White Rice Good or Bad?

by Barbara. M
(Auckland)

Hi, is white rice bad for you and if so why do Asians eat it almost every day?

Matthew's reply: Hi Barbara, white rice is quite stodgy and can clog up your digestive system and bowels, so eating too much (say, every day) is probably not a good idea for Western people.

While here in Southern China it's THE staple food (in the North it's noodles), people tend to eat a lot of vegetables (especially leafy greens) with their meals and this helps to sweep the rice through the digestive system. So, if you like white rice, make sure you eat plenty of bulky, fibrous vegetables too.

In China white rice is also commonly used to make a rice porridge (Zhou or Jook in Chinese), which is usually eaten for breakfast. Zhou is simple to make - the rice is boiled in water for several hours until a soft, creamy porridge remains.

Often other ingredients are added, such as thin strips of meat, vegetables, peanuts or medicinal herbs. Chinese people also often eat zhou when they are sick as it is highly nutritious and very easy to digest.

Any more questions or comments about white rice please post them.

All the best.