sounds like gastritis brought on by the rice.

Can anyone explain this?

When I get off of white rice entirely, I thin out.

Simple carbs? Insuline (sugar) spike?

You can read this inspiring story of a low carb diet that overcame GERD in a couple of people, a more severe condition. Probably the same sort of cause. Note the healthy weight loss. Read the comments after the story, too.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/gerd-sufferers-rejoice/

[Wrong Turn]

I don't think it's gastritis, sixpack.

By "thin out" I mean that I thin out (lose the bloat).

This is when I am not working out and sedentary.

When I am exercising regularly and very hard, I can eat the rice and not puff up as much - but I still do.

Thanks for the info on gerd.

[bkkjames]

@Sixpack

No, I said he cut back his calories (rice) and subbed it for soup. If I cut back rice and eat a can of campbells chicken noodle everyday for two weeks I could lose weight too;

My calorie intake has increased but the kinds of calories are diff (not sugary fat junk)

. I eat more gabba rice than white now, more low fat proteins and nuts (almonds) take a protein shake after working out. Net result is my daily calories are 30% higher because I eat more and snack between meals (see nuts above), my body fat% way down, muscle tone much better; weight down 6-7 kilos, beer belly gone, upper body and legs much stronger/bigger.

I don't need a video or some guy named atkins who died very young to preach...

Ps, I still have a whopper and cheese and pizza when I feel like it but nothing like before each to their own.

Edited October 15, 2011 by bkkjames

[Sheryl]

White rice is indeed a great evil and it does contribute to weight gain to an extent way beyond its simple caloric content. This is because the white rice available nowadays is completely, 100%, husked and has an extremely high glycemic index and glycemic load. Due to being so heavily processed and stripped of all remnants of husk, it is absorbed very, very fast and with minimal caloric expenditure. While it is certainly true that losing weight requires tyhat one take in fewer calories than one burns, the amount of calories one burns include those burned in the process of digesting and metabolizing foods. You can have 2 dishes of identical caloric content, but those containing fat, protein and/or fiber will require much more energy to digest and metabolize than will white rice and other simple sugars (which is basically what white rice is).

The speed with which the food is converted to glucose (which is what the glycemic index measures) is also extremely important for several reasons. Foods with high GI (i.e. white rice, white bread, sugary foods) turn to glucose really, really fast causing a sudden surge in blood sugar which in turn triggers a big release of insulin, all of this followed by a precipitous drop in blood sugar. This in turn means you get hungry again fairly soon whereas foods with low GI will keep you feeling full much longer.In other words the more you eat white rice the more you are likely to eat overall as you will be hungrier. In addition, elevated insulin levels in and of themselves promote fat storage.

In addition to issues of obesity, consumption of white rice increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and lipid disorders, which in turn are risk factors for cardiovascular disease and stroke. Avoiding highly processed carbs like white rice is often the best way to reduce elevated triglycerides and LDL cholesterol.

Now as for the idea that Thai people having been eating this for centuries with good health -- no, they have not, at least not in the way they now are. They have been eating polished rice yes, but rice polished mechanically to the point that 100% of husk is removed is a comparatively new thing. Traditionally, rice was milled by hand which never removes all the husk, so it retained some fiber and some of the vitamins, even though it looked white. In addition, the not-completely-milled white rice eaten in the past was eaten by people usually engaged in heavy manual labor. Not so nowadays. So from people working hard in rice fields eating rice they milled manually and was thus incompletely polished, we now have people with sedentary jobs eating 100% milled rice. Huge difference, and the prevalence of diabetes, lipid disorders, heart disease etc are shooting upwards as a result, a trend sure to continue. And as you will note with just a quick look about, seriously obese Thais, once a great rarity, are increasingly evident.

Ironically things have come somewhat full circle and among educated people in Bangkok brown rice is now "in". Hasn't caught on yet in the countryside.

The same phenomena has taken place in Cambodia. There, where poverty levels are much higher than Thailand, we have the ironic situation of populations with increasing rates of diabetes and dyslipedemia who still at the same time have are often significantly underweight..the worst of both worlds.

Of course, people's metabolism varies and portions and level of physical activity also make a difference. Some people -- usually those with a high level of physical activity and inclined to eat in only modest portions -- can get away with eating white rice just fine. But I would definitely say that anyone who has issues with weight, blood sugar, or lipids (triglyceride, "bad" cholesterol) and/or has other risk factors for heart disease, should most definitely stay away from heavily processed carbs like white rice.

[Pinot]

White rice is indeed a great evil and it does contribute to weight gain to an extent way beyond its simple caloric content. This is because the white rice available nowadays is completely, 100%, husked and has an extremely high glycemic index and glycemic load. Due to being so heavily processed and stripped of all remnants of husk, it is absorbed very, very fast and with minimal caloric expenditure. While it is certainly true that losing weight requires tyhat one take in fewer calories than one burns, the amount of calories one burns include those burned in the process of digesting and metabolizing foods. You can have 2 dishes of identical caloric content, but those containing fat, protein and/or fiber will require much more energy to digest and metabolize than will white rice and other simple sugars (which is basically what white rice is).

The speed with which the food is converted to glucose (which is what the glycemic index measures) is also extremely important for several reasons. Foods with high GI (i.e. white rice, white bread, sugary foods) turn to glucose really, really fast causing a sudden surge in blood sugar which in turn triggers a big release of insulin, all of this followed by a precipitous drop in blood sugar. This in turn means you get hungry again fairly soon whereas foods with low GI will keep you feeling full much longer.In other words the more you eat white rice the more you are likely to eat overall as you will be hungrier. In addition, elevated insulin levels in and of themselves promote fat storage.

In addition to issues of obesity, consumption of white rice increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and lipid disorders, which in turn are risk factors for cardiovascular disease and stroke. Avoiding highly processed carbs like white rice is often the best way to reduce elevated triglycerides and LDL cholesterol.

Now as for the idea that Thai people having been eating this for centuries with good health -- no, they have not, at least not in the way they now are. They have been eating polished rice yes, but rice polished mechanically to the point that 100% of husk is removed is a comparatively new thing. Traditionally, rice was milled by hand which never removes all the husk, so it retained some fiber and some of the vitamins, even though it looked white. In addition, the not-completely-milled white rice eaten in the past was eaten by people usually engaged in heavy manual labor. Not so nowadays. So from people working hard in rice fields eating rice they milled manually and was thus incompletely polished, we now have people with sedentary jobs eating 100% milled rice. Huge difference, and the prevalence of diabetes, lipid disorders, heart disease etc are shooting upwards as a result, a trend sure to continue. And as you will note with just a quick look about, seriously obese Thais, once a great rarity, are increasingly evident.

Ironically things have come somewhat full circle and among educated people in Bangkok brown rice is now "in". Hasn't caught on yet in the countryside.

The same phenomena has taken place in Cambodia. There, where poverty levels are much higher than Thailand, we have the ironic situation of populations with increasing rates of diabetes and dyslipedemia who still at the same time have are often significantly underweight..the worst of both worlds.

Of course, people's metabolism varies and portions and level of physical activity also make a difference. Some people -- usually those with a high level of physical activity and inclined to eat in only modest portions -- can get away with eating white rice just fine. But I would definitely say that anyone who has issues with weight, blood sugar, or lipids (triglyceride, "bad" cholesterol) and/or has other risk factors for heart disease, should most definitely stay away from heavily processed carbs like white rice.

The great evil...really? I think we can leave this whole discussion at simple caloric content. Eat less calories and you'll loose weight. More exercise allows you to be able to eat a little more. I see a lot of fat Thais and blame it on 7/11 and the crap they sell there not white rice.

[featography]

Probably more to do with what you ate your rice with.

Wrong.

Bingo. White rice isnt particularly fattening. Sure if you consume it in large amounts it can be detrimental but you can say that about many foods. Like you said Asians have been consuming white rice for thousands of years and they for the most part remain in good health. They also are responsible for some of the healthiest populations in the world.

Asians' traditional health can be explained by calorie restriction, veggies, physical work (+ walking, bicycling), and fish.

OP, this vid explains your weight loss when you stopped eating rice. Incredibly, I've managed to persuade two overweight Thais to stop eating rice and they've also lost.

Maybe wrong but don't tell me that fried this and that (using recycled cheap veg oil) is healthy for you. As I mentioned earlier, cut out the booze, sugar cakes and ice cream, get off your duff regularly and you too will lose weight. In fact, my calorie in-take is much higher now than when i was drinking beer, eating sweets and sitting on my ass but I have lost weight and it stays off.

Bingo! Absolutely right. That was a nice video but........

Let's get a reality check here. Do your own homework as I did, any rice is better than the potato we all grew up with in the west. Even the ''Italian'' pasta doesn't hold a candle to rice, any rice. The Asians have a long history of having far less conditions of the West, in cardio vascular and digestive tract ailments. They are doing different what the West does. The biggest medical condition I have witnessed here in Thailand is Thyroidism at 'near epidemic' levels. This, do the research, is largely caused by their love and use of soi products. Anyone that takes medications for Thyroid conditions, will vouch that their doctors have warned them not to indulge in soi. As far as storing cooked in the refrigerator, thats just not done here either because, leftovers are 'donated' to the dogs on the street. There is a bigger health issue with all the different vegetable cook oils, which let's face it, have been lobbied and pressured us into believing is healthier than palm or coconut oil. That's high profit BS. I could go on, but saying a little says a lot. Tell too much, no one reads on.

[JSixpack]

@Sixpack

No, I said he cut back his calories (rice) and subbed it for soup. If I cut back rice and eat a can of campbells chicken noodle everyday for two weeks I could lose weight too;

No, that's not what you said. You said this: "he ate sen lek noodle soup instead [of rice]". That was true: he substituted soup for the rice. And I agreed with you. Now, probably to be sure to disagree with me, you now just disagreed with yourself (again) to say he substituted rice for the soup.

But he didn't do that.

However, that contradiction, and your misunderstanding of what I said, may have arisen unwittingly because of a seemingly limited command of English. I would surmise that reading is probably not an activity in which you've often engaged in the past, which would help explain why you won't read anything new at present that might be helpful and enlightening.

You know what you know and that's it. (As is often the case here at TV! )

Atkins, pioneer of the low carb diet, didn't die young. To anticipate your next false assertion: he died of an accident. Now, nobody's mentioned Atkins here and he's been superseded anyway.

Well, no point in engaging in further "discussion," esp. as you've now resorted to lying.

White rice is indeed a great evil and it does contribute to weight gain to an extent way beyond its simple caloric content. This is because the white rice available nowadays is completely, 100%, husked and has an extremely high glycemic index and glycemic load. Due to being so heavily processed and stripped of all remnants of husk, it is absorbed very, very fast and with minimal caloric expenditure. While it is certainly true that losing weight requires tyhat one take in fewer calories than one burns, the amount of calories one burns include those burned in the process of digesting and metabolizing foods. You can have 2 dishes of identical caloric content, but those containing fat, protein and/or fiber will require much more energy to digest and metabolize than will white rice and other simple sugars (which is basically what white rice is).

The speed with which the food is converted to glucose (which is what the glycemic index measures) is also extremely important for several reasons. Foods with high GI (i.e. white rice, white bread, sugary foods) turn to glucose really, really fast causing a sudden surge in blood sugar which in turn triggers a big release of insulin, all of this followed by a precipitous drop in blood sugar. This in turn means you get hungry again fairly soon whereas foods with low GI will keep you feeling full much longer.In other words the more you eat white rice the more you are likely to eat overall as you will be hungrier. In addition, elevated insulin levels in and of themselves promote fat storage.

In addition to issues of obesity, consumption of white rice increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and lipid disorders, which in turn are risk factors for cardiovascular disease and stroke. Avoiding highly processed carbs like white rice is often the best way to reduce elevated triglycerides and LDL cholesterol.

Now as for the idea that Thai people having been eating this for centuries with good health -- no, they have not, at least not in the way they now are. They have been eating polished rice yes, but rice polished mechanically to the point that 100% of husk is removed is a comparatively new thing. Traditionally, rice was milled by hand which never removes all the husk, so it retained some fiber and some of the vitamins, even though it looked white. In addition, the not-completely-milled white rice eaten in the past was eaten by people usually engaged in heavy manual labor. Not so nowadays. So from people working hard in rice fields eating rice they milled manually and was thus incompletely polished, we now have people with sedentary jobs eating 100% milled rice. Huge difference, and the prevalence of diabetes, lipid disorders, heart disease etc are shooting upwards as a result, a trend sure to continue. And as you will note with just a quick look about, seriously obese Thais, once a great rarity, are increasingly evident.

Ironically things have come somewhat full circle and among educated people in Bangkok brown rice is now "in". Hasn't caught on yet in the countryside.

The same phenomena has taken place in Cambodia. There, where poverty levels are much higher than Thailand, we have the ironic situation of populations with increasing rates of diabetes and dyslipedemia who still at the same time have are often significantly underweight..the worst of both worlds.

Of course, people's metabolism varies and portions and level of physical activity also make a difference. Some people -- usually those with a high level of physical activity and inclined to eat in only modest portions -- can get away with eating white rice just fine. But I would definitely say that anyone who has issues with weight, blood sugar, or lipids (triglyceride, "bad" cholesterol) and/or has other risk factors for heart disease, should most definitely stay away from heavily processed carbs like white rice.

The great evil...really? I think we can leave this whole discussion at simple caloric content. Eat less calories and you'll loose weight.

No, that is just plain ol' ignorance and such ignorance explains why fat people are often unable to lose weight even if they eat fewer calories. Sheryl was exactly right and tried to enlighten you, but you paid no attention, duh! Read this for some science:

Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health

[Tolley]

White rice is indeed a great evil and it does contribute to weight gain to an extent way beyond its simple caloric content. This is because the white rice available nowadays is completely, 100%, husked and has an extremely high glycemic index and glycemic load. Due to being so heavily processed and stripped of all remnants of husk, it is absorbed very, very fast and with minimal caloric expenditure. While it is certainly true that losing weight requires tyhat one take in fewer calories than one burns, the amount of calories one burns include those burned in the process of digesting and metabolizing foods. You can have 2 dishes of identical caloric content, but those containing fat, protein and/or fiber will require much more energy to digest and metabolize than will white rice and other simple sugars (which is basically what white rice is).

The speed with which the food is converted to glucose (which is what the glycemic index measures) is also extremely important for several reasons. Foods with high GI (i.e. white rice, white bread, sugary foods) turn to glucose really, really fast causing a sudden surge in blood sugar which in turn triggers a big release of insulin, all of this followed by a precipitous drop in blood sugar. This in turn means you get hungry again fairly soon whereas foods with low GI will keep you feeling full much longer.In other words the more you eat white rice the more you are likely to eat overall as you will be hungrier. In addition, elevated insulin levels in and of themselves promote fat storage.

In addition to issues of obesity, consumption of white rice increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and lipid disorders, which in turn are risk factors for cardiovascular disease and stroke. Avoiding highly processed carbs like white rice is often the best way to reduce elevated triglycerides and LDL cholesterol.

Now as for the idea that Thai people having been eating this for centuries with good health -- no, they have not, at least not in the way they now are. They have been eating polished rice yes, but rice polished mechanically to the point that 100% of husk is removed is a comparatively new thing. Traditionally, rice was milled by hand which never removes all the husk, so it retained some fiber and some of the vitamins, even though it looked white. In addition, the not-completely-milled white rice eaten in the past was eaten by people usually engaged in heavy manual labor. Not so nowadays. So from people working hard in rice fields eating rice they milled manually and was thus incompletely polished, we now have people with sedentary jobs eating 100% milled rice. Huge difference, and the prevalence of diabetes, lipid disorders, heart disease etc are shooting upwards as a result, a trend sure to continue. And as you will note with just a quick look about, seriously obese Thais, once a great rarity, are increasingly evident.

Ironically things have come somewhat full circle and among educated people in Bangkok brown rice is now "in". Hasn't caught on yet in the countryside.

The same phenomena has taken place in Cambodia. There, where poverty levels are much higher than Thailand, we have the ironic situation of populations with increasing rates of diabetes and dyslipedemia who still at the same time have are often significantly underweight..the worst of both worlds.

Of course, people's metabolism varies and portions and level of physical activity also make a difference. Some people -- usually those with a high level of physical activity and inclined to eat in only modest portions -- can get away with eating white rice just fine. But I would definitely say that anyone who has issues with weight, blood sugar, or lipids (triglyceride, "bad" cholesterol) and/or has other risk factors for heart disease, should most definitely stay away from heavily processed carbs like white rice.

Good post agree 100 percent.

[Wrong Turn]

The great evil...really? I think we can leave this whole discussion at simple caloric content. Eat less calories and you'll loose weight. More exercise allows you to be able to eat a little more. I see a lot of fat Thais and blame it on 7/11 and the crap they sell there not white rice.

Sheryl is spot-on.

And her opinion is shared by anyone I meet involved and knowledgeable about nutrition, health, body building etc.

White rice being bad for us, goes way beyond simple caloric content (as noted by Sheryl).

[bkkjames]

Sheryl-you mentioned up there in a previous post that active people eat less food?

Wow, most sports people I know eat the same quantity or more than those who don't exercise - just the type of food is different.

Also someone mention thais getting fatter more often because of rice? I would suggest the weight issues in those referred to are from eating more junk and not eating more rice.

When I was a kid the good old healthy american breaky (according to those in the gov health dept) included, bacon, eggs, sausages .......then it changed years ago when people started dying for no apperent reason.

Moral; spin it any way you want-today it is good for you tomorrow it aint.

[McGarty]

Sheryl, reading about the GI and white rice. That is something I had forgotten about. I definitely feel hungry not too long after eating white rice. Now thanks to that reply of yours above about GI I now remember why.

Thanks for the reminder

Time for a change from white rice.

[Sheryl]

Sheryl-you mentioned up there in a previous post that active people eat less food?

No, what I said is that people who are able to eat white rice with no problem (in terms of weight, lipids, blood sugar etc) are usually active people who eat moderate portions.

[Wrong Turn]

Sheryl, reading about the GI and white rice. That is something I had forgotten about. I definitely feel hungry not too long after eating white rice. Now thanks to that reply of yours above about GI I now remember why.

Thanks for the reminder

Time for a change from white rice.

I like the taste of white rice. Love it. But I gave it up.

White rice is....<deleted>. Absolute <deleted>. Not one good thing about modern rice, unfortunately.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

Grain carbs are non essential macronutrients.

if your intake is hypo (low) caloric then a calorie is welcome for survival but if a person never ate a grain carb in their life then can be perfectly healthy.

Consider the diets of people far from the equator like Inuit (aka eskimo's) who eat almost all fat/protein.

The outside germ of a rice grain contains chemical inhibitors which protect the grain against premature germination. Just because plants don't have teeth and claws doesn't mean they don't defend themselves. Their defenses are chemical.

if you try to eat many grains then they have chemicals to prevent digestion etc. If an animal eats a grain then a defense chemical causes the animal to excrete a non digested grain potentially back into the soil which can then grow.

The plants with the best defenses are the plants that have tended to survive.

This is changing somewhat due to better breeding to make plant foods less problematic for human digestion but still lots of plant foods cause problems. Case in point. Wheat plants and their allergy causing gluten compounds.

Of the grains rice is one of the least problematic for most populations. Removing the germ does make a lot of sense. They key would be to eat small portions and combine with slow digesting foods like fats to decrease insulin reaction.

[Shurup]

As I've bentioned it before, the best diet is a caveman's diet.

[bunnydrops]

Grain carbs are non essential macronutrients.

if your intake is hypo (low) caloric then a calorie is welcome for survival but if a person never ate a grain carb in their life then can be perfectly healthy.

Consider the diets of people far from the equator like Inuit (aka eskimo's) who eat almost all fat/protein.

The outside germ of a rice grain contains chemical inhibitors which protect the grain against premature germination. Just because plants don't have teeth and claws doesn't mean they don't defend themselves. Their defenses are chemical.

if you try to eat many grains then they have chemicals to prevent digestion etc. If an animal eats a grain then a defense chemical causes the animal to excrete a non digested grain potentially back into the soil which can then grow.

The plants with the best defenses are the plants that have tended to survive.

This is changing somewhat due to better breeding to make plant foods less problematic for human digestion but still lots of plant foods cause problems. Case in point. Wheat plants and their allergy causing gluten compounds.

Of the grains rice is one of the least problematic for most populations. Removing the germ does make a lot of sense. They key would be to eat small portions and combine with slow digesting foods like fats to decrease insulin reaction.

I think you may have hit the nail on the head. Most Thais I know eat a lot of fat with their rice.

When I am in Thailand I lose weight and I eat a lot of rice. Khao tom for breakfast everyday-- I love it. My Thai wife claims she gets hungry faster if she does not have rice with her meal. No one in her family is fat, from the kids to grandmom. When I am back in the states I keep on the rice diet for some time but the rice here does not taste as good (almost tasteless as with just about everything else grown here now) and I sink back into my US diet which isn't bad by text book standards. I eat more grains, oat meal for breakfast most mornings, soup for lunch, dinner mostly built around chicken, or fish and noodles---I gain 10 lbs and keep it until I return to Thailand. Of course this is all anecdotal . There are sure to be many factors. But I don't believe rice is as bad as many here are making it sound.