Wow. The nonense that people write on here is astonishing. 1) Rice is not a complex unless you are referring to brown rice or wild rice varities. The white rice, which has had most of the fibre removed as wll as some of the nutrients, can ony be considered a simple carb. 2 "Complex carbs, such as rice, bread or pasta, can have a huge effect on the blood sugar. They usually make the sugar skyrocket" This is untrue. Again, one must clearly differentiate between complex and simple carbs. Just as I mentioned that white rice is a simple carb, likewise is the case with white bread and certain types of pasta. However, some breads (like the German ones) are clearly complex carbs, and the same is true with pasta. There is rice pasta, semolina pasta, whole wheat pasta etc. Depending on the inredients, the pasta will be either complex or simple carbs. Furthermore, complex carbs do not make the sugar levels "skyrocket". This is untrue. Complex carbs actually help to control sugar levels, not to cause them to be erratic. "Now, strictly speaking you do not need to eat carbohydrates directly, because proteins are converted by the body into carbohydrates." If you believe this, then you should also join the UFO searching groups. This is just plain industry spewed garbage. The body absolutely NEEDS complex carbs. The brain cannot function without it. This is basic. Also, the idea that protein will be converted to carbs and that is a substitute is also false. Who wants you to believe this? Those corporations selling the Atkins-type diets - it is not science; it is profit. A word on protein. The body needs very little protein. Perhaps about 15-20% of all food in a day. Too much protein stresses the kidneys, causes higher rates of cancer, and is linked to colon problems, among other things. I recommend a little research before you believe everything on here. Try Michael Pollan and Marion Nestle. The food industry hates people like this because they reduce their profits, but they can teach you things that you will never learn on this website.

..Starch turns to sugar?

There are two types of carbs. Complex and simple. Sugar and white bread both contain carbs. Can you guess which type? They both contain simple carbs. Whole grains, rice that has not been milled and stripped down and polished, whole wheat pasta etc, these are complex carbs and there is a difference. The complex carbs are necessary for your body and actually help the body to regulate sugar and insulin levels; white bread - like wonder and most American breads - white rice, cakes, cookies etc have simple carbs that do not help the body (diabetic or not they are unhelpful). Meat and protein are not nor ever have been carbs. The person who suggested that meat should be eaten over complex carbs is giving some really bad advice. Do NOT follow it if you care about your health. Pick up some books and read about these things. Someone mentioned Nestle and Pollan. Both are decent sources to start, but you can also look at Nina Planck and Eric Schlosser (the author of Fast Food Nation the book, which is far better than the film). Don't just believe anyone who says he is an expert or a doctor. Research it for yourself and "wade through the rubbish" such as what you read in the first 3 posts. According to WHFoods: The process that produces brown rice removes only the outermost layer, the hulllinks, of the rice kernel and is the least damaging to its nutritional value. The complete milling and polishing that converts brown rice into white rice destroys 67% of the vitamin B3, 80% of the vitamin B1, 90% of the vitamin B6, half of the manganese, half of the phosphorus, 60% of the iron, and all of the dietary fiber and essential fatty acids. Fully milled and polished white rice is required to be "enriched" with vitamins B1, B3 and iron.

Asking how rice interacts with diabetes is a little strange. It's true that some foods should be avoided altogether, but perhaps the question is not being asked right. Try instead: What is it about certain foods like white rice that make it a poor choice for people with diabetes? A basic understanding of what carbs are (simple and complex) and why they are NEEDED, how protein is used by the body (it's not a substitute for complex carbs), and what diabetes is will help to answer the question. In fact, the answers to these questions are really simple. This is food, not rocket science. It doesen't have to be as complicated as many in the food industry want you to believe. That's why knowing a little will help you to aviod those terrible and dangerous fad diets such as this low/no carb craze at the moment. Furthermore, no one really knows much about the way the body uses certain nutrients in food. So, if you look at a carrot and think "oh yes! Vitamin A.I need that." then you are missing the point. It's true we need vitimin A, but it is not true that we should break up food into bare calories, carbs and vitimins. It is this sort of thinking that is indoctrinated in people so that they purchase based on misinformation. Take Tropicana orange juice, for example. A few years there was a with pulp variety and a lowpulp variety. now? There is low acid, calcium, evn talk of an omega-3 and omega-6 version. This should cause a thinking person to stop and ask a few questions. Is the body going to absorb calcium from oj? Why is it added? Has it really been proven to help the person the way the companies claim? What about omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids added to food? Well, there is little supporting evidence that it will help you. Regulations have been relaxed on food since the Carter Administration (this is not a left vs right issue - it's a business issue), and that's why you see these franken foods that have not been proven safe or to even do the things companies claim. As other comments say, it is best to check independent sources to prove to yourself what is best. Independent includes some of the authors they recommend and others that you feel are not funded by or paid by the food industry. This is why people ask how rice interacts with diabetes. You can educate yourself, but it requires a lot of work. You can believe that complex carbs are bad for you and that you need to eat lots of chicken and beef or that there is a better answer out there. Up to you.

Questions: How does rice interact with diabetes? Answers: Well, let's put it as simple as possible: Rice is a cereal, cereal are rich sources of complex carbohydrates, carbohydrates are basically monosaccharide sugars and when consumed are converted into sugar into your blood stream. Diabetics hold to watch the sugar they consume. Rice surrounded by your body turns into sugar.....that's the connection. Now, strictly speaking you do not stipulation to eat carbohydrates directly, because proteins are converted by the body into carbohydrates. Then if you put away meat and rice, you are eating carbohydrates "twice" later giving your body "twice" the sugar. Not good for a diabetic diet. Is it true that diabetics should not eat rice? If you have diabetes, there is no single way to eat. The proportions of carbohydrate, protein and fat in your eating plan depend on your weight, blood cholesterol level, and medicinal needs. What you eat also depends on what foods you enjoy. Your doctor, along with a registered dietitian, can help you plan what’s right for you - portion sizes, types of food, and overall timing. In the past, a strictly-planned diet for diabetes prescribed specific ratios for energy nutrients: carbohydrates, protein and fat. Recently, the guidelines became more flexible to meet individual needs. Actually, a diabetic diet isn’t too different from any healthy eating pattern. How much carbohydrate does one need? Experts advise consuming about 50 to 60 percent of one’s total daily calories from carbohydrates, mostly complex carbohydrates, and no more than 30 percent of calories from fat. Restricting total carbs to less than 130 grams per day is not recommended, according to the American Diabetes Association. Also, the National Academy of Sciences - Food and Nutrition Board recommended that diets provide 45 to 65 percent of calories from carbohydrates, with a minimum intake of 130 grams per day for adults. However, Joslin Diabetes Center released nutrition guidelines for obese persons with diabetes in 2005. The new guidelines recommend that 40 percent of total calories come from carbohydrates, mainly from fresh vegetables, fruits and beans. Carbohydrates are the nutrients with the greatest effect on our blood glucose. And monitoring total grams of carbs you have in each meal is the key to achieving good blood glucose control. In general, a balanced healthy diet, low in fat, with a low glycemic index, high in fiber and loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals is recommended for diabetics. Refined carbohydrate diets (sugar, white flour, white rice, etc.) are rapidly absorbed, elevating the blood sugar as well as triglycerides after meals. However, when complex carbohydrates - whole grain bread and cereals, brown rice, bran, fruits, vegetables and no refined sugar - compose most of the meal, the disadvantages of a high carbohydrate diet disappear. The body better utilizes the carbohydrate and glucose in the food. Complex carbohydrates are absorbed more slowly in the blood and usually have a lower glycemic index than simple carbohydrates, which are absorbed rapidly and have higher glycemic index. Glycemic index (GI) ranks carbohydrate-rich foods according to their glycemic response. Foods that raise your blood glucose level quickly have a higher GI rating than foods that raise your blood glucose level more slowly. In general, the lower the rating, the better the quality of carbohydrate. Not only do low GI foods raise your blood glucose more slowly and to a less dramatic peak than higher GI foods, but most low GI foods are all-around healthier choices. Low GI foods are usually lower in calories and fat, while also being high in fiber, nutrients and antioxidants. Choosing low GI foods more often may help you increase your levels of HDL (good cholesterol). Rice is a complex carbohydrate, and belongs to low glycemic index foods (55 or less), with high fiber content, characteristics that help persons with diabetes lower blood glucose levels. When eaten in moderation (within the percentage level prescribed), rice is safe to eat. One need only observe portion size per meal and total calorie intake per day. Brown rice is better than white rice. The variety of rice may be identical, but milling removes the husk from the grain and turns the brown rice to white. The white rice that most of us eat is comprised mostly of carbohydrates, with the nutrients stripped off in the milling process. Brown rice has 349 percent more fiber, 203 percent more Vitamin E, 185 percent more B6, and 219 percent more magnesium. With 19 percent more protein, brown is more balanced. It is noteworthy that brown rice has a low glycemic index, 55 as compared to white rice’s 70. The development of diabetes later in life has been linked to the over consumption of foods with high glycemic indices. We can therefore say that rice does not cause diabetes and that diabetics can eat rice, provided it fits into the total daily carbohydrate requirement, and eaten in moderation.

"Complex carbs such as rice, bread or pasta, can have a huge effect on the blood sugar. They usually make the sugar skyrocket, and you most likely need insulin when eating these types of foods." Who wrote this? I mean come on. As if all bread, rice and pasta were the same. Look. It is simple. There are - as has already been said - simple and complex carbs. White rice is simple but brown rice is complex carbs. So to say that rice is complex and therefore causes sugar problems is never true. It is not even true if you say white rice as he states that white rice is complex carbs. Some people are ignorant. This person shouldn't be giving advice. Period. To state clearly, carbs are not bad. They are not unhealthy. They do not cause diabetes or make it worse. The body needs carbs or it will not survive. However, I am referring to complex carbs eaten properly, otherwise you can have problems. Furthermore, it is the simple carbs that are most responsible for the health problems pople suffer from - that and a complete lifestyle w/ lack of exercise and moderation. Question carefully any diet or expert - no shortage of those now- who says that low carb is best. Low amounts of simple carbs is best, but not low of amounts of complex carbs. And if you are on a diet, you can serious damage to your body on a high protein (lots of meat) and low carb (especially if u leave out complex carbs)diets.