Vietnamese Health Tip #5: Eat White Rice?

Every Western diet's enemy, the most evil of all carbohydrates... WHITE RICE, dun dun dun. Well, I'm here to tell you that white rice runs rampant throughout Vietnamese cuisine, and yet somehow the locals maintain their health and their slim figures. I have a few theories*...

From L to R: Garlic rice (cơm chiến tôi), claypot rice (cơm đập), and a cute rice tipi (a.k.a. broken rice (cơm tấm))

We're probably all tired hearing the first two reasons (smaller portions and more physical activity, duhhh, borrringgg), but they're important nonetheless. And hang in here with me, #3 is a doozy.

1) Small portions. The Vietnamese may eat white rice with almost every meal, but not a lot of it. I've observed that most consume no more than a mound the size of the eater's fist. The photo on the right shows a typical bowl for the individual. Volume is approximately 1.5 cups, and the bowl is generally half rice, half everything else.

2) Daily activity. Exercising is indeed popular in Vietnam, but I'm not talking about formal "workouts" in this case. The Vietnamese work hard and play hard, resulting in generally higher activity levels everyday. I've noticed even those who work office jobs get up and move every so often. This high daily activity level contributes to better insulin sensitivity (the ability for body cells to use insulin effectively to absorb nutrients), and thus a higher tolerance for carbohydrates. Daily workout sessions are certainly beneficial for a variety of other reasons, but if those daily workouts are followed by 23 hours of a sedentary lifestyle, you can't expect to be able to digest carbohydrates healthfully and effectively.

Numerous types of rice at the typical Vietnamese market.

3) White rice is a RESISTANT starch. When we eat a starch, some is digested, but some of it is resistant to digestion. That is, it passes through our digestive system, untouched and unchanged. This type of starch works like soluble fiber and has positive health benefits (e.g. making you feel fuller longer, lowering blood sugar levels, and improving insulin sensitivity (see #2)). Resistant starches not only have fewer calories than regular starches, but they also fuel good bacteria in the intestine and increase the number of short-chain fatty acids (in other words, a better ability to burn calories). Moreover, resistant starches strengthen the immune system and may contribute to prevention of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

There are four types of resistant starches, one of which occurs when certain starches (such as white rice) are cooked and then cooled. The cooling process (also known as retrogradation) turns some of the digestible starches into resistant starches. Sure enough, in almost all of the meals I've had here in Vietnam, the rice is served at room temperature (cooled from its cooked state). And if it does come out piping hot, the locals, knowingly or unknowingly, tend to wait to eat the rice until it has cooled to room temperature.

Check out that rice cooker at right - big as yo' head! Okay okay, so this resistant starch connection to the Vietnamese ability to eat a ton of rice healthfully - may be it's a bunch of nonsense. In all likelihood, it's probably the rice-eating in the context of genetics and the many other Vietnamese healthy living and eating habits that makes this carbohydrate so friendly. But now you want to learn more about resistant starches, don't ya?

Here are a few articles that I've found useful: + Authority Nutrition - "Resistant Starch 101" + Nutrition Bulletin - "Health Properties of Resistant Starch" + Mark's Daily Apple - "The Definitive Guide to Resistant Starch" + Precision Nutrition - "All About Resistant Starch" + Prevention.com - "Resistant Starch as a Natural Fat Burner"

And now for a fun rice-related activity in Vietnomnomnom... flying rice (cơm đập)! The rice is baked in a clay pot to create crispiness along the edges, and the dish is then doused in tasty spices and sauces (see final product at the top). Thanks to the restaurant Cơm Niêu Sài Gòn for an entertaining and delicious treat.

*My usual caveat - I am not a health professional. My hypotheses are merely conclusions from reading a number of health-related journals, articles, and books.

#HealthTip #ResistantStarch #WhiteRice