NUTRITIONAL EXPERTS AND LACK OF CONTEXT
I am an Endocrinologist, educated in London, Melbourne and Miami and that doe not mean I would be very successful in Siem Reap, Cambodia or even Leticia along the Amazon River, unless I understand the context which would include the Culture and belief systems of people.
I still remember clearly a Nutrition Mayven (expert) from Australia insisting that Cambodians stop eating Rice as he was a staunch believer in No Carbohydrate Diet. I gently reminded him that Cambodian people have been eating rice at least for 2000 years and the Diabetes among them is a recent phenomenon, which could be dated to as late as 1990s.
So watch this Headlines:
White rice spikes blood sugar levels and 'has almost the same effect as eating pure table sugar,' according to Harvard Medical School
The article continues:
- White rice is highly processed and can spike blood sugar levels, which may increase the risk of diseases like diabetes if eaten regularly, like every day.
- Because of how the body processes white rice, Harvard Medical School has said that it has the same effect as eating “pure table sugar,” which is not great for overall health.
- It’s not as healthy to eat white rice as it is to eat brown rice or less processed alternatives that contain more nutrients, protein, and fibre.
More than half of the world’s population relies on rice as a staple food. In 2018, 485 million metric tons of rice were produced globally.
White rice is much more common than brown rice because it has a longer shelf life and transports more easily. However, white rice is also less nutritious. Here’s what you need to know.
The difference between white and brown rice
White and brown rice are not different species. In fact, most of the rice we eat is the same species — Oryza sativa. The difference is that brown rice has two distinctive parts that white rice lacks.
- The bran, which is the outer edible layer of the rice grain.
- The germ, which is the reproductive part of the grain.
These not only give brown rice its colour, but they’re also the most nutrient-dense parts of rice. One downside is that the fat in the bran and germ makes brown rice spoil more quickly than white rice. The average shelf life for brown rice is about six months.
By contrast, white rice is what’s left behind after the grain is polished and the bran and germ are removed. This makes white rice cook faster and gives it a longer shelf life. It also means that white rice contains fewer nutrients than brown rice.
But this does not mean that white rice is inherently bad for you, though it is less healthy, says Elizabeth Ryan, a researcher at Colorado State University who studies the nutrients in rice bran.
“At the end of the day, eating whole grains is always going to be important,” Ryan said.
In fact, when you get rid of the bran and germ in rice, here’s what you’re really removing nutrition-wise:
- Calcium, which is important for teeth and bone health.
- Fat, which consists of healthy unsaturated fats that are important for cardiovascular health.
- Phosphorus, which collaborates with calcium to form strong bones and teeth.
- Vitamins B1 (thiamine) and B3 (niacin), which helps keep the nervous system functioning properly.
- Protein, which helps build muscle and is essential for growth and development.
- Magnesium, which is important for proper neurological function, among many other benefits.
- (the article ends)
Majority of Asians and many in Latin America eat Rice on a regular basis. Obviously Rice is not a staple for westerners and certainly for westerners what is important is that they should not be eating HIGHLY PROCESSED WHITE RICE.. and prefer BROWN RICE ( I like the Organic Brown Rice from Thailand sold at Trader Joe’s in the USA).
The context here is HIGHY PROCESSED..
Highly processed “food” is not good for any stomach ..whether Australian or Cambodian..
The researchers had talked about the benefits of BROWN RICE.
When I had my microbiome determined: it was obvious that I could not eat many of the grains including White Rice, most European and North African Grains (sad about that), but my microbiomes liked Brown Rice.
They write:
Brown rice has more soluble and insoluble fibre and protein than white rice. This fibre is a good prebiotic, Ryan says, which means it helps feed a healthy gut microbiome. And a healthy gut microbiome is essential for myriad functions, including digestion and a strong immune function.
So for heaven’s sake, don’t come to Cambodia and tell the people who have been eating rice for generations: Don’t eat Rice and instead ask a polite anthropological question:
How do you prepare your rice?
Many of the elderly Khmer told me that the way they prepared rice has changed over the years.
Many travellers to the paths less travelled would remember seeing the bitumen roads being spread with freshly and separate rice after harvest and could see both young and old, sieving, sifting the rice grains and coverings using locally made, usually of palm, fan like objects.
Indonesian traditional hand rice machine, farmers are sifting or grinding rice, separating the rice seeds with the stems of the plant. rice sieving process.
My dinner last night and the post prandial 2 hour Blood Sugar:
Quanlity is what people should stress and not just Quality..
Lobster. Rice. Black Beans. Sparkling Water. A glass of Sauvignon Blanc from Argentina (a good pour). Ice cream with papaya pieces.
2 hour post prandial Blood sugar was 117 mg/dl.
Quality of my food
My microbiome
Who made the food, how quickly was it consumed, (I was very relaxed)
