Fat rice

I tend to eat a relatively low carbohydrate diet these days and probably cycle in and out of ketosis (although I don't measure this), however I do include a certain amount of starch. For this reason, and as low carbohydrate eating strategy does not suit everyone in the family, I tend to cook a fair amount of rice. Rice is a good clean starch and is great with a wide range of meals but it’s easy to overindulge on, and too much rice too often is no good. Your body converts white rice to glucose quickly, which is why too much of it, like too much of any carbohydrate, can trigger insulin resistance, fatigue, weight gain, and a host of other issues. In this post I'm going to tell you about a strategy I've adopted to maximise the health benefits of this versatile food by creating "Fat rice".

By changing how the rice is cooked it's possible to increase the amount of resistant starch (and reduce the amount of digestible starch), decrease the glycemic index of the rice, and increase its health benefits by providing a potent energy source to the "good bacteria" in your gut.

Method

Firstly I would always recommend white rice over brown rice as turning brown rice into white rice removes phytate, an anti-nutrient that stops us from absorbing minerals, and leaves a clean source of starch.  It also reduces arsenic (brown rice  can have up to 80 times more arsenic than white rice).

Secondly, I would always suggest that you soak your rice for a few hours and rinse it thoroughly. Although white rice contains lower levels of arsenic than brown rice you can reduce these levels further by soaking & rinsing.

Next add a teaspoon of coconut oil to boiling water, then add half a cup of rice. Simmer for 40 minutes or boil for 20 to 25 minutes. The cooked rice should then go into the refrigerator for 12 hours, so plan ahead!

You don’t need to eat your rice cold to maintain its positive benefits as reheating the rice at a later time doesn't alter the rice's chemical composition.

The Science

Cooked rice is made up of both digestible and resistant types of starch. Humans do not have the enzyme to digest resistant starch, which means the body is unable to convert some of that starch to sugar and absorb it into the bloodstream however resistant starch does feed the “good” bacteria in your gut.

Research suggests that this method causes the oil to enter in starch granules while it cooks and adds a protective layer, which changes the structure of the rice granules so they become resistant to the digestive enzyme.

The cooking process is only part of the chemistry. During the extended cooling process, as the rice starts to "gel," the amylose (starchy part of the rice) leaves the granules. The 12-hour cooling period also leads to the formation of hydrogen bonds between the amylose and molecules outside the rice grains. This converts it into the starch the body is unable to digest.

So there you have it, help yourself and your gut bugs by getting some Fat Rice in your diet.