The rice diet is not just another fad. It began as a medical program to treat high blood pressure and it has continued to treat patients for obesity, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease for more than 70 years. Contrary to its name, the diet is not limited to rice, although in its early phase the meals consist of low-sodium and low-fat starches and fruits.
History
The Rice Diet was developed in 1934 by Dr. Walter Kempner at Duke University. He researched the effect of diet on hypertension and found that people whose diet included rice had a low incidence of high blood pressure. He created a diet for his patients that originally had no salt, was very low in fat and included rice at every meal. His patients saw dramatic weight loss and lower blood pressure.
The Program
Dr. Kempner's rice diet became a comprehensive residential program. At the facility in Durham, North Carolina, participants can stay for any length of time and, in addition to having meals prepared, they attend classes that cover nutrition, discuss the psychology behind eating habits and learn the skills to continue a the program once they leave the clinic. The program focuses on a lifestyle approach, so exercise classes, yoga, meditation and stress management are part of the curriculum.
Diet Phases
Phase I of the rice diet is a "detox" plan in which participants eat nothing but whole grains and fruits. The basic diet consists of three meals a day with two starches and two fruits at each meal. The Phase I diet is 5 percent fat, 6 percent protein and 89 percent carbohydrates, with the emphasis on severely reducing sodium and calories. Patients at the Durham program stay on Phase I for as long as they like, but professionals at the clinic emphasize that their health status is continuously monitored. The menu selection is limited at the start, but expands to include a larger selection of fruits, vegetables, grains and beans when patients enter Phase II. During this phase the diet changes to 7 percent fat, 13 percent protein and 80 percent carbohydrates. Phase III adds fish and nonfat dairy products, with a goal of 10 to 20 percent fat, 15 percent protein and 65 to 75 percent carbohydrates.
Home-Based
The rice diet can easily be implemented at home, but the medical staff offers some important advice. Even though the home-based diet includes a little more sodium than the clinic program, they recommend talking with your physician before beginning the diet. It's very important to limit the Phase I diet to only one day a week at home. They also suggest following a vegetarian diet until you reach your goals. Detailed information about the diet can be obtained from two books, "The Rice Diet Solution" and "The Rice Diet Cookbook," both written by Kitty and Robert Rosati.
Benefits
The rice diet has been documented to help treat diabetes, obesity, heart disease and high blood pressure. In addition to weight loss, lowering salt intake reduces blood pressure and less fat helps lower cholesterol. Those two factors improve heart health. The program's website notes that the effect on diabetes is especially impressive. Their statistics state that 38 percent of patients taking insulin and 80 percent of those taking oral medications were able to discontinue medications within four weeks. Overall, fasting blood sugar and blood pressure improved, and cholesterol levels fell for all patients.
Member Comments