A novel way of cooking rice may dramatically cut the starchy grain’s calorie content, according to new research.
The new finding may help cut rising obesity rates according to research presented today at the National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world’s largest scientific society.
A cup of cooked rice has hundreds of calories, but preparing it a special way may cut calories by about 50-60 percent.
The recipe perfected by researchers from the College of Chemical Sciences, Colombo, Western, Sri Lanka:
* Add a teaspoon of coconut oil to boiling water.
* Add a half cup of rice. Simmer 20-40 minutes.
* Refrigerate 12 hours.
The heating and cooling process stimulates chemical reactions that convert digestible starch in the rice into resistant starch (RS) that isn’t broken down in the small intestine, thus reducing the number of usable calories in the rice.
The researchers say re-heating the rice doesn’t impact the resistant starch (ES) levels and does not restore the level of digestible starch.
One teaspoon of coconut oil has about 39 calories. Despite some literature suggesting coconut oil may help dieters lose weight, it does not contribute to significant weight loss,
according to the Mayo Clinic.
The research team from Sri Lanka also intends to do human experiments to learn which rice varieties respond best to the calorie reduction process, and to find out whether any other oils besides coconut will jump start the calorie cutting effect.
A news conference will be held Wednesday March 25, at the Colorado Convention Center.
