What Goes In (part II)

Most of us eat with rice and for some other natives they eat with corn and/or potatoes. White rice is common in meals because it does not throw spices and other ingredients and makes very good filler, main source of energy but it is mostly empty calorie. There aren’t any real nutrients in rice. Rice is all starch, which turns into sugar in the body when digested, since most starchy foods are rapidly broken down into sugar. Carbs give us energy, and sometimes raise our blood sugar too much. Additionally, when some cooked starches, such as potatoes and rice, are cooked and cooled, a small percentage of the starch takes longer to digest. Some starches aren’t digested in the small intestine at all, but they go to the colon and broke down, where they may play a vital role in the health of the colon as well as the rest of the body. Some of the fibers and starches, which ferment in the colon, in other words, extra digested by bacterium there, (generate an essential type of fat useful for the body) which are difficult for the body to get hold of in any other way.

It is better to eat other wild grains and Brown Rice. Brown rice is really white rice with the bran left on (only the husk is removed). This means that more of the nutrients are preserved. The flavor, however, is slightly sharp and similar to wild rice. Some brown rice do have other layers removed, but have not been "polished" - polishing makes the rice white. Brown rice is a good source of manganese, and the minerals selenium and magnesium.

One processed food that seems to be digested more slowly is pasta. But it is better if we will eat those made from herb or specifically Spinach Pasta (green in color). These veggie-made pastas are a very good source of beta-carotene and lutein, two important cancer-fighting anti-oxidants. This leafy green vegetable is also loaded with folic acid, vitamin K, magnesium and manganese. Remember to cook it al-dente because it affects how glycemic your pasta can be.

When eating bread, prefer to buy wheat bread or the multi-grain bread. These have lots of fibers, which help clean the digestive system and regulate blood sugar. Eating foods that contain high amounts of fiber helps us let go some of those toxins accumulated in our intestines.

Maybe a lot of you have heard about trans-fat. Oh, that's just one of those horrible ingredients on your food, (sometimes on breads) and horrible things it can cause to your body!