Pressure cooked rice adds to body weight, says dietician

Chennai:

Pressure

cooking

rice

increases body weight in people fighting

obesity

, high cholesterol and

diabetes

, senior dietician Meenakshi Bajaj, who works at the Government Multi-Speciality Hospital, Omandurar, told doctors, paramedics, patients and attenders.

Rice from granny’s kitchen — cooked in an

open

vessel and the water drained off — removes starch. “This takes away soluble carbohydrates from the rice, decreasing sugar loading. There is less impact on blood glucose levels too. This does not happen when you cook rice in a pressure

cooker

, where no water is strained. There is an overload of

starch

here,” she said at a function organised by the department of cardiology at the Government Stanley Medical College and Hospital.

And granny used a part of the excess water to soak fenugreek seeds that is added to the rice pot the next day. Fenugreek is high on dietary fibre and omega 3 fatty acids, which is a ‘good fat’ that helps lower the risk of heart disease, depression, dementia, and arthritis. “Studies now show that modern superfoods such as ground flaxseed, which also have dietary fibre and omega 3 fatty acids, could expose people to toxic levels of cyanide,” she said, referring to a report of the European Food Safety Authority that warned that eating a teaspoon of ground flaxseed that is especially rich in amygdalin might pose a risk to small children.

Fenugreek soaked in water and green tea on empty stomach is a good way to start the day, she said. “Except for people with hypothyroid and high potassium, green tea too can be taken by everyone,” she said. Rich in antioxidants, green tea has the potential to lower cholesterol levels.

Even before she could conclude her lecture, several hands went up asking her the best way to lose weight. Though not easy to follow, her solutions to weight loss were simple: “Eat a healthy breakfast (not carb-high porridge), snack on fruit and veggie or legume salads and dine before 7.30pm. And do exercise.”


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