Wednesday 16 September 2009

Think tummy, Think Tomee

Eat Less Rice!


My poor tummy, in a few days time after a month's respite, I'll be re-subjecting it to the cruelty of engorgement that it has suffered for as long as I can remember. Every year at Hari Raya Puasa I can't help but think of the futility of it all, we train our spiritual side for a month then slide back into carnal comforts in a day. We rest our tums for a month then bully them till the next Ramadan.


My tech-savvy Abo friend Tomee, who also goes by the Malay name Asif, dispensed this advice in an e-mail:

Eat Less Rice!

and by extension

Eat Less Ketupat this Raya Season!

Why? We ask.....

Because.....

The human body was never meant to consume rice! You see, our genes have hardly changed in more than 30,000 years. However, our food choices and lifestyle have changed dramatically. The caveman would hardly recognise our food or way of life.

Caveman food was never cooked as fire was not yet tamed. Thus, he ate only those foods that you can eat without treatment with or by fire. He ate fruits, vegetables, fish (sushi anyone?), eggs, nuts and meat. Yes, even meat!



You can even eat meat raw if you were starving in the forest. You have the necessary enzymes to digest meat.

However, rice, like wheat and corn, cannot be eaten raw. It must be cooked. Even if you were starving in the desert, you cannot eat rice in the raw form. This is because we do not have the system of enzymes to break rice down. You were never meant to eat rice. To make matters worse, you not only eat rice, but also make it the bulk of your food.
In some parts of Asia , rice forms up to 85% of the plate. Even if you take rice, keep it to a minimum. Remember, it is only for your tongue - not your body.

Actually, rice and other grains like wheat and corn are actually worse than sugar. There are many reasons:
Rice becomes sugar - lots of it! This is a fact that no nutritionist can deny: rice is chemically no different from sugar. One bowl of cooked rice is the caloric equal of 10 teaspoons of sugar. This does not matter whether it is white, brown or herbal rice.


Brown rice is richer in fibre, some B vitamins and minerals but it is still the caloric equal of 10 teaspoons of sugar.

To get the same 10 teaspoons of sugar, you need to consume lots of kangkong-10 bowls of it.


Rice is digested to become sugar.
Rice cannot be digested before it is thoroughly cooked. However, when thoroughly cooked, it becomes sugar and spikes circulating blood sugar within half an hour-almost as quickly as it would if you took a sugar candy.
Rice is very low in the 'rainbow of anti-oxidants. '
This complete anti-oxidant rainbow is necessary for the effective and safe utilisation of sugar.

Fruits come with a sugar called fructose. However, they are not empty calories as the fruit is packed with a whole host of other nutrients that help its proper assimilation and digestion.


Rice has no fibre.
The fibre of the kangkong fills you up long before your blood sugar spikes.



This is because the fibre bulks and fills up your stomach.

Since white rice has no fibre, you end up eating lots of 'calorie dense' food before you get filled up.

Brown rice has more fibre but still the same amount of sugar.


Rice is tasteless-sugar is sweet.
There is only so much that you can eat at one sitting. How many teaspoons of sugar can you eat before you feel like throwing up? Could you imagine eating 10 teaspoons of sugar in one seating?

Rice is always the main part of the meal.
While sugar may fill your dessert or sweeten your coffee, it will never be the main part of any meal. You could eat maybe two to three teaspoons of sugar at one meal. However, you could easily eat the equal value of two to three bowls (20-30 teaspoons) of sugar in one meal.

I am always amused when I see someone eat sometimes five bowls of rice (equals 50 teaspoons of sugar) and then asks for tea tarik kurang manis!


There is no real 'built in' mechanism for us to prevent overeating of rice:
How much kangkong can you eat? How much fried chicken can you eat? How much steamed fish can you eat? Think about that! In one seating, you cannot take lots of chicken, fish or cucumber, but you can take lots of rice.

Eating rice causes you to eat more salt. As rice is tasteless, you tend to consume more salt-another villain when it comes to high blood pressure. You tend to take more curry that has salt to help flavor rice. We also tend to consume more ketchup and soy sauce which are also rich in salt.


Eating rice causes you to drink less water. The more rice you eat, the less water you will drink as there is no mechanism to prevent the overeating of rice. Rice, wheat and corn come hidden in our daily food. As rice is tasteless, it tends to end up in other foods that substitute rice like rice flour, noodles and bread. We tend to eat the hidden forms which still get digested into sugar.

Rice, even when cooked, is difficult to digest. Can't eat raw rice? Try eating rice half cooked. Contrary to popular belief, rice is very difficult to digest. It is 'heavy stuff'.

If you have problems with digestion, try skipping
rice for a few days. You will be amazed at how the problem will just go away. Rice prevents the absorption of several vitamins and minerals. Rice when taken in bulk will reduce the absorption of vital nutrients like zinc, iron and the B vitamins. Are you a rice addict? Going rice-less may not be easy but you can go rice-less. Eating less rice could be lot easier than you think. Here are some strategies that you can pursue in your quest to eat less rice:

Eat less rice-
cut your rice by half.

Barry Sears, author of the Zone Diet, advises 'eating rice like spice'.

Instead, increase your fruits and vegetables. Take more lean meats and fish. You can even take more eggs and nuts.


Have 'riceless' meals. Take no rice or wheat at say, breakfast. Go for eggs instead.

Go on 'riceless' days. Go 'western' once a week.. Take no rice and breads for one day every week. That can't be too difficult.



Appreciate the richness of your food. Go for taste, colours and smells. Make eating a culinary delight. Enjoy your food in the original flavours.
Avoid the salt shaker or ketchup. You will automatically eat less rice.

Eat your fruit dessert before (Yes! No printing error) your meals.




The fibre rich fruits will 'bulk up' in your stomach. Thus, you will eat less rice and more fruits.


It's your life. Decide what you want to eat!

But eat less rice!



There you are. Think tummy, think Tomee!

Why not take it a step further - Go Abo! .........Like Eva Mendez

No one can blame Eva Mendes for being culturally insensitive. While filming a movie in Australia, the Latina beauty took a short trip to Uluru and dined with a group of aboriginal woman who were excited to introduce Eva to their native cuisine.

“They got these kangaroo tails, wrapped them in tin foil and threw them on the fire, with the hair still on them. Kangaroo tail tastes like the worst beef jerky you’ve tasted in your life.’


Eva, 34, was given a delicious treat for dessert. “They serve up grubs for afters,” she recalls. “You find a tree, crack open the branches and there are these fat old worms, ready to be slightly fried and eaten…After eating the kangaroo tails, the grubs were like the world’s finest tiramisu, believe me.” [Source]


EEEEWWWWHHH!!!

Anyway, everyone......


hali laya sula mali

satu taun satu kali

beli baju satu loli


salah silap wa cakap


SOLI! SOLI! SOLI!


17 comments:

Saya... said...

exactly what Dr Kadir of the Integrative Health Clinic told me last month...

Saya... said...

You are really cute Zen, your postings...hehe

Zendra-Maria said...

Saya, nasib baik u cakap postings, kalau tengok bloggernya - hmph jauh panggang dari api!!

Tommy Yewfigure said...

Oh No what have I done now, unleashed the animalistic wild side of the Zebra. Seribu-ribu Soli kepada Alfie, Azeim, & the rest of the family. I’m not taking responsibility. She’s your problem now!....hahaha.And I tot X'mas is the silly season ;))

Hey Zen, how come u no mention Eva Mendes; ‘I’d sack in all 50 USA states’. Tommy happened to be in Gila Bend – Maricopa County, ARIZONA and Beaver Creek-Eagle County, COLORADO just around that same time too.

Salam,

Asif

p/s – Too much kangkong oso bad for u, make ur lutut longah, no joke!

Zendra-Maria said...

Eh Tomee, you don't eat kangaroo tails and grubs kah? What an absolute disgrace to the Abo race. Itu Eva, actually I don't care what she eats or where she sacked but she certainly leaves "men dazed" lah! But none like the knock-out blow I used to administer when I was her age hahhaah!

OK you are doing an MJ now eh. Slowly turning lighter with hidung turning mancung. Boleh lah - as if cannot...

Zendra-Maria said...

BTW belacan has the whole range of aminos (according to hubby) and is the antidote to lenggang kangkong - that's why always cook kangkong belacan - so what if the whole house reeks hahaha

Capt's Longhouse said...

o.k. no rice tonite just water and some nuts ! Lets go nuts Tommy ??. You started it boy ! now Mama Zen stopped cooking too Yoooo ! only kangkong.

Saya... said...

Tommy must be beside himself to get so much attention from Zen herself...heheh...

Hey Tommy!

Buka bloglah! We like your writings lah!

Right or not, Zen? Give us a face to the man!

Capt's Longhouse said...

Zendra,

,,,you must try belacan dari Sarawak !! not like ours from malaya tau, ....dia's veryvery clean yaa boleh makan direct m'cam butter-lah, ours kena bakar 1st yoo to kill all the ulat geeee !.
,,,get your son to bring back some for raya haha.
,,,Tommy, ada belacan in Ossie land tak ?. buat sendiri-lah but yr white jiran nanti report to polis haha. bau Mat-bangkai hohohoo.

Zendra-Maria said...

Saya,

I have already helped him post his thoughts on rice-eating. Guess what? Someone thought it worth tweeting out.


So Tommy you have readability - START BLOGGING man! And let us have the face too OK?

Zendra-Maria said...

Capt: My son in KK lah. The one in Miri is my nephew - but he has never brought back belacan sarawak, only kek lapis.

Yub if you read this - belilah sikit belacan tu untuk Aunty hehe

Tommy Yewfigure said...

SAYA, ZZ & I (+ all other baby boomers), we come from a generation in ‘Once upon a time’ in Malaysia when the air is fresh & clean unlike what u see today.

Yup a time where politically correctness can be thrown out the window, where everyone look out for one another & have good clean fun & mischief without malice in anyway. She’s got some Chineseness in her & I’d got some Malayness in me and we converse in an Indian accent with head & hand motion gesture as if anyone wud cares…muahaha. And we had a lot of common interest in music, arts & sciences, literature, etc. Take one to know one type lah, if u know what I mean. ZZ’s in a way is my long lost special next door awek…hehehe.

Yeah something u, i.e. ‘X’ & ‘Y’ generation wud not understand. Betcha ur jaws dropped when she’s goes ‘Hali Laya Sula Mali’….kakaka..(so lacist one). To me it’s all good nature pulling your leg prank, likewise not too many ppl will put up with my misdemeanour too, tapi ni semua in good intent mah.

Bye, I’ll jom skodeng into the other aweks blog.

Salam,
Tommy

P/S – Time is not right 4 me to blog yet, so stop pestering..grrr..

Zendra-Maria said...

Awww Tommmeee, you've put it down so well - my sentiments exactly. And they used to angrily term this "looking out" as the then PM's tidakapathy - which was something I couldn't fathom - so naive i was then until Dr M's banned book came out which enlightened me somewhat.

Waah maybe I am still naive - that little pantun is considered lacist aah? Aiiyoo what man! Even that hint of sarcasm is on we melayu maaa - beli baju satu loli hahaha - that is plank lah, I mean pRRank.... sheesh

Anyway I had had my share of sepet friends from school. Sia Bee Keim from Raub shacked up at our house for a time while awaiting the MCE results, and my parents let me go with her and was it Judy something something Pow to Penang and stayed over at Judy's aunt for a couple of days. Aunty knew my dietary "limitations" so we ate out at safe places all that time.

Yup, those were the days. Even in Form 6 our multi-racial co-ed class was united in giving our teachers funky nicknames - Jeelo (mispronounced "zero"), Flanky, Cockroach, Pseudo, what have you.

And you Tommy are my long lost suave "Rose" Chan WM, the best saxophone player in the school's marching band with whom my bff and I went to watch movies after school hahaha.

Wonder where all these characters are? Entah-entah merajuk pegi duduk Perth, Canada, UK.....

Fadhil said...

Sulah lama wa tunggu
Mau bili baju balu
Pakai masa hali laya
Tapi gaji belum telima

Kalau Kak Zendla baik ati
Duit angpow kasi mali
Wa lasa manyak hepi
Telima kaseh sampai mati

Wa mintak maap sama Zendla kalau ada silap cakap aa..
Hepi hali laya.

Zendra-Maria said...

Haiyya Olsitok hah
Kak Jendila manyak suka
Lu latang minta lui
Manyak kesian mau kasi
Tapi wa sula bili
Itu gamba Pak Jawi
Sikalang tunggu lui pencen
Wa anta lu 50 sen

:)

Wa sama lu kila jilo-jilo lah

Saya... said...

Haiya..where got my jaw drop lah..my time still sekolah campur lagi...my best fren was chinese in primary school meh.

Wah...i like this blossoming love story.... ;)

Zendra-Maria said...

Saya, ada ke he called me awek?. I mean how unromantic is that, so 80/90's. Tommy kena singgah pondok Uncle Lee nuntut ilmu kat sana dulu before anything can blossom hahahaha!