Anezka Fonseca
Diabetes no longer seems to be a disease affecting the aged. It has become a silent epidemic claiming thousands of victims yearly, increasingly, the youth. A nationwide study by ICMR revealed an alarming statistic: over 26% of Goans over the age of 20 are diabetic, the highest in the country.
“When I first began my practice 40 years ago, we would usually see diabetes in people over 50,” says Dr Rita Korgaonkar, a diabetologist based in Sangolda. “Now, I’ve had teens walk into my clinic with type 2 diabetes.” Diabetes is essentially a disease related to how our body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose. It’s high time we turned our attention to a carbohydrate-rich food no Goan can do without: rice.Understanding Diabetes and the Role of Rice
Diabetes is not just a disease of sugar; at its core it is a condition that affects how the human body processes carbohydrates. “When we eat carbohydrates like jaggery, chapati, or pao, the body has to metabolise them and break them down into glucose,” explains Dr Korgaonkar. “This glucose is then supposed to be utilised by the body’s cells for energy. But in diabetes patients, this mechanism is faulty.” This is because insulin, the hormone that helps glucose enter the cells is not enough or the cells have become resistant to it.
Not all carbohydrates affect the body in the same way. This is where the concept of glycemic index comes in. “In simple terms, glycemic index is a measure of how much your sugar rises after eating a certain food.” Refined carbs like white rice and maida have a high glycemic index because they are broken down quickly causing a spike in glucose levels. On the other hand, fibre rich alternatives like red rice and whole grains lead to a steady release of glucose into the blood stream.
For generations, red parboiled rice locally known as ukde tandul had been a staple in the Goan plate. Unlike its counterpart, it is minimally processed, retaining the outer bran which gives it its characteristic colour as well as nutritional value. “Red rice is rich in fibre, antioxidants, B-complex vitamins and it keeps you fuller for longer making it ideal for patients who seek to lose weight” says Prioshka Rodrigues, a registered dietician based in Mapusa.
On the contrary, polished white rice has a lacklustre nutritional profile offering little beyond calories. “White rice is mostly starch with no additional vitamins or minerals,” she adds. This makes it a high glycemic index food which causes sharp spikes in blood sugar levels and may lead to insulin resistance in the long run.
Time is of the essence in the modern, fast past-paced lifestyles which could explain why white rice has overthrown red rice as the dominant grain in urban families. “Many families prefer white rice because it cooks faster.” Says Prioshka Rodrigues, “But they don’t realise just how nutritionally poor it is compared to brown rice.” In the context of diabetes, this shift in choice matters more than one would think. “Diabetes is a disease that can be resolved with simple lifestyle changes,” says Dr Korgaonkar. “I had a patient with a sugar level of 600. Within just one and a half months, through dietary changes and exercise, he didn’t need medication anymore.” For many Goans, the solution to blood sugar problems may not lie in expensive medications but rather simple adjustments to what we eat and how we move. When asked what her advice to people suffering from diabetes would be, clinical dietician Prioshka says, “Stick to your traditional food habits, a diet rich in fibre, protein and minerals and adequate exercise is the best solution.”