If white rice is not healthy then how are so many Asians skinny?

[naza12345]

since rice is a staple in their diet

[wlodarczykn]

skinny ≠ healthy

why is white rice "not healthy"?

[naza12345]

Firstly, skinny ≠ healthy

why is white rice "not healthy"?

refined, less nutrition/fiber than whole wheat

[gbullock32]

White rice, like any food, can be a healthy part of any diet.

[k260jl]

If you like white rice, eat white rice. If you like brown rice, eat brown rice. WHite rice is not "unhealthy"

[juggernaut74ia]

refined, less nutrition/fiber than whole wheat

That does not = "not healthy".

[euro7muscle]

I've eaten white rice over brown rice my entire prep

[JustLost]

skinny ≠ healthy

why is white rice "not healthy"?

My exact reaction when I saw the title.

[SoulZeppelin]

Context of complete diet OP. Context of complete diet.

[csimons53]

since rice is a staple in their diet

Also in asia their portions are always much smaller than that of Americans. Go to an Asian country and see how a family eats and it is probably half of what the average American will eat in a sitting. America is fat because of portion sizes not what we eat. Moderation is everything

[loganhart]

Strong racial stereotype.

After travelling/living in Asia for three years, I can tell you, Asians arnt all skinny. From my observations, not even the majority are skinny (or short, another common stereotype).

Secondly, rice is cheap and delicious. Especially white rice.

I have eaten white rice, jasmine or sticky rice, almost everyday for the past 7 years. With the occasional wild or brown rice if I feel so inclined.

The colour of your rice does not provide a benefit nor a detriment to your health or body composition.

[magician27]

health of food you eat has nothing to do with how fat/skinny you are.

[tara19]

All i want now is rice. Thanks guys

[ErikTheElectric]

So much potato ITT.


I no longer want rice, I'll take potatoes instead.

[Mrpb]

If white rice is not healthy then how are so many Asians skinny?

Diabetes prevelance is higher among Asians and they think rice consumption may be a cause.
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...-sugary-drinks

[muruku]

Diabetes prevelance is higher among Asians and they think rice consumption may be a cause.
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...-sugary-drinks

mannnnnnnnnnnnng that article. -smh

I discussed that article on a local forum.. and tbh I think it just bad reporting. The study itself didnt even make the comparison to sugary drinks and they used dose-dependent rather than % of diet from rice.. unless I misread it :/

Towards the end, they discuss glycemic load;

Results in relation to other studies

Several potential mechanisms could explain the association between white rice consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes. Among Asian populations, which consume white rice as a staple food, white rice is the predominant contributor to dietary glycaemic load. For example, in women living in Shanghai, white rice accounted for 73.9% of dietary glycaemic load7; in Japanese women, white rice explained 58.5% of dietary glycaemic load.25 In a meta-analysis that pooled data from cohort studies primarily done in Western populations, dietary glycaemic load was consistently associated with increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.26 Similarly, recent investigations in Chinese and Japanese populations also support the hypothesis that high dietary glycaemic load is associated with increased risk of diabetes.7 25 27 The relatively weaker association for Western populations seen in this meta-analysis may be due to the fact that white rice intake was much lower than in Asians and, therefore, was only a minor contributor to dietary glycaemic load. In addition, the glycaemic index values of various white rice varieties depend on several factors including amylose content, other botanical structures, and processing methods.8 28 29 30 The contribution of white rice to dietary glycaemic load may vary substantially, especially when consumption levels are low. Nonetheless, high intake of white rice may also lead to increased risk of diabetes through mechanisms other than its contribution to dietary glycaemic load. Compared with minimally processed whole grains such as brown rice, white rice has a lower content of many nutrients including insoluble fibre, magnesium, vitamins, lignans, phytoestrogens, and phytic acid, which are lost during the refining process.31 Some of these nutrients, especially insoluble fibre and magnesium, have been associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes in prospective cohort studies.9 10 32 33 34 35 36 Thus, a high consumption of white rice may lead to increased risk of diabetes because of the low intake of beneficial nutrients, in addition to its higher glycaemic load. Meanwhile, more data are needed to shed light on whether the interaction by ethnicity is due simply to substantially different white rice intake levels or to other mechanisms.

[muruku]

Link to the study; http://www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e1454

[Mrpb]

I discussed that article on a local forum.. and tbh I think it just bad reporting.

Towards the end, they discuss glycemic load;

What's the part you didn't like?

OK the article is a bit sensationalist but I think the message is quite useful actually. I see this in my family too, people think drinking soda is terrible and then they eat a plate of white jasmine rice which has a whopping GI of ~105.

The study referenced in the article: http://www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e1454

[muruku]

What's the part you didn't like?

OK the article is a bit sensationalist but I think the message is quite useful actually. I see this in my family too, people think drinking soda is terrible and then they eat a plate of white jasmine rice which has a whopping GI of ~105.

The study referenced in the article: http://www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e1454

editted my post

[Mrpb]

editted my post

I read the edit. It's not clear to me what part of the quote you're not agreeing with.

On the comparison to soda, appears to be quite sensationalist but then again statistically it may be correct. "the authors estimate that the risk of type 2 diabetes is increased by 10% with each increased serving of white rice (assuming 158g per serving)." I'm not sure what the data is on a can of soda.

[AdamWW]

If cardio is good for you then why do people in police chases get caught so often?

[BrightonBomber]

Nothing wrong with white rice, is it as nutritious as brown rice, no but that doesn't make it unhealthy. If diabetes is a concern then just switch the basmati white rice, lower GI than normal long grain white rice.

Also Asians in general are less obese because of their overall diet not because of one food. Less processed foods, a bigger tradition of cooking food and eating together than most western societies has led to a less obese population.

[RuntStud]

On an absolute scale, it's not the "best" (define it) depending upon what criteria you are evaluating. But on a practical scale - the one that actually matters, not much difference when considering you consume it in a mixed meal and in a fed state.

[Bravoiswhiskey]

Also in asia their portions are always much smaller than that of Americans. Go to an Asian country and see how a family eats and it is probably half of what the average American will eat in a sitting. America is fat because of portion sizes not what we eat. Moderation is everything

Lol and then my aunt, mom, and I house an entire rice cooker's worth of white short grain and about forty damn pan-fried yellow croaker on a regular basis. Korean potlucks are out of control huge, too. We can put food away with the best of them, FFS You say hello by asking "have you eaten rice yet?".

[lordpatrick]

It's because brown ice has fiber and more protein. White rice is actually good. Nothing bad about it, its just there are a lot of uninformed people in nutrition. Brown rice has just more things to offer, that's it.

[aaehlmcd]

What's the part you didn't like?

OK the article is a bit sensationalist but I think the message is quite useful actually. I see this in my family too, people think drinking soda is terrible and then they eat a plate of white jasmine rice which has a whopping GI of ~105.

so gi does matter?

[muruku]

I read the edit. It's not clear to me what part of the quote you're not agreeing with.

On the comparison to soda, appears to be quite sensationalist but then again statistically it may be correct. "the authors estimate that the risk of type 2 diabetes is increased by 10% with each increased serving of white rice (assuming 158g per serving)." I'm not sure what the data is on a can of soda.

the part about it being about dose dependent rather than looking at it as a % of total caloric intake and wrt other macros. I think that would have been more more accurate.

[Mrpb]

so gi does matter?

It's total glycemic load of the diet that appears to be correlated with risk of type diabetes 2.

If you're mostly sedentary and consuming 4 portions of jasmine rice per day that's probably not a good idea. Replacing the jasmine rice with brown rice would lower risk for T2D.

That being said, I haven't checked if they have controlled for other factors: activity levels, fiber intake, vegetable intake etc.

[Karam19]

since rice is a staple in their diet

cuz they have small ass stomachs

[BrightonBomber]

cuz they have small ass stomachs

Not this Asian's stomach, had a 42oz steak the other day, barely touched the sides, could have eaten more.