Eating rice with chopsticks lowers one's blood sugar level
CNRC director Jeyakumar Henry said: "I lived in England for more than 30 years, and everyone used spoons to eat, but in my three years in Singapore, I realised that the multi-ethnic population here had their own unique ways of eating. This made me think about whether the way we eat affects our glucose response."
"I'm pleased that our survey showed that eating rice with chopsticks results in a lower glucose response. I think it's because when one uses chopsticks, the amount of rice grains picked up is smaller than if one uses his hands or a spoon. As a result, one eats less in a mouthful, and increases the time it takes to eat."
He further explained that when people eat less and chew less, slowly-eaten or incompletely digested carbohydrate particles are larger and take longer to digest, which result in a lower increase in blood sugar after eating.
For those who do not have a habit of using chopsticks, Mr Henry said that the message for them is to "enjoy their food slowly, and to eat less in each mouthful".