Cutting calories, like taking the stairs and getting enough sleep, is just one part of an overall healthy lifestyle. But there’s no denying that cutting calories can be a challenge to stick to, especially when fewer calories means smaller portions.
That’s why Volumetric foods, foods that are filling for fewer calories, are so important–and researchers found a way to turn white rice into a Volumetric-friendly food just by changing how you cook it.
You’ll actually slash rice calories in half when you follow their cooking instructions. Normally, rice gets turned into glycogen in your body, a fantastic post-workout recovery fuel for your muscles if you’re putting in hours at the gym.
But if this glycogen isn’t used by your body, it converts to glucose, which is then stored in your body as fat. Researchers found a way to convert the starch in rice into resistant starch, a type that earns its name by resisting digestion and passing through the gut unprocessed.
Essentially, it fills you up with calories that your body cannot use. And it gets better; replace just 5.4% of your daily carb intake with sources of resistant starch–rice cooked in this method, uncooked rolled oats, and slightly green bananas to name a few–and you could boost your fat burn by 20-30%!
Ready to get started? Here’s your new go-to cooking technique:
- Add a teaspoon of coconut oil to boiling water
2. Add half a cup of rice
3. Boil for 20-25 minutes
4. Refrigerate for 12 hours
But that doesn’t mean you have to eat it cold! The resistant starch created in this cooking process will remain, even if you reheat the rice. It may take a little extra planning to enjoy rice this way, but we say it’s well worth the wait time.