Cold Rice for Better Glucose Levels
I’m not talking about rice that you left on the counter for a couple days, please don’t eat that. Throw that away.
Rice contains something called resistant starch, which is appropriately named because it’s hard for us to digest. BUT, this starch isn’t present unless the food is heated and then cooled.
This process changes the structure of the food and in this configuration, it is harder for our bodies to break the bonds. Which is a good thing for our blood glucose levels.
The harder the bonds are to break, the slower we are to digest. The slower we digest, the more gradual and stable the release of glucose into the blood.
Why do we care about blood glucose levels?
Post-meal blood sugar spikes lead to:
- energy dips
- mood swings (aka hanger)
- feeling hungry earlier (about 1 hour after meal)
- increased insulin resistance (which over time can lead to type II diabetes & heart disease)
Resistant starch is also beneficial because it encourages the growth of good bacteria in the gut!
Other benefits of resistant starches in the diet include:
- Increased satiety
- Reduced cholesterol
- Lower risk of colon cancer
Once the resistant starch is ‘activated’ by the cooling process, reheating it should provide similar benefit; you won’t lose all the resistant starch by bringing the temp back up.
Reference
The Johns Hopkins Patient Guide to Diabetes. “WHAT IS RESISTANT STARCH?,” June 7, 2018. http://ow.ly/S3E550wW1eP.
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