Should You Make Black Rice A Part Of Your Diabetic Diet Plan?

Black rice as part of a diabetic diet plan

My daughter-in-law recently brought me a pack of black rice when she was on a business trip to Manipur. I had kept the package in the pantry and wanted to prepare it for a special occasion, so I finally made black rice today as a diabetic relative was visiting us for lunch. I had checked and found that black rice can be part of a healthy diet Diet plan for diabetics.

Why black rice can be part of a diabetic diet

Let me tell you why I chose to cook black rice instead of regular white rice for the person who has diabetes.

Great source of food

Black rice is a wonderful source of nutrition as 100 grams of black rice contains 9 grams of protein while brown rice contains 7 grams.

45 grams of uncooked black rice provides;

• 160 calories
• 1.5 grams of fats
• 4 grams of protein
• 34 grams of carbohydrates
• 1 gram of fiber

Black rice is rich in antioxidants

In fact, black rice contains more than 20 phytochemicals with plants antioxidant Properties that include different types of flavonoids and carotenoids. Black rice also contains anthocyanins, a group of flavonoid plant pigments that are responsible for the beautiful purple color of black rice. It is the same thing that causes the color in several other plant foods like blueberries, eggplants, and sweet potatoes.

Anthocyanins are known to have potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cancer-inhibiting properties as consuming foods high in anthocyanins helps protect against various chronic diseases such as heart disease by improving cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Anthocyanins are effective for some types of cancer, especially colon cancer and breast cancer.

Hence, adding black rice to your diet can be an easy way to include more disease-protecting antioxidants in your diet.

Diet plan for diabetics and black rice

The use of black rice and other anthocyanin-containing foods is said to help lower blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes. Anthocyanins have antioxidant abilities that work against free radicals and help diabetics protect themselves from inflammation and cell damage. Since black rice is also high in fiber, it helps in the slow release of glucose in the blood. This slow release prevents sudden increases in blood sugar levels. Although the fiber in black rice is the same as in brown rice, it is a whole grain with the bran and endosperm intact. This makes black rice high in fiber, which the body digests slowly. In addition, black rice promotes satiety and helps fight obesity, the main risk factor for diabetes.

Black rice in a diabetes diet plan for improving eye health

Black rice is known to contain high amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin, two types of carotenoids that are linked to eye health. These compounds help protect the eyes from potentially harmful free radicals. It is widely believed that lutein and zeaxanthin protect the retina by filtering out harmful blue light waves. Additionally, research suggests that these antioxidants are important in protecting against macular degeneration, which is the age-related cause of blindness. Interestingly, these antioxidants also reduce the risk of cataracts and diabetic retinopathy, which are a major health concern for diabetics.

By the way, do you know that black rice is also known as Prohibited rice in China and Chak-Khao in Manipur? In China it is called Prohibited rice since it was only intended for the aristocratic class. It is cooked into the famous purple porridge as the uncooked forbidden rice, which is black in color, turns purple after cooking. Black rice has a slightly sweet and nutty taste that tastes more like corn.

Black rice can be a good addition to a Diet plan for diabetics Since it is very nutritious, it is always advisable to consult your doctor and nutritionist or dietitian for a better understanding.

Have you heard of Manipur's black rice chak-khao who recently had a GI tag? In the near future, I plan to provide more details on how I cooked black rice and also made a dessert out of chak-khao.

Until then, stay healthy and stay healthy.