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Our ancestors did not eat rice at all. But, rice is an important condiment in our menus today. This dichotomy exists because our ancestors only ate food items that did not need further processing or cooking. In other words, they ate only those items of food that could be eaten raw. Rice cannot be eaten raw and therefore was not consumed by them. For a healthy body, we have to concentrate on eating only those foods which can be eaten with the minimum of processing or cooking. Some foods that can be eaten in the raw form are fruits and vegetables.

Rice, wheat and corn are foods that cannot be consumed in their raw form. To elaborate, rice was never meant to be eaten by human beings because it required further cooking before it could be eaten. Our main folly here is making rice the bulk of our food consumption. For example people in the southern part of the sub-continent, eat nothing but rice in their meals. Research has shown that in some parts of Asia, rice forms almost 85% of the meal plate. As shown above, consuming rice in excess quantities results in bad health. The reasons for this have been elaborated hereunder.
We all know that sugar is a complex carbohydrate that is difficult to be digested. Therefore, we become fat if we consume more sugar. Rice is chemically no different from sugar. The calorific value of one bowl of cooked rice is equal to 10 teaspoons of sugar. It is immaterial if it is white, brown or herbal rice. Thus, eating one bowl of rice is akin to eating 10 teaspoons of sugar, which is definitely going to harm our health. Therefore, eating too much rice is likely to harm our health. Hence, rice should be eaten in moderation.

Rice is further digested to become sugar. If we eat rice in the raw form, it cannot be digested. But if cooked rice is consumed, then blood sugar levels are bound to rise within half an hour after a meal. Thus eating rice is the same as eating a sugar candy. Also, rice has very low level of antioxidants; the beneficial ingredients that help us digest our food. These antioxidants also help in the effective utilisation of sugar in the body. Therefore, they are an important part of our meal. Fruits contain fructose sugar, but they also contain other nutrients that promote its assimilation and digestion in the body.  Therefore, rice should be kept to a minimum in our diet.

Rice is an item devoid of fibre. Fibre is very necessary for the digestion of food in our body. Moreover, if we have eaten fibre, then our body tends to feel full, thus obviating the need for eating more food. Hence, we need to eat foods which contain fibre. Fibre is a calorie dense ingredient of our food. Apart from brown rice, which has more fibre, no other type of rice contains any fibre. Therefore, rice should be avoided in our normal meals. This is another reason why we should eat rice in moderation.
 

Tags : Woman, rice, diet, fibre