Project TikGirl

I have been eating red rice -- a variety of unpolished rice -- for a few weeks now. Or, rather, every time I get the chance to prepare my packed lunch. (Sometimes, I'm soooo lazy to cook I just eat out. Lol) Here's my baon last Monday and Tuesday.

With veggies sauteed in rosemary and shitake mushroom

Longganisa (Hehehe. Okay, that's not very healthy but it's my favorite! Huhu)

Filipinos eat rice everyday. In fact -- due to the country's poor agrarian reform and lack if not absence of support to local farmers -- the Philippines is one of the biggest rice importer in the world. It is so ironic considering that a huge percentage of its population earns from tilling the land.

Anyhow, the mere thought of buying, cooking and eating red rice is far-fetched for most Filipinos. In fact, because red and brown rice are so expensive, I think -- and this is just my conclusion -- that only the rich could afford it.

I, myself, wanted to try it a long time ago. But I found it too expensive. Until I discovered a small store in Cartimar, Pasay City that sells brown and red rice for only P48 to P50 per kilo. And I was like, for real? The price of white rice is pegged somewhere between P38 to P48 per kilo. Not bad, I thought.

A lot of people I know would stop eating rice whenever they want to lose weight. I tried that too. But then after weeks (okay, maybe days) of not eating rice -- I would always go back to its sweet embrace. Partly because it's part of my culture and a routine that I knew since I was still young.

I guess it's a matter of choice on how one would prefer to lose weight. But, I assure you, that eating rice -- when taken moderately and with regular exercise -- will not make you fat.

Red rice is a good source of vitamins and minerals. My Lolo Tony told me it's primarily because of its unpolished husks, where all these fiber and minerals are stored, unlike in white rice or well-milled rice.

Health bloggers -- at least from what I have read in the past -- said that aside from regulating weight, red rice also cleanses the body of toxins and absorbs cholesterol. There are also studies that said red rice is good for diabetic persons and even those with asthma.

I have yet to discover for myself if all these studies are true. So far, it helped me regulate my bowel movement and I noticed that it helped me lessen my cravings, especially during the afternoons -- where all the sinful snacks comes into the picture.

I just hope that red rice will become more accessible to everyone -- for all Filipinos.

Task completed.