Discussion Board

Jeff -

Others on the board have discussed soaking rice overnight for possible benefits. Can you give us your take on this? Or if you have address this and I missed it give me a lead to the thread.

Thanks,
Donna

Donna,
If you are talking about pre-germinating the rice, I don't believe soaking alone is enough. There are specific parameters of temperature and time. Some rice cookers have a specific cycle for this (i.e. gaba cycle on some Zojirushi cookers).

You could search this site for the word "gaba" to see some previous discussions about pre-germinated rice. I like the taste and texture of gaba rice better than regular rice, and seem to notice more of a sense of well being also - which has been the buzz for this method.

I had heard about anti-diabetes properties before Geoffrey posted it recently. But I did notice in that article that the first response seems to be isolating the active chemical so that it can be put into a pill. I think that Dr. Campell has a pretty good point that there are many benefits from getting your nutrition from whole foods rather than supplements.

Hey Bob -

I've seen the discussions. What I want to know is if Jeff thinks there is any validity to them. I can't remeber seeing either Jeff or Dr. McDougall addressing this.

I don't want to get carried away with yet another thing that takes time and effort with little or no health benefits. I've done enough of that over the years . My desire at this point is to keep it as simple as possible. BUT - if it does have healthful benefits, it may be worth the effort.

Donna

Jeff usually answers (thankfully) from a scientific perspective. I will await his opinion. When I researched this, I found a lot of anecdotal reports of mood elevation and a general sense of well being, and I would add my own anecdotal evidence to that, although it could just be from getting past transition into the program.

When I looked into it, I found no real studies - controlled double blind etc. But I liked the taste and texture of the rice better, so I figured - why not. Guests have also remarked that it is the best rice they have ever tasted. I eat it nearly every day.

I have never seen gaba rice promoted as being a necessary nutrient in any way. So I will be really surprised if Jeff thinks it is better or worse than regular brown rice.

It would be hard to make gaba IMO without a rice cooker that has the cycle built in, because it takes a controlled temperature over several hours. It might be worth it to make a large test batch to see if you like it and if it agrees with you. I doubt anybody is going to recommend it generally for health reasons.

I found this comment by Dr. Neal Picnkney to be interesting:

http://www.vegsource.com/talk/healingheart/messages/1200473.html

..along with a success story:

http://www.vegsource.com/talk/healingheart/messages/1201366.html

I've surfed around, reading articles about sprouted brown rice. How can a rice cooker get the job done in just a few hours? Sprouting it yourself seems to take days.

Karen

Karen,
The gaba cycle just gets the germination started. The rice is warmed in water for awhile before the cooking cycle starts. People differ in how long they think it should be warmed, and the only drawback with the Zojirushi is that the cycle if fixed. But I like it fine the way they have it programmed.

I think everyone's comments have pretty much covered it.

I do not know of any real conclusive data supporting its supposed benefit, but the process is not doing anything harmful to the rice. So, if you enjoy making this and it seems to work for you, then I don't see any problem with using it.

I found it intriguing and may give it a try myself. If I do, I will let you know my experience with it.


In Health
Jeff

Thank you everyone for your replies.

Except maybe you Bob - I think you might have just cost me money

Only kidding - thanks!

Donna

Yes, we got that expensive induction rice cooker, but it has been great. The timer feature is especially important with the gaba cycle. During breakfast, you set the rice up for lunch or dinner. I cooks perfectly, is easy to clean, and keeps it perfectly warm after the cycle is done. We use it so often that it is easily one of the best investments we have made - probably THE best investment, since we use the brown rice as a staple.

I'm shopping around about to take the plunge too. I've been wanting a Zojirushi for a long time anyway, and this discussion is pushing me closer to it. Very expensive thread, indeed.

Greetings,

This topic has continued to come up on occasion, not only hear, but when I am out speaking and on other discussion boards. Recently, I met someone in Albany at a Veg Conference who said he had some data on this and I asked him to sent it to me for review.

This is the document he sent me. I thought some of you who are interested in this topic, would be interested in their "report."

http://www.fao.org/rice2004/en/pdf/ito.pdf

I found it interesting, though my overall opinion about the topic remains the same.

In Health
Jeff