Rice: A Carb-Heavy Caution for Low Sugar Tolerance Diets

For those with a low sugar tolerance score, rice may not be your friend. It’s tempting to think that varieties like brown, wild, or jasmine might offer more nutritional benefits, but the reality is that rice, in all its forms, is essentially little white grains of sugar. The differences in nutrition among types are minimal, and they all pack a similar carb-heavy punch, which can quickly spike blood sugar levels.

To put things into perspective, a standard 75g portion of uncooked rice will expand to around 195-205g once cooked. If you’re measuring by volume, half a cup of cooked rice is about 90g. Confusingly, in the UK, nutritional labels on rice are often based on cooked weight, not raw. This makes portion control tricky, especially if you’re monitoring carb intake. As a rule of thumb, to achieve a 200g portion of cooked rice—approximately 280 calories, which equates to 15 teaspoons of sugar—you should start with about 75g of uncooked rice.