When you are very interested in eating rice, what side effects should you expect? Can eating too much rice have an effect on our obesity and overweight? We recommend that you consider the necessary precautions in this regard.
Asians have used rice as a staple food for centuries. Today, 90% of the world’s rice is used in Asia. However, rice consumption is increasing in other parts of the civilized world, America, Europe and Africa.
White rice is a concentrated source of carbohydrates and is low in fat and protein. White rice is considered a refined carbohydrate that has a high glycemic index, meaning that after eating it, blood sugar rises quickly.
Excessive consumption of white rice is associated with increased abdominal fat, risk of type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. However, most people in Asia, who also consume a lot of rice, have lower rates of obesity and heart disease than other parts of the world.
While eating white rice may increase your risk of diabetes, weight gain, and other health problems, the real question is how much rice do you eat, what foods make up the rest of your diet, and how much exercise do you get?
Belly fat and weight gain
Eating foods such as white rice or white bread immediately raise blood sugar levels. Whenever blood sugar rises, the pancreas secretes insulin. Insulin’s job is to take glucose from the bloodstream and take it into the body’s cells for energy or storage.
If you have finished a hard workout that lasted for several hours, your body’s glucose stores are probably low. Eating food with a high glycemic index, such as rice, right after exercise can help increase muscle glucose stores called glycogen.
If you eat a bowl of white rice and sit at the computer, your muscles will not suffer from glucose deficiency. Most likely, in such a situation, glucose enters muscle cells for storage and is stored as fat.
Eating large amounts of carbohydrate-rich foods increases insulin secretion. Insulin improves the storage of glucose as well as fat. Therefore, using a diet rich in refined carbohydrates increases fat storage in the body.
In a study conducted on 3000 men and women, the distribution of fat was investigated. The researchers found that those who ate three or more servings of whole-grain foods a day and less than one serving of refined carbohydrates, such as white rice, had significantly less belly fat than those who ate the same amount. They consumed more refined carbohydrates.
In general, it is recommended to eat whole grains instead of refined carbohydrates. For example, using brown rice instead of white rice is preferred. The researchers concluded that substituting whole grains for refined carbohydrates can both help with weight management and reduce other health risks.
Risk of diabetes
A 2010 study found that substituting brown rice for white rice can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Brown rice cannot raise blood sugar as much as white rice.
Hence, less insulin should be secreted after eating brown rice, which reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes. In another 2012 study, researchers found that eating a lot of refined carbohydrates can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, especially in Asian communities.
Metabolic syndrome
According to the American Heart Association, one third of adults in this country have metabolic syndrome. Risk factors include: abdominal obesity, high blood triglyceride level, low HDL (good cholesterol) blood level, high blood pressure and high fasting blood sugar.
If a person has three of the mentioned factors, he is known as a person with metabolic syndrome. Research shows that eating a lot of refined carbohydrates increases the risk of developing metabolic syndrome.
What is different about the traditional Asian diet?
If white rice increases the risk of abdominal fat, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome, then why doesn’t a traditional Asian diet still increase these risk factors with this amount of carbohydrates?
This food and lifestyle plan, in addition to the refined carbohydrates it has, includes the right amount of portion sizes and also eating until one feels satisfied (not overeating). The traditional Asian diet includes a lot of fruits, vegetables, green tea, plus high activity (although this type of lifestyle and diet is also being forgotten).
Yes, the Asian diet includes white rice, but other lifestyle factors also have a huge impact on health. Unfortunately, Asian culture has undergone changes by Western culture, that’s why the rate of obesity and type 2 diabetes has increased in this part of the world.
Result: How much do you eat?
White rice can be part of a healthy lifestyle, just like a traditional Asian diet. The rest of your diet and lifestyle also affects your health, so you can keep yourself healthy and away from risk factors without giving up refined carbohydrates such as rice and white bread.
If you are not very active in life and you use a lot of white rice or other refined carbohydrates, you should realize that you are getting more carbohydrates than you need.
This lifestyle can increase belly fat, type 2 diabetes and even metabolic syndrome. For a healthy use of rice in your diet, reduce the size of each serving. Instead, increase your intake of fiber-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables.
Along with rice, eat a balanced amount of protein and healthy fats. Make sure you lead an active lifestyle and reduce the amount of time you are inactive.
If you enjoy eating rice, try other varieties like brown rice or wild rice. You should also know about the place and method of production of the rice you consume.
Some types of diet are said to contain more arsenic than recommended. It is recommended to create variety in your food and not to be satisfied with only one type of food, so that your body’s health improves in all respects.
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