There's A Way To Cook Rice That Cuts Calories In Half

If you're minding your caloric intake, this might help.
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Wouldn’t it be nice if you could enjoy your favorite rice dishes (stir-fry recipe arsenal, we’re looking at you) without the carby, caloric guilt afterwards? Well, researchers are hard at work transforming one of the world’s most popular foods into an all-around healthier option, no GMOs involved.

Using a simple cooking method for rice, researchers from the Institute of Chemistry Ceylon, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, discovered they could reduce the calories absorbed from the dish by the body from 50 to 60 percent by increasing the amount of resistant starch. What’s more, eating more of this type of starch can reduce risk of colon cancers and increase the absorption of micronutrients.

The Science

So, what is this resistant starch, anyway? Here’s how it works: There are two forms of starch, digestible and resistant (which is indigestible). Regular rice contains 1.6 ounces total of both kinds of starch per cup. But once you eat the rice, resistant starch skips digestion in the small intestine, where carbohydrates turn to glucose and other sugars that are absorbed into the blood. By increasing the resistant starch in rice, the absorbable calories drop considerably: down to 120 calories per cup from the average 240.

The team worked with 38 kinds of Sri Lankan rice, but the cooking method works for all types, accounting for some changes in calorie count. They incorporated coconut oil for its health benefits and high smoke point (which means it doesn’t break down in high temps). End result: the resistant starch content increased by 10 times for non-fortified, traditional rice.

The Method

And though the technique hasn’t officially been tested on people yet, the directions sound simple even if you’re not a whiz in the kitchen: Boil water and add a tablespoon of coconut oil. Then, pour in half a cup of rice. Allow it to simmer for 40 minutes or boil for 20-25 minutes. Once it’s done, refrigerate for 12 hours, and it's ready to eat.

(Don’t worry; you can reheat the rice and still benefit from the same effect!) “The texture won’t feel as fresh as just-cooked rice, but it still tastes great,” says James, who led the team in presenting the research earlier this week at the 249th National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society in Denver.

Anyone else wondering if there’s a downside to consuming too much resistant starch? While an excessive amount of resistant starch (over 40 grams in a day) could lead to an upset stomach and bloating, there’s a slim chance you’d ever eat that much, says James.

And guess what: the team is looking into how the method could work for other starchy foods, like pasta. Looks like there’s a day on the horizon when you won’t have to save that big Italian dinner for pre-race carb-loading. Can we get a few cheers for food science?