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dvandom ([personal profile] dvandom) wrote2007-08-13 05:56 pm
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Brown rice


One of my regular dinner entrees has been a bag of "boil in bag" rice (2 servings, to go by the box) with 34g of shredded sharp cheddar, 10-20g of diced or shredded pepperoni, a dash of shredded romano and some garlic salt, plus a long squirt of pizza sauce. Pizza rice, basically. Unfortunately, it amounts to about twice as much carbs as I really should be having for dinner, and since reducing my meds that has become a significant point, with my glucose numbers shooting into the 140-160 range at the "two hours after dinner" range whenever I have it. I tried cutting out milk entirely and just drinking water with it, but I'm starting to worry about drinking too little milk.

Thus, I was heartened to find that brown rice not only has more fiber than white, but it also has fewer carbs (by about 25%) and calories for the same mass of rice. And it comes in boil in bag variety (this is important, because I got tired of messing about with rice on the cooktop years ago, and I don't feel like dedicating any of my limited counter space to a rice cooker). So tonight I tried some.

Preliminary verdict...tentative yes. Obviously, given the stuff I add, the taste wasn't any different. The rice is really just a substrate, I don't much taste it one way or another. The texture was a bit off, but maybe I just need to reduce the cooking time a little. Now, to wait 2 hours and see if my glucose levels are more reasonable. Of course, it'll take a few more trials to be sure of both gustatory and diabetic elements, but at least I didn't have to force myself to finish the meal.

If this doesn't work out, though, my next option will be to reduce portion size by cutting open the bags and using a pasta strainer to drain the 3/4 of a bag's worth that I'll cook at a time. Maybe mixing white and brown in the process, who knows. I'm told that fresh brown rice tends to go rancid fairly quickly, but the boil in bag variety has a use-by-date of, um, two years from now. ;)

Update: 141 mg/dl. Better, but not great.

[identity profile] palintheist.livejournal.com 2007-08-14 05:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Slightly undercooking it prevents it from having that sticky gluey texture, and if you're adding something "hot" to it, it can further cook it - so rice done to a turn will cook a little further and end up less than palatable.

[identity profile] dvandom.livejournal.com 2007-08-14 05:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Yep. Although this stuff is precooked and just being rehydrated/heated, so I may not have as much control as I would over fresh. My mom always overcooked rice when I was a kid, which is why I hated it until I got to college and discovered it was one of the few foods that cafeteria-style prep treated well. :) I may have to break down and get a rice cooker, though, if I really want to exercise proper portion and prep control.

[identity profile] palintheist.livejournal.com 2007-08-14 08:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Consider getting a steamer instead - more versatile and allows you to cook meat and veggies in it as well as rice. Mine has three levels, so I can do rice, chicken, and vegetables all at the same time - relatively small counter footprint, too. :)

[identity profile] dvandom.livejournal.com 2007-08-14 10:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Just got a rice cooker with steamer tray. Gonna try it first with white rice, since that's supposedly a little more forgiving. :)