Basmati Rice – Breaking Nutrition Myths
Rice has always been questioned whenever it comes to healthy eating. People face the dilemma of whether or not to include rice in their diet, especially when looking to live healthy and lose weight. Even when it comes to absolutely delicious Indian basmati rice, you should always weigh the pros and cons before including it in your shopping cart at the supermarket. But the questions remain. Is rice really fattening? Should it be avoided altogether?
Let’s look into the matter in detail to decide once and for all whether or not you should consume basmati rice as part of a regular diet. Basically, there are many schools of thoughts that contradict each other while discussing the nutrition and calorie content of Basmati rice. A large group believe that Indian Basmati is full of starch and has very few nutrients to offer, therefore they should be avoided, especially by those looking to eat healthy and lose weight.
Those who contradict them are those who believe that basmati is a rich source of necessary carbohydrates and minerals and therefore should be consumed regularly. Both are not entirely wrong and neither entirely right.
The Asian Heritage Argument
This argument mainly appeals to those who claim that rice makes you fat. Basmati rice is the staple food of many Asian countries that have consumed it for generations. Even then, they managed to stay healthy and slim. Therefore, this slightly proves that Basmati, by itself, is not entirely fattening.
Eating rice at night makes you fat
There are people who believe that eating rice in the evening causes the body to store excess fat. This fat is not burned due to inactivity during sleep. But the truth is quite different than that! The weight gain is not entirely due to the rice you eat but it is an accumulation of all the calories you consume during the day. Rice calories add to this total but do not make up the majority of it. If you consume more total calories than the amount you burn each day, you will gain weight whether or not you eat Indian basmati rice.
Bad for gluten sensitivity
Another myth about Basmati Rice Nutrition is that it is a source of gluten that causes health issues. But Indian basmati rice is inherently gluten-free. So if you have celiac disease or NCGS (non-celiac gluten sensitivity); you can still consume Basmati without any fear. Rice doesn’t need gluten proteins unlike dough to make them stick together. So even if you are gluten intolerant, Basmati Nutrition will not affect your health in any way.
The essential
The next time you go to the supermarket to buy Indian basmati rice, you can add them to your shopping cart without any regrets. If everything else is going well for you like insulin sensitivity, regular activity, absence of metabolically disturbing foods like fructose, lectins, and excess linoleic acid, etc., then the nutrition and calories of basmati rice will not affect your health drastically.
In conclusion, we would like to advise you to stop curbing your craving for delicious Indian basmati rice specialties and add it to your diet without any regrets.