A perfect body proportion like what you can see among K-pop idols isn't achieved overnight. In particular, several K-pop idols confessed that they have to undergo strict diet with proper exercise, and even gave up on some of the food that ordinary people can't live without, especially Asians-which is eating rice.
Some of the examples of K-pop idols who don't eat rice during their diet are IU, who only eat apple, sweet potato and juice for the whole day; and Soyou's famous diet which consists of four eggs without yolk and low-fat milk only for the whole day, leading her to lose 8kgs for a month.
It is inspiring and praiseworthy how these idols actually lose weight; however, you actually don't have to completely turn away with your favorite food including rice if you are going for a low-calorie diet.
According to past research that has drawn attention from netizens, rice calories can be actually cut in half by adding a little coconut oil to it and then refrigerating it.
Dr. Sudhair James of Sri Lanka's University of Chemical Engineering announced that rice calories can be reduced by up to 60 percent by mixing rice with a little coconut oil, boiling it, and refrigerating it for 12 hours.
The study was presented at an annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Denver, United States. Dr. James said, "If we refrigerate rice cooked or boiled for 20 to 25 minutes with 1 teaspoon of coconut oil mixed in boiling water and half a cup of rice (105 grams) for 12 hours, it will reduce the calorie of rice by 50 to 60 percent."
Dr. James also explained that the reason rice calories are reduced is because coconut oil and refrigeration increase the amount of indigestion resistant starch in rice.
Starch is absorbed from the small intestine into the body and changed into glucose and other simple sugars, which are used as energy sources, but unlike the well-digested starch, it is the same as having no calories because it is not decomposed and absorbed in the small intestine.
In context, resistant starch is defined as a type of starch that prevents digestion in the small intestine, functioning like fiber.
Based on this, Dr. James found this method after repeated experiments, judging that it can reduce the calories of rice by increasing the resistant starch in the rice.
In addition to this, according to Dr. James' explanation, the two processes of mixing coconut oil to make rice and refrigerate it can increase the resistant starch in rice by tenfold. Coconut oil goes into the starch granules as the rice boils. When the rice is refrigerated, hydrogen bonds are formed between the amylose molecules and turn into resistant starch.
The amount of resistant starch in the rice is not affected even if it is heated again, the doctor added. For this reason, you might as well try to add virgin coconut oil on your rice, and enjoy a low-calorie food without giving up your rice!
