A simple substitution that could save your life

Dear Reader, Breaking news, everyone! Results are in from the very first randomized controlled trial to stack two types of rice--white and brown--against each other. Although I have to wonder who funded this study. Because frankly, it's a little ridiculous. I mean, we've known about the danger of white rice--not to mention white bread, white potatoes, and every other processed "white" food you can think of--forever . So why does it still shock researchers? I simply can't believe they're that dumb. (Well, maybe I can.) But since they went to the trouble, let's talk about their results. Compared to people who consumed large amounts of white rice, overweight and obese subjects eating a brown-rice-based diet had 20 percent lower blood sugar. And they also had 57 percent lower fasting insulin levels. These results are hardly surprising. But they do illustrate huge strides in blood sugar balance and diabetes control. And they were achieved with one simple dietary substitution--brown rice for white rice. Nothing else was changed. I don't have to explain the benefit this kind of lifestyle change could have from a public health perspective. We're talking about the potential for dramatic reductions in one of the world's most horrible diseases. All from a simple swap. Now just imagine if you exercised, took a few vitamin supplements, and--gasp!--stopped eating rice altogether . The results would be astonishing. Because at the end of the day, even brown rice turns into sugar in your body. And sugar kills. I know these study results appear to put brown rice in a positive light. But, really, brown rice is simply the lesser of two evils. It may be a better choice. But that doesn't make it a good choice, by any definition. Taking it off your plate entirely could make a life-changing difference. And lucky for all of us, it couldn't be easier to do. Because if there's one useful takeaway this study gave us, it's that staying trim and healthy is not hard. Look, I am not naturally thin, either. I have to work at it. So imagine my relief when I discovered what a fun, easy, and delicious endeavor it can be. And that's why everything I write about here, every piece of advice I share with you, involves simple solutions to problems most people think are monumental. It's like my mother always used to say. You can choose to make a task hard. Or you can choose to make it easy. It's up to you. Well, I have chosen to make things easy. And you can too Proof that preventing disease doesn't require deprivation I know I talk a lot about eliminating sugar from your diet. If you want to stay healthy, it's just a non-negotiable fact. But honestly, I prefer to focus on what you can eat. Which is precisely why studies like this one always make my day. New research published in the Journal of Nutrition surveyed 2,000 women on their daily flavonoid intake. This was the largest study yet to examine the disease-fighting power of food. And lo and behold. Results showed that a diet rich in flavones and anthocyanins--the same compounds that give fruits and vegetables their bright colors--can lower insulin resistance and improve blood sugar control. But that's not all. It can also slash inflammation levels. And as I've explained many times before, inflammation is a major smoking gun behind every chronic, deadly disease in the book. So go ahead and eat well--you have my permission. Sit down with a bowl of strawberries. Cook with fresh herbs by the handful. And by all means, indulge in some rich, dark chocolate whenever you have the chance. (The darker the better, of course.) Because these anthocyanin-packed foods aren't just delicious. They'll beat back disease with every bite, too. Until next time, Dr. Fred Sources: Replace White Rice With Brown to Cut Obesity and Diabetes. Medscape. Jan 16, 2014. "Intakes of Anthocyanins and Flavones Are Associated with Biomarkers of Insulin Resistance and Inflammation in Women." J Nutr. 2014 Feb;144(2):202-8.