Is Jasmine Rice Good For Diabetics? A Guide to Eating Rice

Hi Everyone! Are you also curious on diabetes diet? Is jasmine rice good for diabetics? We will figure everything out in this brand new post.

What is Diabetes?

Over the years, Diabetes has risen to become one of the most common diseases in the world. It typically occurs when the blood sugar or blood glucose gets to high levels.

Your blood sugar acts as the main source of energy for the body. It comes from the food that you consume on a day to day basis.

Once produced, the body, through the pancreas, secretes a hormone known as insulin. This hormone aids in getting the glucose from the food you consume to the cells for energy consumption.

In some cases, the body fails to meet the insulin quota or the cells misuse the insulin that has been produced and are normally susceptible to high levels of thirst and hunger.

Ideally, diabetics are advised to stick to a diet that fully incorporates legumes and vegetables with low salt levels. They are also meant to include specific carbohydrate foods with high fiber.

For the proteins, it is recommended to consume lean proteins and also incorporate some low-fat dairy products. Finally, food should always be low in salt, low in saturated fats as well as added sugars.

Recommended Diet

Many people are normally conflicted about foods high in carbs such as rice. Rice features as a staple meal that is consumed all over the world.

Being a starchy type of food means bad news for anyone diagnosed with Diabetes because of its effect on the meal’s high score on the glycemic index popularly known as the GI.

This is a measurement of how consumption of meals impacts your blood sugar levels. The variants of rice can make it difficult to know which form of the meal is allowed for diabetics and which one isn’t.

However, experts have researched rice in all its variants and have come up with suitable options with the topmost being Jasmine Rice. Keep in mind that the trick with all the meals in a diabetic meal plan is portion control and the method of preparation.

If you are a Diabetic who loves and lives for rice meals, but you are not sure how you can incorporate rice into the diet plan, this article is for you. In this article, I will give you insights on the how to optimize Jasmine Rice, one of the healthiest variants for diabetics, into your meals. Explore its nutritional values as well as other rice alternatives that are safe for consumption. Read on and learn!

A Closer Look at Jasmine Rice

We have already covered the fact that rice is one of the most popular foods around the world. Without proper knowledge, it is very easy to stigmatize it and form incorrect conclusions in regard to its nutritional benefits, especially to diabetics.

The truth is, various types of rice are detrimental to the management of blood glucose in the body. The good news, however, is that you can consume types like Jasmine Rice and escape the sugar hounding effects.

Jasmine rice is an aromatic type of rice from the long grain varieties. As the name suggests, it has a scent that closely resembles the Jasmine flower. It is available in both brown and white options, with the brown type offering more nutritional values.

Health Benefits

• Fiber, Fiber, and More Fiber
  Dietary fiber is one of the most complex nutrients that are only present in plant foods. The human digestive system is not optimized for the digestion of fibers.
  
  However, we still get a broad range of nutritional benefits from them. In diabetics, fiber is crucial for the control and reduction of blood glucose levels.
  
  Further, it helps in managing the levels of blood cholesterol and eliminating the possibility of constipation.

• Vitamin B in Plenty
  Vitamins are integral to the metabolic process as well as production and repairing of cells in the body. Remember that the cells help in the storage of energy for the body’s use. Jasmine Rice is rich in vitamin B and is very healthy for every diabetic who loves having rice meals.

• Provision of Minerals
  Minerals have a myriad of benefits for the human body. First, they ensure that the body’s system is functioning, as it should. In small quantities, they also help in body structure formation. Your body needs a sufficient amount of minerals so that it can implement these functions flawlessly.
  
  The good news is that Jasmine Rice has just the recommended amount to ensure that these functions run effectively.

Is Jasmine Rice Good for Diabetics?

Foods that have a GI (Glycemic Index) that falls below 70, are commonly recommended for diabetics. This is because they have a very low rate of absorption.

Low absorption rates mean that the body receives blood sugar in low doses and therefore there won’t be an occurrence of blood sugar spiking.

Jasmine Rice has a GI ranging from 68-80, with brown Jasmine rice having the lowest levels. So, eating jasmine rice can quite rapidly increase the level of glucose in our body, which is not recommended for diabetics.

However, when we combine rice with other foods, as rice is usually served as an accompaniment, the GI is reduced. The glycemic index applies to a single product without additives.

Most people do not consume rice alone, usually we eat rice in combination with vegetables and meat or fish. The presence of other food slows digestion and thus slows blood sugar spikes caused by rice.

Therefore, suggesting only the glycemic index is wrong, we should look at the glycemic load, i.e. the sugar response after eating the whole meal with all ingredients, not just rice.

When you prepare a meal with rice, you should mainly suggest this parameter.

Top 5 Best Rice for Diabetics

Being diagnosed with diabetes does not mean that you are locked out of this awesome meal that is rice.

Here are some of the types that you can eat with ingredients without the worry of increasing your GI and your blood glucose levels:

1. Basmati

Basmati is a long grain variant of rice that has a great aroma and a distinguished flavor. If cooked in the right way, it results in delicious and fluffy rice.

The rice is available in white and brown options that are rich in fiber and regulated carbs. Basmati gives an overall GI of 58 per cup cooked.

2. Sweet, Sticky and Waxy Rice

This is a type of short grain rice that is prevalent in the Asian region. Just like the name suggests, it is characterized by a sweet, sticky and waxy appearance as well as taste.

Owing to its level of sweetness, it is normally used for dessert or a sweet-savory side meal. This type of rice has a higher GI value of 86 that can be reduced by serving it alongside lean proteins.

3. Wild Rice

Wild rice is a versatile kind that features a nutty flavor accompanied by a chewy feel. Popularly known as Indian Rice, it comprises of four distinct grass species from the genus Zizania.

Further, it is rich in fiber and carbs to give a GI of 57 for every cup cooked.

4. Black Rice

As the name suggests, this black rice is high in antioxidants and bran, hence its unique color. The fruity and floral taste that works in tandem with its healthy profile to give diabetics exciting rice meals.

Traditionally, it was reserved for the Chinese Emperors owing to its nutritional values.

5. Jasmine Rice

And finally, as we have observed in the article, Jasmine Rice. It is rich in fiber, vitamin B, and minerals, which are integral to the life of anyone living with diabetes.

How to Cook Jasmine Rice?

The best way to cook Jasmine rice is through the help and advantages of rice cookers. We have different rice cookers with modern technologies like induction heating that are able to cook various rice varieties.

From our previous posts you saw that there are different Japanese rice cookers that can easily cook and multitask. You can even cook other healthy rice dishes like paella, and even substitutes like lentils and barley and steam vegetables too.

Watch the video below on how to cook jasmine rice quickly!

Talk to Us

After going through this article, you have realized that you can include rice in your meal plan. As a diabetic, your focus should majorly lie on portion control.

Ensure that after every meal, observe your blood sugar levels to see how your body responds to different types of foods including Jasmine rice.

Do you know any other rice variants that Diabetics can indulge in? If you have any other tips, talk to us in our interactive comment section below. We would be excited to hear from you!