New Delhi, October 28 (IANS). Rice is an important part of the Indian thali. It is common here to eat rice all the time, morning, noon and night. However, many people believe that eating rice at night is harmful.
According to Ayurveda, the nature of rice is cool and smooth. Old rice is considered light, while new rice is heavy and difficult to digest. At night, when the Agni of the body becomes weak, it becomes difficult to digest rice, which leads to gas, indigestion and feeling of heaviness.
From a scientific point of view, rice has high amount of carbohydrates. It gives energy, but due to slow metabolism at night, the body is not able to digest it completely and problems like gas, flatulence and acidity occur. Also, if you eat rice at night and go to sleep immediately, that energy does not get utilized and starts getting stored in the form of fat. Therefore, it also becomes the cause of weight gain in many people.
But this does not mean that rice should be left out at all at night. If you take light and simple food, it does not cause any problem. For example, moong dal khichdi, jeera rice or rice with steamed vegetables, all are easy to digest and do not burden the body.
If despite this you still have to eat rice at night, then drink lukewarm water or soup before eating, this activates the digestive fire. Use brown rice or old rice, it has more fiber and less starch. Eat it by adding some ghee, it eases digestion and prevents gas. Walk for 5-10 minutes after eating, this prevents heaviness and gas. Eat food at least 2 hours before sleeping, so that the body has time to digest.
Interestingly, people in South India eat rice every night, yet do not become fat. The reason is that they eat it with curd, sambar or boiled vegetables and do light activity after the meal. Not only this, the resistant starch formed in cold rice is considered beneficial for the intestines.
–IANS
PIS/ABM