Brown Rice for better health

[shijing]

Just a note that I found that eating nothing but brown rice wasn't what my body likes. My body likes vegetables and meat.

I think my body agrees, although I will try to tough it out until Friday just for the detox benefit. I am doing OK, but I felt generally hungry all day despite the rice, and it was mild torture putting away the leftovers for the rest of my family tonight (greens and a meat sauce over noodles). It will be interesting to see what tomorrow is like.

 

[vinny]

I think my body agrees, although I will try to tough it out until Friday just for the detox benefit. I am doing OK, but I felt generally hungry all day despite the rice, and it was mild torture putting away the leftovers for the rest of my family tonight (greens and a meat sauce over noodles). It will be interesting to see what tomorrow is like.

Keep it up Shijing! As has been already mentioned, the main benefit comes, as in all fasting, if you can do this for at least a few days.

 

[Ollie]

Just a note that I found that eating nothing but brown rice wasn't what my body likes. My body likes vegetables and meat.

I think my body agrees, although I will try to tough it out until Friday just for the detox benefit. I am doing OK, but I felt generally hungry all day despite the rice, and it was mild torture putting away the leftovers for the rest of my family tonight (greens and a meat sauce over noodles). It will be interesting to see what tomorrow is like.

This would make perfect sense for Blood Type O people.

 

[shijing]

Keep it up Shijing! As has been already mentioned, the main benefit comes, as in all fasting, if you can do this for at least a few days.

Thanks Nomad! Today I seem to be having fewer cravings for other foods, but when I woke up I had a headache and aching joints (the latter is not uncommon for me, but the former is). I know that it was said above that the second day might be a bit rough because of the release of some toxins back into the system, and I hope this is an indication that the program is working.

This would make perfect sense for Blood Type O people.

Yes it would. I'm actually type A, but then again I guess I'm not craving meat specifically either -- the sauce I talked about last night also had bamboo and bean curd. I think my body was really wanting some variety, but I talked it over and promised it a nice treat at the end of the week when the fast is over.

 

[Beau]

Just a note that I found that eating nothing but brown rice wasn't what my body likes. My body likes vegetables and meat.

Yeah, me too. I ended up pretty much starving myself the last few days of the fast, I was pretty fed up with brown rice. Being Type O, I am right with you about liking veggies and meat. I did find it interesting that after doing the fast and re-introducing new foods that I found I was sensitive to certain foods. So it was beneficial in that respect.

 

[Laura]

Just a note that I found that eating nothing but brown rice wasn't what my body likes. My body likes vegetables and meat.

I think my body agrees, although I will try to tough it out until Friday just for the detox benefit. I am doing OK, but I felt generally hungry all day despite the rice, and it was mild torture putting away the leftovers for the rest of my family tonight (greens and a meat sauce over noodles). It will be interesting to see what tomorrow is like.

For me it wasn't feeling hungry, it was feeling an increase of inflammation. Aching joints, foggy brain, sluggish.

Then, I was reading "Detoxification and Healing" and the author mentions that some people can't eat rice - or too much of it - because of the lectins in the rice.

Have a look here:

http://www.owenfoundation.com/Health_Science/Lectins_in_Foods.html

You'll see that rice is agglutinating for all blood types.

See also: http://www.springerlink.com/content/cmg57277n0051211/

So, a cup or so a day or every other day is all I can handle.

 

[shijing]

For me it wasn't feeling hungry, it was feeling an increase of inflammation. Aching joints, foggy brain, sluggish.

Yes, those are more the symptoms that I am feeling today -- I can also now add diarrhea to the list as well.

Then, I was reading "Detoxification and Healing" and the author mentions that some people can't eat rice - or too much of it - because of the lectins in the rice.

Have a look here:

http://www.owenfoundation.com/Health_Science/Lectins_in_Foods.html

You'll see that rice is agglutinating for all blood types.

See also: http://www.springerlink.com/content/cmg57277n0051211/

So, a cup or so a day or every other day is all I can handle.

I took a look at both links, but I guess I don't know enough about nutrition and diet to understand completely what they are saying. Are lectins and agglutination things that are generally bad for us?

I did think it was interesting that the first link included this:

Most interesting to those who follow the blood type diet may not be whether a food causes agglutination or not, but that almost every food reacts identically with each blood type. So, what is the basis for the Blood Type Diet??? Answer: There IS NO basis. It's a pure scam.

 

[anart]

-- the sauce I talked about last night also had bamboo and bean curd.

Did you miss this thread? Soy is EVIL!! (well, the fermented forms (tempeh and miso) are a bit less evil, but if they're GMO, which over 90% of all soy now is, it's still evil)

You might want to consider taking bean curd off your family's menu.

 

[Ollie]

Hi Shijing

I found this interesting too,

I did think it was interesting that the first link included this:

Most interesting to those who follow the blood type diet may not be whether a food causes agglutination or not, but that almost every food reacts identically with each blood type. So, what is the basis for the Blood Type Diet??? Answer: There IS NO basis. It's a pure scam.

I'm not sure where that leaves me diet-wise! Perhaps someone more knowledgeable in these matters can advise.

 

[shijing]

-- the sauce I talked about last night also had bamboo and bean curd.

Did you miss this thread? Soy is EVIL!! (well, the fermented forms (tempeh and miso) are a bit less evil, but if they're GMO, which over 90% of all soy now is, it's still evil)

You might want to consider taking bean curd off your family's menu.

OK, thanks anart -- I hadn't missed the thread, but the family menu is a matter of some negotiation right now. I am actually lucky because my wife is generally going along with most of the changes I am trying to introduce, but as she is not involved here and therefore less-motivated, I have found that in order to make the most permanent changes in our diet, I have to compromise to a certain extent and introduce them one at a time. If I try to do it all at once, she feels that I'm pushing too hard and fights it. At this point we are dairy-free and gluten-free, and I'm working toward eliminating corn and soy (soy is going to be the biggest challenge since my wife is from Taiwan, but we have at least replaced soy milk with rice milk and she has agreed to cutting down on using soy sauce in cooking, although it hasn't been completely eliminated yet). The bean curd issue worked out for me personally last night since I am on the brown rice fast, but hopefully we will eventually move away from that as well collectively. My daughter is working on a persuasive essay for her Language Arts class right now about eating correctly, and one of her paragraphs is about soy, so I am hoping that will make her a bit more amenable to cutting it from our diet as well.

Most interesting to those who follow the blood type diet may not be whether a food causes agglutination or not, but that almost every food reacts identically with each blood type. So, what is the basis for the Blood Type Diet??? Answer: There IS NO basis. It's a pure scam.

I'm not sure where that leaves me diet-wise! Perhaps someone more knowledgeable in these matters can advise.

I'm assuming this may be a wheat-and-chaff issue (in that perhaps not everything on that site is accurate), but let's see if anyone else comments.

 

[Laura]

I wouldn't toss out the Blood type diet but I think that taking it too categorically can be a mistake. Every human being is distinct and individual. There are general "rules" but even those are not hard and fast and there are exceptions.

 

[Gaby]

Are lectins and agglutination things that are generally bad for us?

Hopefully the following will help to clarify:

Lectins — A Little Known Trouble Maker

by James LaValle, R.Ph, ND, CCN

While most of the world seems to be touting the benefits of whole grains these days, a few people are insisting that grains are not as healthy as we think.

One of the reasons grains may be a problem in human nutrition is because they contain lectins, a class of molecules called glycoproteins (molecules that contain a protein and a sugar).

While dietary lectins are known in the scientific and nutritional communities, most lay people and even many medical professionals don’t know about them.

Lectins are involved in food allergies/sensitivities, inflammation and autoimmune disease, just to name a few. For instance, lectins are linked to celiac disease. Even weight gain and low energy can be linked to lectins.

Whole grains, peanuts, kidney beans, and soybeans are high in lectins. Cow’s milk, nightshade vegetables (like potatoes and tomatoes) and some seafood also contain fairly high amounts of lectin. In fact, estimates are that about 30% of our foods contain lectins, and about 5% of the lectins we eat will enter our circulation.

Lectins are problematic because they are sticky molecules that can bind to the linings of human tissue, especially intestinal cells. In so doing, they disable cells in the GI tract, keeping them from repairing and rebuilding.1 Therefore, lectins can contribute to eroding your intestinal barrier (leaky gut).

Because the lectins also circulate throughout the bloodstream they can bind to any tissue in the body ­— thyroid, pancreas, collagen in joints, etc.2 This binding can disrupt the function of that tissue and cause white blood cells to attack the lectin-bound tissue, destroying it. This is an autoimmune response. The lectins in wheat for example, are specifically known to be involved in rheumatoid arthritis.

But why do only some people react to the lectins in foods while others can eat them with no apparent problems? There are two answers to this question. First, many people may be having problems but they just don’t realize it. For example, autoimmune thyroiditis could be caused by dietary lectins.6

As another example, many of our patients who thought they had no food intolerance at all have experienced much improved energy and weight control when they eliminated wheat and dairy. They didn’t realize until after they eliminated these foods that they were being affected by them.

But certainly many people tolerate these foods — why?

The answer lies in the balance of gut flora and a person’s immune system. When you have adequate beneficial flora, it serves as a protective barrier against substances that travel through the intestines, including lectins. But importantly, beneficial flora are needed to keep the production going in the intestines of two lectin-protective substances, mucin and secretory IgA.3,4

Mucin, like lectin, is a glycoprotein in the mucous lining of the intestines. When lectins travel through the intestines, they should have mucin to bind to, rather than intestinal cells. But if mucin is missing, lectins will bind to intestinal cells instead. Secretory IgA also binds to lectins, preventing them from causing damage.5

If you have any lectin-related health issues like arthritis, allergies or autoimmune disease, our experience shows it is very helpful to reduce your intake of lectins, especially from wheat. It’s also very important to balance immunity by working on stress management and gut health.

By taking a good quality probiotic you’ll help stimulate adequate mucin and secretory IgA production.3,4 And controlling your stress response will help prevent the over production of IgA and maintain immune balance in the gut to improve your tolerance to lectins.

References

1. Pierini C. Vitamin Research News. Jan 2007. 21(1): 1-4.
2. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070801091240.htm.
3. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1993 Oct;47(10):691-9.
4. Deplancke B and Rex-Gaskins H. AJCN. June 2001. 73(6):1131S-1141S.
5. Buts JP, et al. Digestive Disease and Sciences. Feb 1990. 35(2): 251-56.
6. Cordain L et al. British Journal of Nutrition (2000), 83, 207–217.

Agglutination refers to "clumping together of biologic material, such as red blood cells in response to a particular antibody (an immune response)." _http://www.thefreedictionary.com/agglutination

 

[shijing]

OK, thanks for your response Psyche, that was a nice primer on lectins and clarification of agglutination.

So it seems that the lectins in rice can actually cause some of the same problems as those in wheat (which we are studiously avoiding), at least in some people. I have a family history of autoimmune problems (on my dad's side), and I have at least one manifestation of that (psoriasis), so perhaps when I am done with the fast (which I want to finish this week for the reasons pointed out by Heimdallr above) it would be good to cut down on rice also? That's the gist of what I am getting from this article anyway. Please let me know if I have misunderstood.

 

[Gaby]

Yeah, I think that in your case, cutting down will be a good idea. I also think that it depends on each individual as well.

In the Ultra Simple diet (which is an elimination diet), the amount of brown rice is limited to 1/2 cup twice a day.

 

[Ollie]

Thanks Laura and Psyche for your responses.

I realised early this morning on awakening that I had discovered yet another programme - authority! And, checking inside for few foodstuffs, Blood type A's came out as preferable to those for Blood type O, so it is back to normal and checking out each new food introduced for any reaction.