Consumption of rice subjected to the cooling process results in a lower increase of postprandial blood glucose in subjects with type 1 diabetes, says a study.
Want to lower the glycaemic index of your rice to make it more diabetes-friendly?
Cook the rice, refrigerate it and have it the next day for better glucose control. While this may sound unbelievable at first, many studies have proven that cooling of high-starch foods such as rice and potato could convert the digestible starch into resistant starch which is healthier for your body and helps control blood sugar levels. Consumption of rice subjected to the cooling process results in a lower increase of postprandial blood glucose in subjects with type 1 diabetes, says a study published in Nutrition and Diabetes journal. “The cooling of rice after cooking causes retrogradation of starch, which becomes a non-absorbable product in the human digestive tract,” the study further noted.
Several clinical studies have proven that cooling of the cooked starch causes a process known as starch retrogradation which converts it to resistant starch, says Pooja Makhija.
when one eats high starch foods such as cooked rice or potato after refrigerating it for 24 hours, the digestible starch is converted into resistant starch.
“Digestible starch is the one that our body breaks down and our blood sugar levels rises. Resistant starch is the one that your body cannot break down. Now resistant starch is not bad for you. It is actually what is known as prebiotic because this feeds our gut flora. So, it’s great for us. It doesn’t spike our blood sugar but it feeds our healthy gut microbiome,” Researchers tried and tested the process with glucose monitoring and observed that cooked rice kept in the refrigerator for 24 hours and reheated and eaten had a far lower glycaemic response as compared to freshly cooked piping hot rice.
So, diabetics can follow this simple hack to make rice more diabetes-friendly.
Also keep in mind that
Most people associate foodborne illnesses with meat or fruits and vegetables. However, rice can also be a source for food poisoning.
Uncooked rice can contain spores of bacillus cereus and those spores survive cooking.
When rice cools slowly (i.e. you leave it on a counter to cool instead of being put into the refrigerator within 2 hours), bacteria spores grow and produce a toxin that can make you sick.
Reheating the rice won’t kill those spores.
For most adults, food poisoning from cooked rice contaminated with bacillus cereus subsides within 24 hours without serious or permanent injury. However, it may more severely affect those with compromised immune systems and young children.
