According to the USDA, American citizens consume 500 more calories per day than they actually need, while other experts claim that we eat even 100% more food than our bodies require to function optimally. If we compare these facts with the ones from 1970, it turns out that an average American eats 20% more food today. Or in other words, people in the USA eat one extra steak sandwich every single day. With this being said, no one should be surprised that obesity has become one of the major health problems nowadays.
Most starches such as rice are very digestible foods that are quickly converted to glucose (sugar) in the blood. Whilst most of the starch is stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles, the excess glucose is stored as fat and becomes a major contributing factor to obesity and many other health issues.
On the other hand, resistant starches (RS) pass through the small intestines undigested and become food for the good microbes in the large intestines. This process reduces the risk of having too much glucose in the blood and promotes healthy colon cells. RS also help the fat-burning process!
You can increase the RS content of white rice by 10 times if you use this very simple technique:
· Add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil to boiling water.· Once the coconut oil dissolves, stir in half a cup of rice.
· Simmer for 40 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked.
· After that, refrigerate it for 12 hours before consumption.
How it Works According to Sudhir James:
- During the cooking process, coconut oil enters the starch granules.
- This makes the sugar resistant to the digestive enzymes, so it won’t break down and be digested.
- The cooling of the rice for 12 hours connects the starch (amylose) to molecules on the outside of the rice, which makes the rice sugar a resistant starch.
- Many scientists plan to conduct further studies in order to find out which type of rice can achieve maximum calorie reduction, as well as whether there are other oils besides coconut oil that have the same or even better effect.
- Even though this is a great news, we must remember that rice is not the most nutrient-rich food.
- It is also very important to eat a lot of fiber-rich, nutrient-rich foods, such as quinoa, sweet potatoes, barley, leafy green vegetables, cauliflower, mushrooms, and squash.
