Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I want to diversify my sampling of starch and carbohydrate food sources. I've eaten white rice sporadically over the last couple of months and I seem to have no problems. In fact, I seem to feel much better after eating rice.

I would only eat a 1/3 cup serving daily, enough to fill a small rice bowl. So that would be 200 calories, 45g of carbs and 4g of protein. As long as I keep it to this amount, I don't find rice to be very high glycemic. Plus, I eat rice with my steak or fish, some greens (spinach, collard greens or kale), boiled or steamed veggies (cabbage, broccoli, or cauliflower), and my bone broth.

My BG seems to shoot up higher from sweet potatoes, which I will still consume but not as much. I also eat a small amount of yuca/cassava when I'm eating steak, a habit I cannot break because it makes steak taste so much better.

Question: what kind of rice do you recommend? So far, I've sampled, Bismatti, Texmati, Kasmati, Long Grain, Extra Long Grain, parboiled, Jazmin, sushi, organic, and even enriched white rice. Carbs are about the same and there's very little fiber, so GL is not an issue. I'm not really into the Asian sticky rice for making sushi; I prefer the longer-grain and fluffy Bismatti type of white rice, which are softer and tastier.

But I am concerned about getting all the fortified stuff out (like niacin, iron, thiamine, and folic acid) when I wash. It seems that washing rice before boiling isn't enough. Do you also soak as well? I was surprised to find so much white stuff, which I only expected from the enriched kind, when washing "Himalayan Pride" Basmatti rice ("authentically aged") straight from India, with no label indicating that it's ever been enriched. Perhaps stick to the "organic" white rice from Whole Foods then?

What is the safest type of this "safe starch" and the safest way of preparing it?

edited Mar 25 2012 at 4:38

asked Mar 25 2012 at 4:27

Namby Pamby
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JeJ · Answer 1 · 2012-03-25 05:00:37Z UTC

If you mean that the water turns white when you rinse it, that's mostly just powdered starch from storage that you are rinsing off, or the enrichment if it is enriched rice. The enrichment is essentially powdered vitamins, and from my understanding rinses right off. But even if the rice isn't enriched, it's normal for the water to turn whitish while rinsing it. From all the grains being together and rubbing against each other, some starch will be rubbed off into powder.

I personally don't pre soak, though there are some claims (I'm not sure the validity?) that soaking neutralizes inhibitors and increases vitamin content. I have never done it, but I'm sure there is someone who could probably better comment on the possible benefits of soaking. Some people also soak grains to make them easier to digest, though if that's a non-issue as it said, I probably wouldn't worry too much.

I cook Basmati rice (my favourite, texturally) in bone broth, at relatively low heat with the lid on. This is an excellent way to get in some bone broth while your at it, and produces a tender, flavourful dish. I recommend this method, mostly for it's taste but also for the additional nutrients from the broth.

stephenj · Answer 2 · 2012-03-25 05:33:13Z UTC

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In my neck of the woods, rice is not enriched.

I usually cook some chopped onion in coconut oil or butter or beef fat until transparent, then I toss the rice through until it goes transparent, then I add about twice the volume of the rice in water and some salt, and simmer with the lid on at a low heat for 25 minutes. In other words, a variant of the absorption method.

answered Mar 25 2012 at 5:33

stephenj
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What do you mean it goes "transparent"? – Namby Pamby Mar 25 2012 at 6:58

Different types of rice react differently when cooked. Long grain rice (basmati, jasmine) usually starts out semi-translucent when uncooked and becomes opaque when cooked. Short grain rice (sticky, glutinous, sushi) start out opaque when uncooked and become semi-translucent when cooked. – cerement Mar 25 2012 at 18:51

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What I meant was: cook the onion to the stage before caramelisation, so it's see-through but not brown. Then when you stir the rice through the onion/fat, it absorbs some fat and becomes translucent instead of white. Then I put the water in. – stephenj Mar 25 2012 at 18:57

AmandaLP · Answer 3 · 2012-03-25 08:07:03Z UTC

I usually use a rice cooker, and cook in bone broth. Or, if I am being frugal and have no money, cook in water and then add to bone broth.

In soups, I usually like white basamati or long grain. For eating outside of soups, I like short grain.

I just bought purple sticky rice, and was planning on cooking it with coconut milk.

BaleoNub · Answer 4 · 2012-03-25 14:08:05Z UTC

I use japanese rice (not sushi, that's too sticky). I rinse the rice for about 10 seconds and dump it in the rice cooker with half water, half frozen bone broth. After it's done, I mix in a bit of butter, salt and pepper and enjoy.

This is a common side for my family.. probably two or three times per week.

If I have leftover rice in the morning, I'll dump that into a pan with a bit of coconut oil to warm it up and put it in a bowl with a couple over easy eggs on top.

Christina · Answer 5 · 2012-03-25 05:10:18Z UTC

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Have you tried eating Thai red rice? Also there is "black" or purple rice. But I'd try seeing how you do with Thai red rice. It hasn't been bleached to death. I've been told that they actually serve this rice in Thai prisons (basically, your least-proccessed-rice-avaliable guarantee-- gotta keep the costs down).

answered Mar 25 2012 at 5:10

Christina
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Yeah, those rices are really beautiful! They can be a touch pricey for me though, but I love them as a treat, if mostly for aesthetics. Also, white rice is "polished" not bleached like flour. So that is good! – JeJ Mar 25 2012 at 14:57

gydle · Answer 6 · 2012-03-25 16:07:14Z UTC

THere was a post on Mark's Daily Apple not long ago where he looked at the different rice types. I think of the white rices (because that was your question), he said parboiled is the most nutritionally interesting...

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/is-rice-unhealthy/#axzz1q93t2m00

cerement · Answer 7 · 2012-03-25 17:32:20Z UTC

I cheat and just use a rice cooker. I usually split one of the rice cooker's servings into two (ie. lunch and dinner).

As for types, it depends on the meal since there's so many varieties. Indian curries get basmati, Thai and SouthEast Asian foods get jasmine, Japanese and Okinawan foods get a sushi-style ...

doubledipper99 · Answer 8 · 2012-03-25 17:53:41Z UTC

I use the Delia Smith method: think in terms of volume, and have double the volume of water to rice. Use the widest pot you have, put the lid on and don't take it off, bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to the lowest possible setting. Let it simmer until there's no liquid when you tip the pot a little (about 10 minutes). Then turn off the heat, remove the lid, and put a dishcloth across the top of the pot for 5-10 minutes. Makes perfect rice every time!

PHD Followers: How Do You Prepare White Rice?

8 Answers