Does rice do this to you too, and how to avoid it?

Uncle_Ben

My name is Ben and I have a nephew and two nieces, so the answer to your question is yes.

annie123

you're not alone! rice does that to me too

I first noticed it 30 years ago as a teenager, used to have chinese takeaway on Saturday night after pub as you do,
but as I started cooking for myself I noticed it still happened, never thought anything of it, just one of those things etc...till I met my DH who said I was daft as I grabbed for a fold over sandwich 2 hours later:rolleyes:

Does not happen with mushroom risotto though

Lilith1980

mrcow wrote: »

lol no, I meant to top the hunger pains.

Although I'll eat chocolate with practically anything

Delia has a receipe for chocolate risotto

I've yet to try making it but there's your chocolate and rice

fedupfreda

Hi Quasar, think this is what's called rebound hunger, as Uncle Ben said:-

Uncle_Ben wrote: »

Rice is very easily digested, and that is why just after you've had a delicious helping of my rice, you suddenly feel like another.

If I remember my A Level Biology correctly, because rice is so easily digested, it causes a surge in blood sugar, the body then releases insulin to convert the blood sugar to fat. This then causes the blood sugar to fall - causing the hunger. This is often why people feel hungry after having a chinese meal.

Wholegrains are not supposed to do this, they are supposed to release their energy into the bloodstream a lot slower, but I find this happens with any starchy food, wholegrain or not, I guess it depends on how sensitive your body is to fluctuations in blood sugar. There is a theory that a high-carbohydrate diet (particularly refined carbohydrates) leads to a condition called Insulin Resistance, which can lead on to type 2 diabetes in susceptible people. I certainly find that too much starch gives me chronic indigestion, so I have had to give up rice, pasta and potatoes, which is a shame, as I love curry, pasta and chips (not together, obviously!)

How to stop the rebound hunger? Think you need to increase the fat and protein content of the meal. Maybe a bit more cheese? This should coat the starch grains in the rice and slow down the absorption rate (maybe why risotto does not seem to cause the problem for some people).

By the way I am not a health professional, just someone who suffers chronic IBS and has read just about every book going on the subject. But hope this helps anyway.

Freda