On a weight-loss journey and just itching to speed things up? The odds are you’ve done some research and that means stumbling across names of slimming drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, and TikTok tricks such as ‘rice-zempic’.
What is rice-zempic? It’s the latest trend (and home remedy) on social media that content creators are championing as a natural way to suppress your appetite and lose weight.
The concoction, according to social media channels, is made something like this: soak uncooked rice in water for between five to 30 minutes (or overnight, if you prefer), add a dash of lime juice and, well, drink first thing in the morning.
A US-based beauty influencer called Avonna Sunshine reportedly told Good Morning America that she tried the trend to slim her midsection.
“I already use rice water for other things like my skin care and my hair for hair growth,” she said. “So that was another reason that I didn’t think there was any harm in consuming it.”
She added, reported abc News, “It did cut my appetite. I didn’t know that the first day — I wasn’t paying close attention to it — but then the following days, I did notice I was eating a lot less.”
However, doctors on the ground, are quick to point out that it cannot be a replacement for FDA-approved weight-loss medications.
Dr. Nate Wood, director of culinary medicine at the Yale School of Medicine, was quoted as saying by abc news: “Medication kind of shuts off part of the appetite center in your brain — short term and long term, we don’t have any data that these resistant starches are going to help people lose weight, and definitely not a clinically meaningful amount of weight.”
Sakina Mustansir, who is a dietician at Dubai and Abu Dhabi-based Prime Hospital, adds: “Rice-zempic is a fad. There is no evidence that starch water has any properties to impact weight loss. The only thing it would do is it might make you feel full temporarily when taken before meals so you eat less but that can be achieved with drinking plain water with lemon before meals too.”
Drinking rice water isn’t a new thing; in Asian countries such as India and China, a number of people consume the starch-rich liquid. The difference is that the water strained for drinking comes from boiled rice. This water contains minerals and probiotics that are good for gut health. Traditionally, explains Times of India, “it was given to children suffering from stomach issues and especially to provide relief against diarrhoea.”
Called torani, it is thought to offer hydration, essential nutrients and a quick energy boost – which makes it perfect for cooling off during summertime.
In Korea too, rice water is touted for its myriad benefits. However, here it isn’t drunk but used as a grooming product. You can make the rice water by soaking or boiling, but the important thing is the way you use it – it can replace toner, face masks, hair rinser and even water for a bath.
Have you tried rice water yet?