Generality

The rice diet is a diet that provides for the almost exclusive (or at least prevalent) consumption of this cereal.

Currently known as a "fashionable" slimming scheme, the first rice diet was invented in the middle of the last century as a food therapy against some metabolic disorders.

Before proceeding with the description it is therefore necessary to make a fundamental distinction between the two types of diet:

  • Rice diet to purify and / or lose weight fast.
  • Rice diet for clinical nutrition.

To lose weight fast

Foods and Strategy

The diet of rice to lose weight and purify is composed mainly, but not exclusively, of the integral seeds of the herbaceous plant Oryza sativa .

The most used types of rice are: venere rice, basmati rice, red rice, any brown rice and wild rice (instead belonging to the genus Zizania ).

Other foods allowed are: fresh fruit, vegetables, other cereals or whole pseudocereals (better WITHOUT gluten such as quinoa, millet etc.), legumes NOT in cans (fresh or dried) and few protein foods, such as very low-fat cheeses, fish and the chicken breast. The following are excluded: salt, seasoning oils, butter, margarine, fatty foods, alcohol, etc.

The diet of rice to lose weight and purify "should" allow a weight loss of 20-30 kg per month.

The program is divided into two or three phases, respectively characterized by a growing caloric intake; for example: 800, 1, 200 and 2, 000 kcal per day.

The following is a Phase 1 menu, which can also be reused in the next two stages by increasing the portions and adding lean meat and fish based protein foods.

Phase 1

  • First day: basic rice diet.
    • Breakfast, lunch and dinner: 2 servings of starchy foods (eg rice) and 2 of fruit.
  • Second day (continued for another 5): diet of lacto-vegetarian rice.
    • Breakfast: 1 portion of starchy foods, 1 of lean protein foods (such as milk flakes), 1 of fruit.
    • Lunch and dinner: 3 servings of starchy foods, 3 of vegetables, 1 of fruit.

Basic rules for portions:

  • 1 portion of starchy foods = 1 slice of bread, 1/3 cup of rice or cooked beans or 1/2 cup of cooked pasta.
  • 1 portion of fruit = 1 medium-sized fruit, 1/2 banana, or 1 cup of chopped fruit.
  • 1 portion of vegetables = 1 cup of raw vegetables or 1/2 cup of cooked vegetables.
  • 1 portion of milk = 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of yogurt or 1/2 cup of ricotta.

Nutrition Facts

The nutritional characteristics that make the diet of rice a slimming and purifying strategy are:

  • Calorie reduction.
  • Fat reduction.
  • Reduction of added simple sugars.
  • Reduction of total and above all animal proteins.
  • Sodium reduction.

Downsides

The diet of rice to lose weight and purify is a drastic and not recommendable dietary method .

Other negative aspects of this system are:

  • Poor nutritional balance (protein deficiency, vit D, calcium, iron, etc.).
  • It can worsen low blood pressure.
  • It can cause a loss of muscle mass in the presence of intense and prolonged physical activity.
  • Boredom and monotony of foods.
  • Possible flatulence.
  • High risk of hunger.

Wanting to start it is strongly advised:

  • Consult your doctor.
  • Get a nutritionist to follow you.
  • Do not extend it beyond the recommended period.

For Clinical Nutrition

Invented before hypotensive drugs, the rice diet for clinical nutrition should have treated those affected by malignant arterial hypertension.

Also called hypertensive emergency (systolic pressure above 180 mm / hg and / or diastolic pressure above 120 mm / hg), this morbid condition is defined as a form of hypertension characterized by the acute impairment of one or more systems or organs (especially the nervous system central, cardiovascular and renal), which can cause irreversible damage.

The "original" rice diet included a strict nutritional restriction and hospitalization necessary for patient monitoring.

History

The rice diet was invented in 1939 by Dr. Walter Kempner of "Duke University", a refugee fleeing Nazism.

The doctor mainly followed patients with malignant hypertension associated with renal failure.

In this regard, Kempner claimed that the kidneys have a dual function:

  • Metabolic: regulation.
  • Escretory: elimination of metabolic residues.

Therefore (again based on Kempner's theory) by reducing the renal excretory load through the reduction of proteins and food minerals, it would be possible to optimize their metabolic capacity by treating malignant hypertension.

That was how Kempner began to treat patients suffering from malignant hypertension and kidney failure through the rice diet.

The results were encouraging, so much so that in 1946 he was summoned to present his (documented) study at a meeting of the "New York Academy of Medicine".

The subsequent invention and marketing of drugs for the treatment of hypertension drastically reduced the need to undertake the Kempner rice diet.

Kempner retired from the Duke Faculty in 1974, but practiced until 1992.

In 2002, the original rice diet became independent of Duke University and in 2013 resulted in the "Rice House Healthcare Program Durham" in North Carolina.

Original Rice Diet

The therapy included a total withdrawal from drugs and the exclusive nutritional intake of: rice, sugar, fruit, fruit juices, iron and vitamins.

In all, the nutritional scheme brought 2, 000 kcal, of which only 20 g of protein (4% on energy), 700-1000 ml of water (also from other liquids), 250 mg of sodium and 100 mg of chloride.

Only after a few months, if possible, small amounts of meat and vegetables were added.

The diet of rice was then made popular through several books that proposed lighter and less rigid versions.

Results

The experiment that confirmed Kempner's hypothesis on the benefits of the rice diet could be summarized as follows.

Sample: 192 people with malignant hypertension, complications and hypercholesterolemia.

  • 25 dead patients.
  • 167 alive, of which:
    • 60 patients did not significantly improve their blood pressure readings.
    • 107 patients showed a significant improvement in blood pressure with the rice diet (from 200/112 mmHg to 149/96 mmHg).
    • 66 patients of 72 decreased the size of the heart.
    • 73 patients of 82 showed a reduction in serum cholesterol.
    • 21 patients of 33 showed a decrease or disappearance of retinopathy.