Zero Rice

I was watching Sambuhay TV mass when the priest emphasized his no-rice suggestion for a better health. This reminded me of an article I read that

A cup of rice is equivalent to two (2) cups of sugar.

A few years back, my brother emailed me that he suffered from diabetes and he already removed rice from his regular meals.  He told me to reduce eating such Filipino staple food. Oh, I did not have that big self-control. My weakness? Fried rice cooked in butter, mixed with scrambled eggs, cubed carrots, lots of garlic, chopped wild chili, spring onions, and chicken.

My high school classmate and friend who has been in the USA for many years, stopped eating rice for more than a decade. She said that she needed to be thin so she could move fast, being a nanny cum driver to children of a rich couple.

Western people do not eat much rice. The first time I saw an American was when my cousin introduced her white-skinned boyfriend when I was in grade three. Her request to my mother was not to include rice in the meals to be prepared, so my mother just fried potatoes, eggs and hotdogs for breakfast. When we went to the beach, I was amazed to see his very good body built despite lack of rice in his diet. I was an innocent girl who used to believe that "the rice makes you strong and your body looks good".

Back then in my good shape years, I used to do regular bending and walking, eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, lean meats, fresh seafoods, eggs, and peanuts.  Rice was always a part of our meal so I could not skip it, but only in a small portion. A friend was inspired by how I took care of my body curves. She told me that she ate only one (1) spoon of rice every meal. Oh me, oh my, I did not do that!? I could not do that! Heaven, huge self-control is a gift!

I had a good figure when I was still single until I gave birth to my three (3) children all by Caesarian section. Stress slows down metabolism so the more stressed I got performing multi-roles in life, the more I gained weight. Added to this, I enjoyed cooking and eating with my children.

Filipinos love to eat. We have fun in bonding moments with loved ones, families, relatives and friends over great foods, and rice is always there on the table.

According to Aglaee Jacob,

Most types of rice are quickly digested from carbohydrates into sugar that can result in high blood sugar levels and increased hunger.

So when you eat rice, imagine eating sugar, twice of rice you eat, and the results?

1. Sugar level gets high.
2. You feel unsatisfied and still hungry.

Why? Because rice has a high glycemic index. When you get hungry, you eat more. That is why those who love rice crave for more foods and gain weight. The bad part -- most of them suffer from diabetes.

I remember my cousin who was deaf and mute. When I was a child, I saw how fast her hair loss was. There were some wounds on her skin that did not heal for a long time until she died. How painful that could be, to think that she could not talk nor write to express her suffering. My knees felt very weak each time I heard her crying.

Rice is a calorie-dense food with no fiber. Foods with fiber bulk when they reach your stomach and you feel full.

There are many restaurants that serve unlimited (UNLI) rice. Maybe this is a marketing strategy because plain steamed rice is tasteless, so you crave for more viands, which have a salty and/or spicy taste. (Too much salt is not also good for the body.)

There is a wastage when a customer cannot eat a bowl of rice so it will be good if restaurant managers will allow half-bowl only orders or offer good-for-the health replacement like steamed sweet potato.

We need to beat diabetes and other health problems by passionately managing our tongues when it comes to rice. Think of ten (10) spoons of sugar melting with every cup of it, rapidly spiking blood sugar level. We do not want it to happen, do we?

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Photo credits:  Pixabay