Gave up rice. I feel fantastic.

[csabo]

You just avoided diabetes

Is there absolutely any evidence for saying this?

For about six months thirty years ago there was a scare about cholesterol in eggs. They soon discovered that blood cholesterol levels were affected by biliary cholesterol, dumped in big volumes into the gut twice a day, if my memory serves me right. Eggs aren't a problem - they're a very good food - but people like an easy solution if it means they can do everything else that they enjoy. Thailand is doubtless not short of blokes who avoid white rice but drink 2,000 kcal of lager a day!

Type two diabetes is caused by being overweight and by having cells which don't respond efficiently to insulin. The first of these is caused by eating (or drinking) lots of energy-dense food, and the second is caused by failing to take intense exercise.

Don't eat refined sugar, don't eat large amounts of fat, don't eat garbage generally, and wind yourself by going flat out for thirty seconds ten times with short recoveries every three days. If you manage to becomes diabetic after that you're doing well.

Avoid diabetes by eliminating rice? Possibly? You could also try sacrificing a goat.

My father being a diabetic, I would also add that there is a hereditary factor that contributes to diabetes. Strangely, it apparently also skips a generation. As far as sacrificing goats go..don't forget, there are still people who believe in god for some bizarre reason. Creating a fictitious cause for diabetes is a not surprising.

[Mousehound]

Basically most food contains sugars. Starch is just a form of sugar. Rice, pasta and breads are all high carb culprits with some being low GI - usually unprocessed or lesser processed. Weight is a major problem for type 2 diabetics. Thus carbs and fat are to be avoided. I love roti's but they are not good if you are diabetic. Diabetics also have to minimise sugars found in fruits such as grapes and watermelon. Apples are not too bad. legumes are not so good so cut down on peas and such. Check the glycaemic index if you can on any tinned or packaged foods. Watch out for so called "health foods" in supermarkets - they often have high sugar or carbs as they are really energy boosters. Best is high protein and green root vegies such as cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli for instance. I found carrots would push my sugar levels up quite rapidly. No alcohol or sugary drinks. No cake or biscuits. Raw milled oats are low GI so are good for breakfast. Low GI brown rice and low GI pasta only and in small quantities. Try not to eat before going to bed as your metabolism slows during the night. And finally - most people are unaware they are type 2 diabetic or heading that way. Get your self tested if you are overweight or over fifty and sedentary. I now test my levels up to six times a day and this has helped me work out what foods seem to really push my levels up. I am now facing blindness, and as a photographer this is a bit of a shock. my best friend died in theatre having his legs amputated as a result of diabetes: so please take it seriously.

[Craig krup]

Basically most food contains sugars. Starch is just a form of sugar. Rice, pasta and breads are all high carb culprits with some being low GI - usually unprocessed or lesser processed. Weight is a major problem for type 2 diabetics. Thus carbs and fat are to be avoided. I love roti's but they are not good if you are diabetic. Diabetics also have to minimise sugars found in fruits such as grapes and watermelon. Apples are not too bad. legumes are not so good so cut down on peas and such. Check the glycaemic index if you can on any tinned or packaged foods. Watch out for so called "health foods" in supermarkets - they often have high sugar or carbs as they are really energy boosters. Best is high protein and green root vegies such as cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli for instance. I found carrots would push my sugar levels up quite rapidly. No alcohol or sugary drinks. No cake or biscuits. Raw milled oats are low GI so are good for breakfast. Low GI brown rice and low GI pasta only and in small quantities. Try not to eat before going to bed as your metabolism slows during the night. And finally - most people are unaware they are type 2 diabetic or heading that way. Get your self tested if you are overweight or over fifty and sedentary. I now test my levels up to six times a day and this has helped me work out what foods seem to really push my levels up. I am now facing blindness, and as a photographer this is a bit of a shock. my best friend died in theatre having his legs amputated as a result of diabetes: so please take it seriously.

That's pretty scary. 25 years ago, after a 24 fast, my blood sugar was 5.2, which I thought was a bit high but they said was okay. I felt terrible, and would have sworn it would be low, but subjective feelings and what the numbers say are two different things. I'm almost frightened to get it checked. I'm still pretty fit, even disregarding age, but I don't know what the impact would be if someone said, "8.2 - you've got a problem". The thought's putting me right off my post-gym mussel sandwich.

[KuhnPaen]

I'm on a "paleo diet" back in the States--just meat and veggies/fruit.

I eat salads basically everyday. Does anybody k ow where to get a decent western salad in Thailand? I mean like a Cobb, Waldorf, Caesar, etc. The only salads I ever see in BKK are the street food vendors with their mystery veggies.

The "gai ping" (chicken on a stick) is ubiquitous so that parts easy.

[Friendly Stranger]

Rice is not the real culprit, as it's at least a whole food and when mixed with other macronutrients will cause less of a spike.

Booze, especially those mixed with sugar and those energy drinks are pretty bad. Also the introduction of western fast food.

For example: Been coming here for 15 yrs, noticed in a BIG way how much the Thai's have gained weight, which brings on all what we're talking about.

I read that high blood pressure is quite high here and the kidney disease that someone has mentioned is obviously from a combination of fast food and excess sauces (fish sauce). Yes, rice can lead to elevated insulin but there's much more ahead of it.

[kerrysum]

Diabetes,

Hmmmm what else can I say. Doctors already advised wife to stop eating rice.... It happens the world round.... Wife not happy, so what will I tell her?

Simple, get over it..... Her mother is now suffering with kidney disease and? Diabetes...

Nuff said, and no further comments......

[louse1953]

I have been eating rice every day for 40 years,2nd bowl to mop up the curry juice.Plenty of pasta as well.I thought i was pretty healthy but much to my horror i was told i was pre diabetic due to carbo loading.Cut down big time and now back to normal levels.

[louse1953]

Its complete bs to think rice created ur better diet.

Its to know which rice u eat and the other foods u eat with it.

Eating brown rice could be the best diet for every human, combined with good veggies, meat without preservatives

Eating good rice and veggies changed my life for the better

Try basmati rice as well.

[louse1953]

You just avoided diabetes

Is there absolutely any evidence for saying this?

For about six months thirty years ago there was a scare about cholesterol in eggs. They soon discovered that blood cholesterol levels were affected by biliary cholesterol, dumped in big volumes into the gut twice a day, if my memory serves me right. Eggs aren't a problem - they're a very good food - but people like an easy solution if it means they can do everything else that they enjoy. Thailand is doubtless not short of blokes who avoid white rice but drink 2,000 kcal of lager a day!

Type two diabetes is caused by being overweight and by having cells which don't respond efficiently to insulin. The first of these is caused by eating (or drinking) lots of energy-dense food, and the second is caused by failing to take intense exercise.

Don't eat refined sugar, don't eat large amounts of fat, don't eat garbage generally, and wind yourself by going flat out for thirty seconds ten times with short recoveries every three days. If you manage to becomes diabetic after that you're doing well.

Avoid diabetes by eliminating rice? Possibly? You could also try sacrificing a goat.

Everything in moderation Craig,too much white rice may give you diabetics.In conjunction with soft drinks and unnecessary sugar in Thai food.There will be a epedemic of diabetes in the near future in the Thai population. I try to advise my Thai friends but it's hard to beat mai aloy.

[KarenBravo]

You just avoided diabetes

Why would you say that?

He has just swapped one carbohydrate for another. From rice to wheat.

[maidee]

if you know that rice has been sprayed with so many chemicals, on the field, that even farmers don't dare to eat the produice they sell to others (article months ago)

after that, the governement sprays a nice bromine on the rice to kill more pests

bromine makes the iodine leave your body ...

same as fluorine does ...

[DLang]

Eat the rich.

[louse1953]

I'm not an expert but it looks that there is less obese people in rice eating countries than in Occident

Being thin is not an indicator of being healthy.

[jagfx]

When I first arrived in LOS this time around, as a real people watcher, I was commenting to the wife about how it appears that the Thais are becoming bigger in general. Didn't think too much of it as we live in the bigger towns where there is access to fast food outlets etc. Also I notice that Thais don't really embrace the outdoors or play a lot of sport. Now I'm comparing this to Australia (which has its own obesity problem), but at least people there tend to be a tad more active. This may have something to do with the Thai lifestyle, like way too long work hours, too hot, lack of facilities, no encouragement from govt etc. Both countries have problems with their diet and what is freely available and cheap.

Didn't think much of this until a recent visit to Saigon, Vietnam. First thing I noticed were how smaller the Vietnamese were than Thais (generally speaking). This was more apparent with the women. But being in Saigon, which is the big end of town in Vietnam where there is some wealth, it also appeared to us that the better off you were financially, the unhealthier (fatter) they appeared. Maybe in a generation or two when the Vietnamese have fully embraced the western lifestyle for as long as Thailand, then they may have the same issues.

It is certainly the western fast food type diet that is causing the problems. Sugar is the number one enemy by far, which is found in just about all processed foods. Avoid them when you can and you will be well on your way to a much healthier lifestyle. Cheers.

[louse1953]

Basically most food contains sugars. Starch is just a form of sugar. Rice, pasta and breads are all high carb culprits with some being low GI - usually unprocessed or lesser processed. Weight is a major problem for type 2 diabetics. Thus carbs and fat are to be avoided. I love roti's but they are not good if you are diabetic. Diabetics also have to minimise sugars found in fruits such as grapes and watermelon. Apples are not too bad. legumes are not so good so cut down on peas and such. Check the glycaemic index if you can on any tinned or packaged foods. Watch out for so called "health foods" in supermarkets - they often have high sugar or carbs as they are really energy boosters. Best is high protein and green root vegies such as cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli for instance. I found carrots would push my sugar levels up quite rapidly. No alcohol or sugary drinks. No cake or biscuits. Raw milled oats are low GI so are good for breakfast. Low GI brown rice and low GI pasta only and in small quantities. Try not to eat before going to bed as your metabolism slows during the night. And finally - most people are unaware they are type 2 diabetic or heading that way. Get your self tested if you are overweight or over fifty and sedentary. I now test my levels up to six times a day and this has helped me work out what foods seem to really push my levels up. I am now facing blindness, and as a photographer this is a bit of a shock. my best friend died in theatre having his legs amputated as a result of diabetes: so please take it seriously.

As i was pre diabetic,my doctor told me,cut out the rice,pasta and only eat veggies that grow above the ground,prefably green.

[chiang mai]

You just avoided diabetes

Why would you say that?

He has just swapped one carbohydrate for another. From rice to wheat.

Wheat is lower on the glycemic index than is white rice, it therefore takes longer to digest and avoids spikes.

[louse1953]

Basically most food contains sugars. Starch is just a form of sugar. Rice, pasta and breads are all high carb culprits with some being low GI - usually unprocessed or lesser processed. Weight is a major problem for type 2 diabetics. Thus carbs and fat are to be avoided. I love roti's but they are not good if you are diabetic. Diabetics also have to minimise sugars found in fruits such as grapes and watermelon. Apples are not too bad. legumes are not so good so cut down on peas and such. Check the glycaemic index if you can on any tinned or packaged foods. Watch out for so called "health foods" in supermarkets - they often have high sugar or carbs as they are really energy boosters. Best is high protein and green root vegies such as cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli for instance. I found carrots would push my sugar levels up quite rapidly. No alcohol or sugary drinks. No cake or biscuits. Raw milled oats are low GI so are good for breakfast. Low GI brown rice and low GI pasta only and in small quantities. Try not to eat before going to bed as your metabolism slows during the night. And finally - most people are unaware they are type 2 diabetic or heading that way. Get your self tested if you are overweight or over fifty and sedentary. I now test my levels up to six times a day and this has helped me work out what foods seem to really push my levels up. I am now facing blindness, and as a photographer this is a bit of a shock. my best friend died in theatre having his legs amputated as a result of diabetes: so please take it seriously.

That's pretty scary. 25 years ago, after a 24 fast, my blood sugar was 5.2, which I thought was a bit high but they said was okay. I felt terrible, and would have sworn it would be low, but subjective feelings and what the numbers say are two different things. I'm almost frightened to get it checked. I'm still pretty fit, even disregarding age, but I don't know what the impact would be if someone said, "8.2 - you've got a problem". The thought's putting me right off my post-gym mussel sandwich.

Don't sweat it Craig,change of diet will fix it.Knowledge is power.Have blood tested once a year.

[goatfarmer]

An adult serving of white rice is around 200 grams - that's equivalent of around 56 grams of glucose.

A teaspoon of sugar contains two grams of glucose and two grams of fructose. The fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion. An adult size bowl of rice therefore contains as much glucose as is contained in 27 teaspoons of sugar; equivalent to two and a half cans of coke.

Brown rice has more fibre - so 30% less glucose = 1 and a half cans of coke per adult serve.

If type 2 diabetes is a result of insulin resistance due to excessive glucose in the blood, rice is indeed a likely culprit.

So, before you go sacrificing any goats, please do a little arithmetic.

This, unfortunately, isn't science. You say "..that equivalent of around 56 grams of glucose", but you can't - from a food science/nutrition point of view, do that. Everything is broken down in the body, and you can't avoid consideration of the processes. Your body - especially your brain - needs the glucose, and roti bread, apples...whatever, will be turned into glucose to meet that need. But the source really matters. If you drank 56 grams of glucose how quickly do you think it would be digested? If you ate 700 kcals of rice how quickly do you think it would be digested? The instant you answer these questions you know why "equivalent" doesn't mean anything. It would take your body minutes to respond to glucose syrup - with all of the consequences of that - but it would take many hours for your stomach and small intestine to separate out the water and carbohydrate from rice.

If you're interested I know two guys who did their little exercise science research project to find out which common food maintained blood sugar at a constant level. They both identified creamed rice as by far and away the best. Cooked rice - packed with water - with dairy product around it, which slows digestion and creates a "slurry" in the gut - is just about perfect.

West Indians, of course, eat their rice with curried goat!

I think you'll find that white rice metabolizes into glucose within 20 to 30 minutes of digesting. You can easily test with a glucometer.

[goatfarmer]

You just avoided diabetes

Is there absolutely any evidence for saying this?

For about six months thirty years ago there was a scare about cholesterol in eggs. They soon discovered that blood cholesterol levels were affected by biliary cholesterol, dumped in big volumes into the gut twice a day, if my memory serves me right. Eggs aren't a problem - they're a very good food - but people like an easy solution if it means they can do everything else that they enjoy. Thailand is doubtless not short of blokes who avoid white rice but drink 2,000 kcal of lager a day!

Type two diabetes is caused by being overweight and by having cells which don't respond efficiently to insulin. The first of these is caused by eating (or drinking) lots of energy-dense food, and the second is caused by failing to take intense exercise.

Don't eat refined sugar, don't eat large amounts of fat, don't eat garbage generally, and wind yourself by going flat out for thirty seconds ten times with short recoveries every three days. If you manage to becomes diabetic after that you're doing well.

Avoid diabetes by eliminating rice? Possibly? You could also try sacrificing a goat.

An adult serving of white rice is around 200 grams - that's equivalent of around 56 grams of glucose.

A teaspoon of sugar contains two grams of glucose and two grams of fructose. The fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion. An adult size bowl of rice therefore contains as much glucose as is contained in 27 teaspoons of sugar; equivalent to two and a half cans of coke.

Brown rice has more fibre - so 30% less glucose = 1 and a half cans of coke per adult serve.

If type 2 diabetes is a result of insulin resistance due to excessive glucose in the blood, rice is indeed a likely culprit.

So, before you go sacrificing any goats, please do a little arithmetic.

How do you arrive at those numbers? According to wikipedia (http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Rice) for 100 grams of rice there are:

80 grams of carbohydrates and 0.12 grams of sugars. I'm assuming that when 80 grams of carbohydrates is digested,that 28 grams of glucose is produced? I wasn't able to find a reference.

I use nutritiondata.com, deducting fibre from the total carbohydrate. I am assuming that most of the carbohydrate will convert to glucose.

[goatfarmer]

Some science - http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/76/1/290S.long

"Because of the many uncertainties regarding the validity of the GI for determining what foods are “good” or “bad” for one's health, I believe it would be a mistake to initiate a public health campaign stating that certain widely consumed carbohydrates should be avoided. Much more definitive data are needed before any such dietary recommendations are made and controlled clinical trials are the best way to proceed.

There are many more worthwhile issues relating to diet and health that merit the focus of a public health effort. The prevention of type 2 diabetes is a critical public health priority given that the prevalence of diabetes in the US population has increased from 8.9% to 12.3% in 11 y (111), and continues to increase (112). The rate of obesity, a primary predictor of diabetes, is skyrocketing (113). As a matter of public health, the message is clear: decrease total energy intakes and increase physical activity (114). To decrease the incidence of cardiovascular disease, lifestyle changes and low saturated fat intakes are recommended (115). These are recommendations that we can all agree on, and much work is still needed to promote them to the US population.

Now, as I say, this is an issue for scientists, not "Gwyneth Paltrow" judgments. The evidence isn't there, is by "evidence" you mean, "The kind of thing a scientist would accept", which is what we should mean by evidence.

The simplest, most effective way to determine one's tolerance for any carbohydrate, including rice, is to use a personal glucometer. The rule of thumb is that blood glucose should not exceed 140 mg/dl after one hour. I would err on 120 for a regular meal.

[KarenBravo]

You just avoided diabetes

Why would you say that?

He has just swapped one carbohydrate for another. From rice to wheat.

Wheat is lower on the glycemic index than is white rice, it therefore takes longer to digest and avoids spikes.

That depends on the bread. A baguette made from white flour is 95.

I have diabetes type 2 and one thing I have learned is that everyone is different.

My doctor advised me to avoid rice, pasta, bread and potatoes.

Rice and bread send my blood sugar through the roof, potatoes hardly at all and pasta in between.

A friend who has the same condition can't eat potatoes but, tolerates bread very well.

If you are pre-diabetic, or actually have it, my advice is to get a BG meter and test, test, test. Find out how your body reacts to certain foods.

[goatfarmer]

You just avoided diabetes

Is there absolutely any evidence for saying this?

For about six months thirty years ago there was a scare about cholesterol in eggs. They soon discovered that blood cholesterol levels were affected by biliary cholesterol, dumped in big volumes into the gut twice a day, if my memory serves me right. Eggs aren't a problem - they're a very good food - but people like an easy solution if it means they can do everything else that they enjoy. Thailand is doubtless not short of blokes who avoid white rice but drink 2,000 kcal of lager a day!

Type two diabetes is caused by being overweight and by having cells which don't respond efficiently to insulin. The first of these is caused by eating (or drinking) lots of energy-dense food, and the second is caused by failing to take intense exercise.

Don't eat refined sugar, don't eat large amounts of fat, don't eat garbage generally, and wind yourself by going flat out for thirty seconds ten times with short recoveries every three days. If you manage to becomes diabetic after that you're doing well.

Avoid diabetes by eliminating rice? Possibly? You could also try sacrificing a goat.

An adult serving of white rice is around 200 grams - that's equivalent of around 56 grams of glucose.

A teaspoon of sugar contains two grams of glucose and two grams of fructose. The fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion. An adult size bowl of rice therefore contains as much glucose as is contained in 27 teaspoons of sugar; equivalent to two and a half cans of coke.

Brown rice has more fibre - so 30% less glucose = 1 and a half cans of coke per adult serve.

If type 2 diabetes is a result of insulin resistance due to excessive glucose in the blood, rice is indeed a likely culprit.

So, before you go sacrificing any goats, please do a little arithmetic.

Loved your math., just wondering though how you took that monumental leap from 200 grams of rice (carbohydrates) equaling 56 grams of glucose, perhaps you can add some factual detail?

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5712/2

Toggle the menu from the default 'cup' to 100g and multiply 28x2 and assume that most of the net carbs will convert to glucose.

"Starch, for example, is a polymer of glucose units and is typically broken down to glucose."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbohydrate_metabolism

[goatfarmer]

You just avoided diabetes

Why would you say that?

He has just swapped one carbohydrate for another. From rice to wheat.

Wheat is lower on the glycemic index than is white rice, it therefore takes longer to digest and avoids spikes.

That depends on the bread. A baguette made from white flour is 95.

I have diabetes type 2 and one thing I have learned is that everyone is different.

My doctor advised me to avoid rice, pasta, bread and potatoes.

Rice and bread send my blood sugar through the roof, potatoes hardly at all and pasta in between.

A friend who has the same condition can't eat potatoes but, tolerates bread very well.

If you are pre-diabetic, or actually have it, my advice is to get a BG meter and test, test, test. Find out how your body reacts to certain foods.

This is the single best piece of advice for all of us over the age of 40, not only those who are diagnosed. The glycemic index is, at best, a guess. The fasting blood sugar test is a lagging indicator. The only way to be confident that you can safely tolerate carbs is to test after meals by doing the following:

i. buy a glucometer at any large pharmacy.

ii. get a set of kitchen scales

iii. spend a week testing your reaction to meals that you regularly eat.

iv. test one hour after finishing the meal

v. the generally accepted safe level after one hour is 140 mg/dl. Decide for yourself what level to aim for. Check out the website bloodsugar101 for discussion and 'evidence'. I aim for 120 or below. I have tested young people and whatever they eat - a sugar-laced drink - their blood sugar returns to 100 within an hour.

vi. if you go over the desired level, try reducing the amount of one food type. Protein can convert to glucose, so 200g of meat and 100g of potatoes might go over the limit, but 100g of meat and 100g of potatoes might not.

vii. keep a spreadsheet and learn to 'eat to your meter' - with the occasional indulgent splurge.

[Cats4ever]

That's using your noodle....

[KarenBravo]

Have given up white rice for brown.

It is marginally better, but, it's still easily digested carbohydrate.

I have to eat only a half portion when I choose to eat it.

[h90]

fried rice, carbs that are quickly changed into sugar with cheap oil (Palm oil) isn't healthy.

with 76 kg at 1.75 you are fat (considering not some trained person with lots of heavy muscle) so removing that from your diet will be very good.

[Craig krup]

Rice is not the real culprit, as it's at least a whole food and when mixed with other macronutrients will cause less of a spike.

Booze, especially those mixed with sugar and those energy drinks are pretty bad. Also the introduction of western fast food.

For example: Been coming here for 15 yrs, noticed in a BIG way how much the Thai's have gained weight, which brings on all what we're talking about.

I read that high blood pressure is quite high here and the kidney disease that someone has mentioned is obviously from a combination of fast food and excess sauces (fish sauce). Yes, rice can lead to elevated insulin but there's much more ahead of it.

Thais seem to eat an incredible quantity of sugar. When I was a kid I ate the sugar and other garbage that a lot of Thais eat, and I was fat, as was most of the community. For thirty years I've been eating bucket-loads of rice, pasta, spuds, beans, meat, fish, veg, oats....and I've had 7% bodyfat and ripped abs (at least with an overhead light ].

I really don't think rice is the problem; it's sugar, fried gunk and rubbish generally.

[Craig krup]

I think you'll find that white rice metabolizes into glucose within 20 to 30 minutes of digesting. You can easily test with a glucometer.

But what do we mean by "metabolizes"? I mean, you do want to digest it at some point! There wouldn't be much sense it eating it otherwise. Try having a big rice meal and then stick your fingers down your throat two hours later. Rice of no rice? You take my point? 250g of rice absorbs nearly a litre of water. It takes an awfully long time for your body to get that water back out. That isn't true of simple sugars. So the 850 kcals is trickling out for many hours. Mixed with sardines, kidney beans, cabbage and natural yoghurt - a reasonable mixed gut - you're talking about 5 hours plus to get 1100 kcals out; I'm far from convinced that there is a problem. I'd avoid Swenson's, however.

[nithisa78]

I'd bet rice feels better too.

[balo]

I think a good rule is to eat less of everything. We westerners eat too much and very fatty food. Now I only eat 2 meals per day and make sure they are nutritious . Between the meals I eat fruits and nuts . Never felt better.

I also drink water and coffee/tea, but avoid the sugar.

Edited May 22, 2015 by balo