Why villify white rice?

MerBear30

It's because the other foods which the people in those countries consume is mostly healthy.

I don't think any food should be vilified, but Americans are fat because of McDonald's.

They have McDonalds in Japan. Just saying ...

utahgirl247

interesting that you posted this. i was just reading an article about this. i have cut and pasted some information that may answer all or part of your question.

Today we’re focusing on the Japanese diet. The reason we are is because they have the lowest obesity rate on the planet and the highest life expectancy rate. Their obesity rate is only three percent and in America it’s thirty percent. That’s ten times the obesity rate in America, and compared to France, France has twelve percent obesity rate, so Japan, yes, is the lowest obesity rate in the world, and then the longest lifespan, so they’re doing something right. They are lean machines.

Today we are going to talk about the difference between the American diet and the Japanese diet and why they are able to live so long and so healthy. The first thing that I noticed is the Japanese diet consists of mainly rice as their starch, and then when they do consume noodles they consist of buckwheat or whole wheat. White flour is hardly ever used in their starch containing foods.

In America, our staple, white, enriched, bleached white flour that’s very common. Then potatoes are another one of our starch staples. The great thing about rice, and although the Japanese do consume the white rice version, it is the low-fat complex carbohydrate, so it fills you up very quickly. It does not leave a lot of room for you to be going after sugary foods after your meal. That’s a lot of the problem when people do low carb diets, they get hungry so quickly because carbohydrates serve to expand in the stomach and help fill you up, satisfy you so you don’t keep eating.

The point is that it’s a complex carbohydrate, and their noodles are a complex carbohydrate which is a superfood, and I made a video about that, so they’re getting all of the benefits of the buckwheat, especially that it has higher protein and higher fiber.

The next interesting fact about the Japanese diet is they are really a vegetable crazed nation, they are a vegie nation. I read a survey and the survey reported that Japanese women and their families reported their favorite meal, and I’m going to read it to you because it is so awesome, is that their favorite dinner that they like to prepare for their families, so in other words they are cooking at home, they are not buying this out, that’s another important point, but it’s made of mixed vegetables simmered in seasoned broth, and it includes red bell peppers, green beans, zucchini, eggplant, onions, burdock, tomatoes, green peppers, carrots, spinach, bamboo shoots, turnips, ****ake mushrooms, sweet potatoes and seaweed. That is a mouthful of vegetables and obviously their variety of vegetables is a lot higher than America, and it would serve us well to kind of take after their example.

The next difference is that the Japanese consume two times the amount of fish that they do meat, and then when compared to Americans, Americans consume forty times more meat than fish, and the thing about the fish that the Japanese are choosing to eat is it’s salmon, tuna and sardines, which are all high sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

These are the types of fats that help to reduce inflammation and that inflammation will often come from stressful lifestyles. If you do have a high paced, stressful lifestyle which promotes inflammation you can combat that with these types of foods, these fish that are high in the good types of fats.

Another difference is the consumption of sugar between the Japanese and between Americans. The Japanese only consume forty eight pounds of sugar every year where as the Americans consume 156 pounds of sugar every year. So, as Americans we are consuming three times the amount of sugar every single year, and actually, it’s coming out now, that sugar, excess sugar has more of an impact on heart disease and inflammation than actually fat does on heart disease. That’s a really important statistic right there. The Japanese don’t even really like sugary desserts like Americans do. Their typical dessert is sliced and peeled fruit that is centered on a plate.

I actually have a friend who is Japanese and she recently moved to the states and she was just blown away by how much sugar is in everything and she was saying how crazy it was because everything she ate tasted to her like it had sugar in it, which is actually the truth, unfortunately, but she said everything tasted sweet.

Then when it came to desserts, if they have ice cream, they may have a little scoop of ice cream, and then of course, you can get this huge banana split and she was just really shocked about the difference. Yep, I mean it’s true, Japan consumes a lot less sugar than we do. The portion sizes are a lot smaller in the Japanese diet.

They actually take longer periods of time to eat their food. They chew more. They use chop sticks which allows them to just take a little bit more time. It’s really easy to shovel in food when you’re on the run, but Japan, it’s culture is very centered around enjoying and savoring the food experience. That aids in digestion. It helps you to eat less calories and food in general because you give yourself a chance to feel full before you keep eating everything.

Americans get about thirty different types of food per week. Thirty different specific foods. Europeans average about forty five different foods per week. The Japanese average over a hundred different types of food every week!

So the amount of nutrients that they are getting, the different types of nutrient profiles that they are getting in their food is so large and it’s so expanded that they are really able to provide adequate nutrition to their bodies just based on what they’re eating. A lot of times when you are really centered on a few certain food groups, if you’re a picky eater and maybe you only eat four things, you are really limiting yourself to the amount of nutrients that you can get.

That’s the great thing about the Japanese diet is that it’s so diverse and it’s so varied that they’re making sure that they get what they need.

Another awesome thing is that the Japanese actually teach their children how to eat and what to eat. They encourage their children and it’s through education, and they believe it’s important enough to educate their children about nutrition, which I find fascinating. They encourage their children to eat at least thirty foods a day and to aim for a hundred different types of food a week. That is ensuring that they are getting enough variety. I’ve run across it so many times that when children, and especially in America, they tend to be picky eaters. They really can live on chicken fingers, french fries and ketchup. I’ve just run across so many families that that is their kids’ staples. I think it’s really awesome that a culture is emphasizing variety as much as they do.

The beverage that is the staple for the Japanese is green tea. It’s hot green tea, it’s brewed, it’s usually not sweetented. The number one beverage in the United States? Of course, soft drinks. A couple of videos ago I did one on cereal, and I talked about how cereal was the third most purchased food at the grocery store. Well, number one is soft drinks, so right there that shows you, between the Japanese diet and the American diet why they are getting so much less sugar in their diet. It’s because they are not drinking soft drinks all day long like we are. They are drinking unsweetened green tea which actually does have antioxidants in it.

There are certainly some great benefits and some great advantages of a Japanese diet.

No, it’s not perfect and we can absolutely learn some things from their diet and from the things that they do, and we can apply it to our lives and it can help up live happier lives, we’ll feel better, we’ll just be better overall. I encourage you to take this to heart and start trying these out.

bulbadoof

Personally, I get a headache when I eat white rice. I had some tonight because I was craving Chinese and wow, what a mistake. :sad:

I can't say that makes it "bad" food; maybe my body just doesn't get along with it. I don't wanna tell anybody else what to eat, but I don't eat it because it just doesn't feel good to eat it.

mangosabayon

One thing to keep in mind is that insulin is a biochemical prison guard that prevents your body from using stored fat as an energy source. So if the food you eat all day long is triggering insulin production, your body is unable to burn stored fat. While trying to reduce your body fat significantly, try to chose foods with a lower glycemic index.

Stop talking about things you don't understand.


http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=319

didn't you know she's an endocrinologist

gumigal82

I love the taste of white rice as opposed to the odd taste of brown rice. I don't remove it from my diet, just only have it once and while. I have brown rice all the time, but prefer white.

iwantahealthierme13

I love Basmati (Indian White) rice but I eat brown rice too. I just love rice, in general. Since when is brown rice not real food??

EDesq

I live in Japan. I am American. The Japanese eat white rice three times a day. Most usually eat the equivalent of 1 1/2 cups for each meal.

Any diet advice tells you white rice is bad. And yet, we would all agree that the average Japanese is thinner than your average American. Not one woman I know works out. Most take walks every day and clean the house. When they diet, they usually walk a little more. Or not eat sweets for a while. There are cake shops and bread shops on every corner. These women drink beer, they eat cake, they eat rice. They do not work out. And they are slim! They don`t look like athletic models but they look good even into their 60`s and 70`s.

Who eats brown rice in Japan? No one!

Why is the stapel food of India, Vietnam, Japan, Cambodia etc... made evil in the diet world? The populations who eat it are surely thinner.

Can one lose weight while eating normal food? Are we going to find out that the low carb lifestyle is just as bad for us as the low fat lifestyle was?

I`m not sure because as you can see from my ticker, I haven`t lost any weight yet, despite counting my calories since March.

Rice is healthy.

Understand, Most Asians Require so few calories, eating white rice does not matter; Most importantly their regular eating (diet) is so Different from Americans (Westerners). They eat MUCH More Healthily! In this country, we eat so many calories and they are sooo depleted of Vitamins and Minerals that "WE" NEED to add that Whole Grain to our diet...

Now, when Asians immigrate here (as most other groups), they start eating fat burgers with white buns, loaded with grease, chips, fries, steak, hot dogs, ice cream, apple pie, cake, cookies, milk...all that with white rice and sushi don't work! Immigrants that come here get fat and "sick" too, usually within the 1st generation.

bathsheba_c

There are a lot of unsubstantiated claims here about how prevalent obesity is in places other than the US/West. For example, I've seen two people claim that obesity is rare in the Middle East. As someone who lives in the Middle East and who studied the Middle East, I can tell you that it is absolutely not true. In fact, obesity rates are skyrocketing in the Persian Gulf as people have more money to eat, rely increasingly on cars and air conditioning, but don't change the cultural norms of it being rude to refuse food from hosts. There is a huge amount of investment in the Middle East in the healthcare sector, with a specific focus on *lifestyle diseases* because of the increasing rates of heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes.

I can't comment on India or East Asia, but I suspect similar things can be said.

Lastly, it's very easy to stay skinny eating calorie-dense foods when you can't afford to buy too much of it.

EDesq

There are a lot of unsubstantiated claims here about how prevalent obesity is in places other than the US/West. For example, I've seen two people claim that obesity is rare in the Middle East. As someone who lives in the Middle East and who studied the Middle East, I can tell you that it is absolutely not true. In fact, obesity rates are skyrocketing in the Persian Gulf as people have more money to eat, rely increasingly on cars and air conditioning, but don't change the cultural norms of it being rude to refuse food from hosts. There is a huge amount of investment in the Middle East in the healthcare sector, with a specific focus on *lifestyle diseases* because of the increasing rates of heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes.

I can't comment on India or East Asia, but I suspect similar things can be said.

Lastly, it's very easy to stay skinny eating calorie-dense foods when you can't afford to buy too much of it.

Truthfully, compared to the USA...Most places are a Health Haven! BUT when you consider that the USA is the wealthiest nation on earth, to be so low on the Health O'Meter only Exacerbate the numbers!

marvelscale

I lived in Okinawa for 3 years when my dad was in the air force. I'm also 1/4 Okinawan.

On the note of sweets shops and bakeries, I can personally vouch that their desserts and sweets aren't like ours lol.

And whenever I go over to my grandma's, it's white rice with EVERYTHING. She's also really fit and healthy.

wackyfunster

It's because the other foods which the people in those countries consume is mostly healthy.

I don't think any food should be vilified, but Americans are fat because of McDonald's.

They have McDonalds in Japan. Just saying ...

Japanese McDonald's is completely different from American McDonald's in terms of ingredients (e.g. in the US, you can call something containing 29% or more beef "100% beef"... in Japan, if you call something beef, it has to be actual beef), taste, etc. I actually like Japanese McDonald's... American McDonald's makes me sick.

Saw a study comparing nutrients of US McDonald's to German McDonald's at one point, and was amazed.. it's really not the same food. Blame Monsanto and the ag lobbying industry.

JessLLoser

Wow, some fabulous responses. I wish there was a like button to click on for some of them. You funny kids, you know who you are.


I do believe no one food is the problem. And to add to the discussion about genetics or cross cultural food comparison I must say, I have lived in Japan for 11 years now and I eat the standard Japanese diet and I am still overweight. My husband (japanese) eats the same food, we are the same height and he is possibly underweight. He also drinks beer every day. Usually one or two cans. I have been working out regularly 4 to 5 times a week for 5 plus years. He walks the dogs and works around the house.

I lost 50 lbs in two months cutting out carbs. I also lost some hair. And spent the last two years freaking out and gaining it back slowly eating a normal amount for my height and weight.



So I guess, brown rice is good for you for the fiber.
White rice also has fiber but just not as much.
White rice is much better for you than sugar.

Moderate calorie deficit = weight loss.
Extreme calorie deficit = initial weight loss then plateau and lower calories necessary to run your body.

I guess I should just eat then. I`m hungry. Rice sounds pretty good right now.
But carbohydrates of any kind, brown or white become glucose (sugar) in the body and are used for energy.

MisterTEZ

It seems to me many Americans spend more time in traffic these days than in the kitchen

when I look at the food diaries of some of my american friends on MFP I am amazed how often they visit joints like pizzahut, mcdonalds, kfc, and subway, subway has been argued as a 'healthy eating place', very rarely do I see in their diaries 'home cooked food'.

When evansville was classed as the fattest city on earth I watched a tv program about some people who would drive their car to the mailbox (50 yards at the bottom of the drive) rather than walk, one guy even said " if I can't park near the doors of a restaurant then I drive around until I find one! or I use the drive through joints"

Unfortunately here in the UK we are also becoming a nation of lazy fast food junkies.
In my hometown 10 years ago we had to travel 25 miles to visit a mcdonalds and a KFC now they are just around the corner! They seem to be sprouting everywhere!

taunto

It's because the other foods which the people in those countries consume is mostly healthy.

I don't think any food should be vilified, but Americans are fat because of McDonald's.

They have McDonalds in Japan. Just saying ...

The McDonalds outside of US is completely different. The McD's in Asia and Europe is actually not that bad tasting. The ingredients and such I have no knowledge of but it tastes much different. Also, I think he was saying that Americans rely on fast food and eating out alot more than eating home cooked meals. Most Asians and Europeans eat out as a form of luxury (we used to eat maybe once a month, if that).

PS. The McD's and KFC menu is compeltely different from US. Most of the items on the US menu doesn't exist in Asia

taunto

Heres the bottom line. We in US have spent literally trillions of dollars on making food cheaper and better and "healthier". We have spend billions on trying to figure out how to prevent obesity. We have done everything except one thing.

We haven't actually done anything.

Stop worrying about if brown rice is better than white rice or if walking will burn enough calories to get that sexy bikini figure for summer and just act on it. Eat less than what you burn, and move around as much as possible. It is seriously that easy...

Sitting on your butt making "plans" isn't gonna get you skinny. But walking around more and eating lighter will...

somuchsolittle

There are a lot of unsubstantiated claims here about how prevalent obesity is in places other than the US/West. For example, I've seen two people claim that obesity is rare in the Middle East. As someone who lives in the Middle East and who studied the Middle East, I can tell you that it is absolutely not true. In fact, obesity rates are skyrocketing in the Persian Gulf as people have more money to eat, rely increasingly on cars and air conditioning, but don't change the cultural norms of it being rude to refuse food from hosts. There is a huge amount of investment in the Middle East in the healthcare sector, with a specific focus on *lifestyle diseases* because of the increasing rates of heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes.

I can't comment on India or East Asia, but I suspect similar things can be said.

Lastly, it's very easy to stay skinny eating calorie-dense foods when you can't afford to buy too much of it.

This, basically. I kind of feel like some people should be required to experience various cultures' food (and dieting culture, because considering the topic, it's related) before they start talking about how a group isn't overweight because they obviously eat better. Rice isn't amazing, but it's not horrible either. And the truth is that a lot of Asian countries are beginning to face some of the same issues as the Big Bad West, but it's often caused by the influx of modern conveniences coming in too quickly for the food/eating culture to catch up. And this is happening even while eating only foods native to their cultures. .

mishtery

I eat basmati. Can't stand brown rice. I don't eat a lot of it, prefer my pasta to rice anyway

ninerbuff

It's because the other foods which the people in those countries consume is mostly healthy.

I don't think any food should be vilified, but Americans are fat because of McDonald's.

No Americans are fat because of overconsumption of calories. I know a lot of people who DON'T eat McDonald's (or any fast food for that matter) that are overweight. Many of my "vegan" friends are overweight.
It's not a mystery. Overconsumption is the issue.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

taunto

It's because the other foods which the people in those countries consume is mostly healthy.

I don't think any food should be vilified, but Americans are fat because of McDonald's.

No Americans are fat because of overconsumption of calories. I know a lot of people who DON'T eat McDonald's (or any fast food for that matter) that are overweight. Many of my "vegan" friends are overweight.
It's not a mystery. Overconsumption is the issue.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

DING DING DING DING DING!!! Something that should have been said 4 pages ago

Funsoaps

Well if I ate it, I would bloat up quickly. My body's sensitive to carbs as some people may be and my body senses it as empty carbohydrates/calories and I gain so I avoid it.

I've asked my Asian friends that question and some replied "it's because they eat such a small amount and base their meal mostly on fish and other healthy stuff".

My daughter is half Hawaiian and she loves her white rice but I had to tell her grandparents to cut it WAY down when she visits. She would have a bloaty belly and gain a couple pounds just from one weekend and be grumpy and constipated. So she is okay eating it in MODERATION...otherwise the issues pop up.