The Rice Diet (book)

[Dr Robyn]

The Rice Diet by Kitty Gurkin Rosati, Ms. RD. LDN. (registered dietitian) and Robert Rosati, MD (cardiologist)

This book is a hardcore diet book. It is NOT whole-food plant-based and if I were to recommend one book to read, this would not be it. That said, it does make a strong case for the emotional, psychological and mental challenges of lifestyle change and weight loss and talks extensively about the need to work on your inner-self (journaling, counseling, support groups, etc) while you are working on changing your eating lifestyle. These points are what I thought was useful and/or what I agreed with. They are by no means inclusive of the ideas in this book.

The Rice Diet Program was established more than 70 years ago and is very low sodium. The eat mostly fresh, whole foods (salt is an appetite stimulant)

Low fat. Carbs are the main source of food – fruits, veggies, grains, beans. Fiber is good for you!

People feel satiated. It’s hard to eat 1500 calories on this diet because whole-food is bulky.

Become a mindful eater by learning about nutrition

Make time for yourself through exercise and mindful activities

Create a support community

You will know it is working because you will feel more clear headed, energetic and at peace.

You will easily stop eating in the way that is not right for you once you have the knowledge to know what is right for you.

1939 Dr Walter Kempner told a 33-year-old woman with hypertension and renal disease to eat only rice and fruit for 2 weeks. Because of his accent she misunderstood and didn’t come back for 2 months. Upon her return her blood pressure had dropped from 190/120 to 124/84. Her bleeding eye had healed and her heart had decreased in size (a good thing).

By 1947 Dr Kempner knew this diet reversed and healed renal disease, hypertension, kidney dysfunction, cholesterol levels, cardio-vascular disease and congestive heart failure.

By 1958 he proved it could reduce or eliminate the need for insulin in Type 2 diabetics

It is almost impossible not to lose weight

The psychological piece, the looking inward and the self-exploration are important components of success.

You have to be willing to become completely selfish and decide that YOU and your health are the only priority

Many people are too busy taking care of others to think about their own health

Make the choice to take care of you so you can be around a long time to take care of others

Why do you choose the foods you do?

What is the purpose of food in your life?

What is your eating behavior?

Being able to integrate new eating skills into real life is key to success

Food struggle is real

Shame around food is real

Build a community who will support you. Without it you cannot succeed long term

There is no secret. The knowledge is simple. The implementation is simple. The emotional roadblocks are hard.

You can be as healthy as you choose to be. But you have to choose.

“This is just the way I eat” is an excuse that says, “I refuse to accept that I have control.”

Become a mindful eater = understanding what IS food and what is NOT food

Listen to yourself clearly. Too often we are SO busy we cannot hear our inner voice screaming at us. And we when do hear it, we willfully choose to ignore it.

Aware and observant. Not obsessive and attached.

Why do I want to be healthier?

What will it mean to my life?

You have the power to create the life you want. It starts with the “food” you put in your mouth
Everyone you know is eating foods that do not promote health. It’s tough to be different.
You have to choose to buy and eat healthy food (but first you have to know what that means).

It is not helpful to think of foods as “good” or “bad” because then we attach that we are “good” or “bad” when we eat them. Healthy and unhealthy are better options.

Eat veggies first, slowly. Let your stomach have time to realize the volume

It is your responsibility to make healthy foods convenient by making sure they are in the house, car, office, wherever you eat

Premise – it takes about 10 calories per pound to maintain weight (note – eating whole-food plant-based means you don’t have to worry about calories)

It is easy to add calories if you feel like you are getting too thin. But that isn’t the thing to worry about until you are there!

There are about 3500-3600 calories in a pound of fat

Making the decision to change can be scary. You need to believe in your power. Trust that you can.

Gain knowledge so you never have to diet again

Too often people think they are hungry when they are feeling anxiety or fear

It’s not what’s in rice that makes this diet work. It’s what’s NOT in rice (too much protein).

All of us eat for emotional reasons. It is only when we educate ourselves about food that we can start to notice and change our response

“Sweets” (chocolate, candy bars, cakes and cookies, etc) taste sweet because of the sugar but they are mostly fats.

Artificial sweeteners have an intense flavor that give our taste buds an amazing hit. In doing so, they limit our ability to taste real food.

If you really loved to eat you would do it slowly, savoring every mouthful. Not wolfing it down in the car or over the sink.

Excess protein may cause a loss of calcium (note – studies now show that it does)

Tofu has more fat than hamburger. Although it is healthier fat, it is still fat.

Beans – protein, iron, calcium, potassium, and fiber.

20 grams of protein a day is enough to keep your body from burning muscle for fuel (about 80 calories worth)

It has been suggested that those losing weight need only 16 grams

Weigh yourself each day. It is a concrete way to remind yourself that you are committed to your health.

The only way to lose the race to a healthy weight is to drop out

Do you have a concrete and specific goal? As you record your internal dialogue (personal notes) about the journey it will help you uncover emotional and outside ideas getting in your way

Intention, declaration, action, no thinking small or using vague language.

Does your language give you a pass of not reaching some abstract goal? Do you sound hopeless?

When we doubt our ability to achieve goals we are often unwilling to state them in measurable ways.

Dream beyond what society expects from you. Join a group of people who build you up. Neutral isn’t good enough – they are just spectators

Have you spoken to the captain of your ship (you) about where you’re going?

Build your community

You must find people who accept, welcome and encourage your new self

You don’t have to join a formal group but you do need to consciously decide to reach out, regularly, to people who support you and whom you can support

If your friends don’t want what’s best for you, are they really your friends?

The reason people are healthy is because day in and day out they make choices to be healthy. It’s the everyday, little decisions that make the difference.

If you are not healthy, you’re are not making choices to be healthy. Which means you are making choices to be unhealthy.

To succeed you must be willing to look at why you have failed and address it

Junk food allows us to not feel our feelings by flooding our brains with dopamine

It is “normal” to die prematurely in the industrialized world. Don’t strive for “normal.” Strive for optimal

We are designed to eat food not pharmaceuticals

Ways to improve overall health:
Limit sodium intake
Improve bone density

Risk factors: intake of sodium, animal protein, phosphates (meat/soda), caffeine, alcohol, smoking, lack of weight bearing exercise

Eat antioxidant rich foods

There was only one recipe in the book I thought might be interesting. As of this writing, I have not tried it.

Sweet Potato Pie:

4 sweet potatoes
1 ripe banana
½ cup chopped prunes
1 tsp cinnamon
2 T ground flaxseed
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients Spread in 8×8 pan Bake @ 450 for 25 minutes

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