I have a love-hate relationship with rice. I love eating it. I’m Asian and can’t go too long without having a rice hit. But I hate the sugar peak that comes with eating refined white rice. Frequent blood sugar spikes are detrimental to health. They can lead to long-term complications like insulin resistance, inflammation, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular issues. They can also cause short-term symptoms like fatigue, hunger and mood swings. 

So what can you do if rice is life? But you also want to minimize the blood sugar spike that can comes with it.

Here are a couple of strategies you can try:

🍚 Before (or While) Eating Rice

1. Add vinegar or lemon juice

A splash of vinegar (e.g. apple cider or rice vinegar), or a squeeze of lemon juice, before or during your meal can slow gastric emptying and reduce the glucose spike.

2. Eat fibre, protein, and fat first

Start your meal with vegetables, a salad, or some protein/fat (e.g. egg, tofu, chicken, avocado). This creates a buffer that blunts the blood sugar rise from the rice.

3. Include healthy fats and protein with the rice

Adding salmon, tofu, nuts, egg, or even a drizzle of olive oil to your rice-based dish slows digestion and lowers the glycaemic impact.

4. Choose lower glycaemic index rice

Opt for:

• Parboiled rice
• Basmati rice
• Black, red, or brown rice (but watch portion size—some people still spike with these)

Lower GI = slower glucose release.

❄️ After Cooking

5. Cook, chill, and reheat the rice

Cooling rice turns some of its starch into resistant starch, which doesn’t raise blood glucose as much. You can chill it in the fridge for several hours (or overnight) and then reheat before eating.

🧍‍♀️ After the Meal

6. Go for a walk

The worst thing you can do after a meal with simple carbs is to sit down and relax. A 10–20 minute walk after a meal can significantly reduce the post-meal glucose rise by helping muscles absorb the glucose. Even washing the dishes, cleaning up and doing housework is better than sitting after a meal.

🥄 Watch Portion Sizes

7. Try mixing with cauliflower rice or beans

This adds bulk and fibre, so you can reduce the amount of actual rice while keeping a satisfying portion. If I’m making pasta, I mix it with zucchini noodles.

8. Use a smaller portion of rice

Think 1/2 cup cooked instead of 1 cup, and build your meal around more veggies and protein instead.

Recipe Inspiration

I love this Chana Pulao (chickpea pilaf) recipe by TeaforTumeric. It uses lower GI basmati rice and chickpeas to provide protein and fibre to displace the rice. Even though I used brown basmati rice it still turned out fluffy. It’s delicious as a side for a casserole or curry. It can also be meal on its own eaten with a yogurt raita or labneh.

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