Oct 7, 20193 min read

I think I'm part Asian

So a few years ago I decided to start Banting I managed to stick to it for over a year until I went to live in Brazil and was bombarded with foods like Feijoada and Pao do Queijo and while I totally respect anyone who chooses this lifestyle I just REALLY missed rice! Daniel keeps telling me that I need to do that DNA ancestry test as he is convinced I am part Asian it also doesn't help that some of his customers ask him if his wife is from the Philippines. While I missed rice terribly I always thought it was totally off limits if you want to manage your weight and not spike your blood sugar so I stayed away for a very long time! until one day...

I went to a health and wellness conference that touched on which grains are "safe" to eat and surprisingly they mentioned that if you were to eat any rice Basmati rice is your best choice.

My curiosity had officially been sparked and not long after that I was scrolling through the internet and came across an article about different rices and its digestive effects on the body, the article compared long grain, short grain, stickiness and different GI (glycaemic index) of all rice types. Basically it summed up. Wholegrain Basmati rice has the lowest GI (glycaemic index) of all rice types, which means once digested it releases its energy slowly keeping blood sugar levels more stable, which is a crucial part of diabetes management. On the other hand, sticky and risotto type rices have much higher GIs, so less suitable in a diabetic diet. The varying GIs of rice depends on the type of carbohydrate present in the grains. Basmati rice has the greatest amount of a type known as amylose which does not gelatinize during cooking and results in fluffy, separate grains. Whereas grains with more amylopectin burst on cooking resulting in sticky rice that can be eaten with chopsticks. The more intact the structure of a grain of rice the lower the GI because once consumed the particle size maintains intact for longer, slowing the digestive process.

I continued reading and thought about all the Asians who consume tons of rice daily and remembered watching a Japanese documentary and noticed although they eat rice daily they really controlled their portions an average serving of boiled rice is 150-180g providing 207-248 calories; a small serving (100g) provides approximately 138 calories.

both wholegrain and white Basmati rice has a superior nutrient content compared with other rice types. They contain higher amounts of B vitamins and minerals such as copper and magnesium. The higher magnesium content found in Basmati can help with blood sugar control. These properties combined together with the antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic properties of numerous compounds found in rice, especially those found in the bran and germ (minerals, trace elements, vitamins, polyphenols), means rice can make a valuable contribution to the diets of people with Type 2 diabetes.

So the good news for me is that I now happily eat Organic brown basmati rice almost daily and am slowly considering doing that DNA test because I could literally eat rice for breakfast, lunch and supper!

My kids love it! I sometimes make my 1 year old a rice porridge by simply blending the rice or popping it into the coffee grinder to get it nice and powdery but he doesnt mind eating it with a bit of melted butter as because it so soft and fluffy.

xxx

Nicole

Disclaimer: I am not diabetic but I am mindful of foods that spike blood sugar levels. For more information please refer to info

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