Sakthi Lunch

Lunch should be eaten heavy,  in the sense complete. Vegetables and beans should be more then the rice or wheat or any other grain used. A salad comprising of different leaves and germinated beans and raw vegetables is good. An ideal lunch should have the following components.

1. Grain:  Based on your cultural background this could vary. Whole grains which is soaked and cooked gives full nourishment.

      Soaking brown rice over night and cooking with excess water is the best way to make brown rice soft and tasty. Usually for white rice, water is added in the ratio of 1: 1.5 or 2 (One to one and a half or two). For brown rice the ratio should be 1:2.5 or 3 (One to two and a half or three).

     Soaking brown rice (infact any grain or beans or legumes) is shown by research New Research  to significantly reducing the nerve and vascular damage that often result from diabetes

 Soaking also causes the phytates to break down so that vitamins and minerals and other nutrients are freely available  to be   absorbed. Polished grain products or refined grains devoid of fiber and nutrients cause all diseases in the long run. Our suggestion is therefore to eat whole grains. We will discuss very briefly whole grains to be used.

           Rice in the form of un-polished whole grain form should be consumed. There are many varieties of rice. Whatever rice variety you consume does not matter. What is important is that you should eat only the unpolished unrefined variety of your favorite rice. Red rice has more nutrients than other varieties.

Un-refined Brown rice                                      Un-refined Red-rice

          Un-polished rice like brown rice or red rice or wild rice should be consumed maximum and not the white polished rice which are almost devoid of fibers and nutrients and full of starch. Eating this starchy white rice is the cause for over weight, diabetes, cholesterol and hypertension and all other diseases. If you are used to white rice it might be initially difficult to switch over to whole grain rice. However soaking brown rice or red rice overnight will make it soft and palatable. 

            But in general , use brown rice which could be cooked plain just with water alone or could be cooked with vegetables and spices. Whole rice based noodles are other option.    

Dont forget to read this article about Fermented rice - a neglected vitamin store.