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.

White Rice, Obesity, Exercise

by Dilip
(Chennai, TamilNadu, India)

Hello Matthew,

Greetings. I am an Indian who grew up in North India over a basic wheat diet and was slim and nimble because of it. I have been settled in South India for over 10 years now and here the diet involves more of white rice, which even though I have limited quantities, I think has precipitated weight gain and a "visible tummy." Can you suggest exercises/diet to help reduce weight and make me more fit.

Thanks.

Matthew's reply: Hi Dilip, yes white rice can be a bit stodgy when eaten in excess. I mostly eat it as a congee - a thin, watery porridge that has been cooked for a long time and is very healthy.

As far as exercise goes, you need to find something that is enjoyable and that will get you huffing and puffing so as to burn off excess fat overall. Here in China I do 50-meter hill sprints for about 15 minutes, 3 times a week at a local park. Sprint up, walk down and repeat maybe 8 or 10 times. This type of exercise really gets you huffing and puffing and is enough to burn off excess fat - no need to run marathons or do hours of cardio exercise every day.

If you have any hills nearby I suggest you do a bit of online research into how to do hill sprints. If you live in a flat area you'll obviously need to find another way, such as running up steps in a building, or skipping or using an exercise bike, etc. There are many ways - find one(s) you enjoy or you'll quickly lose interest.

In addition to exercise for burning fat overall, you should do some specific exercises to firm and tone your waist. For this I have a waist exercises program on video.

If you have further questions on obesity, white rice, exercise, etc, just post below.

All the best,

Matthew