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If you happen to be a rice lover and at the same time want to kick start a ketogenic regime, you have come to the right place to learn about keto konjac rice.

A ketogenic eating plan comprises of a high-fat, low-carb, adequate-protein lifestyle.

What is Keto?

Keto focusses on changing the fuel that your body relies upon. Instead of using the regular sugar (glucose) present in carbohydrates like vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes, keto triggers a specific “fuel” called keto bodies: something that the liver produces from stored fat.

Typically, carbohydrates present in food get converted into glucose which is then transported all around your body and fuels brain function. However, if your carbohydrate intake goes down, the liver secretes ketone bodies and fatty acids from fat. These ketone bodies are then flushed into your brain and serve as an alternative energy source to glucose.

Basically, instead of cutting down on fat, as most other diets promote, you restrict your carbohydrates intake and eat more fat instead. Therefore you’re no longer able to eat foods like bananas as one banana contains about 27 grams of carbs. Instead, you need to eat foods that are lower in carbs as you will need to go down to about 20-50 grams of carbs per day to be successful on keto. 

Keeping this in mind, let’s take about rice. 

Rice is a significant source of carbohydrates. In fact, one cup of regular rice contains over 45 grams of carbs. This is a food that you definitely cannot have on keto /low carb. 

Moreover, rice also happens to be a staple dietary element across several countries and most likely it has been the same in your own household. Therefore, suddenly, cutting rice out of your diet might turn out to be quite difficult for many and isn’t quite feasible.

 

Enter: Konjac Rice

Keto friendly rice, also called konjac rice, is a fantastic alternative for regular rice or brown rice, especially if you are on keto. This type of rice is rich in fiber, extremely low in carbs, and is scrumptious, at least in comparison to the bland cauliflower rice and when prepared the right way.

It is essentially sliced down konjac noodles that closely resemble rice. The actual name of this dish is “Shirataki” noodles and has been a popular choice in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean cuisines for several centuries.

Note: at different points of this article, “Shirataki” noodles and konjac rice are used interchangeably. It’s because they are essentially the same.

This low carb rice is made in this way. Upon mixing powdered konjac root and water, the mixture is boiled and cooled, following which a solidification into noodles takes place. Since these noodles are very fragile, they are packaged in plastic bags (filled with water) to ensure that the noodles don’t crumble.

Sometimes, you might experience a “fish” like taste coming from these keto-friendly noodles. That happens because the keto noodles are mixed with a small amount of seaweed for the sake of stability. This fish like smell is easily dealt with by simply rinsing your rice well.

 

Types of Konjac Rice:

Shirataki Konjac Rice

As mentioned earlier, shirataki rice is simply shirataki noodles sliced into minute fragments. The shirataki noodles find their origin in the Japanese konjac plant, which is also commonly referred to as the elephant yam or the devil’s tongue.

The shirataki noodles are gelatinous and translucent. Moreover, these noodles almost contain entirely water and the glucomannan fiber, which means that they are basically carb and calorie free. People find shirataki noodles to be chewy and remarkably similar to the famous rice noodles.

 

Nutritional Facts Of Keto Rice

Dubbed as the ‘Zero-calorie miracle noodles,’ shirataki noodles/rice does live up to its hype.

Shirataki noodles contain water as the major constituent. These noodles have around 97% water and 3% glucomannan fiber. As a result, they are extremely low in calories and contain absolutely no digestible carbs.

This kind of low carb rice is also rich in fiber boasting of a whopping 6% of fiber content.

It also has zero fat. Also, this keto friendly rice has no protein and no salt!

 

Where to Buy Keto Rice

The onset of technology has made it super easy to purchase anything off the internet. This rice is available online too. Different brands are available on various e-commerce websites.

You can find other details such as the manufacturing, shelf life, and place of origin on these websites alongside the rice products you look for.

Apart from the online avenues, you can find this in your local grocery store.

There’s this particular konjac keto rice product that claims that it just takes a minute to cook: Do check it out on Amazon.

Another popular brand by the name of ‘Miracle Rice’. Here’s where you can check out ‘Miracle Rice.’

 

Tips for cooking keto rice

  1. The rice has a bit of a fishy smell as mentioned above. Make sure you rinse it well to get rid of this smell. Try rinsing it twice to ensure you get the smell out.
  2. This product tastes very bland all on its own. To make it tasty, you will need to add flavors to it. Use things like low carb sauces and spices to build on the taste since they soak up almost any flavor.
  3. You can also microwave, pan fry (without oil) or parboil for 2-3 minutes then drain again to remove as much excess moisture as possible. The less water that remains in this rice, the better the texture will be.

 

Delicious Keto Rice Recipes

Up until now, you are probably wondering that with all the health benefits that it imparts, there must be an obvious compromise on taste. Well, you are wrong. There are some immensely splendid recipes for you can make with this keto friendly including:

 

  1. Keto Paella

What is better than a delicious rice recipe that is low in carbs, easy to make and perfect for the keto lunches or dinners? Try out this recipe if you’re looking for a new rice favorite that you can have with no guilt!

Learn more about how to make this from Low Carb Nikki

 

 

 

  1. Shirataki Rice Chocolate Pudding feat. Almonds

Would you have believed if somebody told you that the shirataki noodles (that seemed so bland and tasteless) would have deserts containing konjac as their main constituent? Well, here’s proof that you can prepare a mouth-watering dessert using this keto rice.

konjac rice

You can read more about this recipe From Miracle Noodles

 

Well, those are two delicious keto recipes that you definitely have to try out. If you are skeptical like most people regarding the appearance and taste, fret no more. These recipes help you choose the healthy alternative for rice while enjoying your food too! Plus, if you’re on the keto lifestyle and you’ve been missing rice, these recipes will help you with this issue!

 

 

Summing it up:

Eliminating rice from your daily diet especially if you have been a rice lover your entire life can be pretty darn hard. However, you have to eradicate rice to follow your ketogenic lifestyle correctly. This is where it comes into the picture.

Finally, the icing on the cake is the hundreds of keto rice recipes that can help you make that transition from rice to keto friendly rice so much easier. So, what are you waiting for? Consider giving konjac noodles a try today.

 

References

  1. https://www.fatforweightloss.com.au/recipe/keto-friendly-rice/#wpurp-container-recipe-28470
  2. https://blog.bulletproof.com/shirataki-noodles-recipes-2b/
  3. https://www.shileo.com/low-calorie/item/roooaaar-rice/
  4. https://slendier.com/news/articles/13-benefits-konjac-plant/
  5. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319979.php
  6. https://www.thelowcarbgrocery.com/catalog/better-than-foods-organic-konjac-rice-p-7229.html
 

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