July 31, 2002
Community Resources, Meal Planning, Food and Diet
Question from Rowville, Victoria, Australia:
I cannot find Doongara Rice, and I have checked many stores in my area. They have not even heard of it. Please help as I am using plain wrap rice and don’t know what its gylcemic index is.
Answer:
I do not think this rice can and should be promoted since I have seen no studies saying it is helpful at all for those with diabetes. Most likely, it has not undergone any studies. I think it can be used in the diet, but if people are paying a lot of money for it thinking it has some special abilities, that is very misleading.
As far as the glycemic index (GI) for this rice, you might want to check on the most exhaustive review of the glycemic index of various foods, which was in the July 2002 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Go to the site and search archives, looking for the July 2002 articles on the GI. There is a huge table of the glycemic index/load of foods. The table deals with foods from Australia and so this type of rice is listed, but it does not seem to have a better glycemic index or glycemic load (which is explained in the article) load than the other rices.
LSF
Additional comments from David Mendosa, A Writer on the Web:
You should be able to find Doongara rice at Coles. In fact, the Cole’s Website says this:
Doongara rice for lasting energy Doongara is a new rice developed to match imported rices. Grown in Australia, it has a higher content of amylose (a form of starch) than other rice. Most rice contains about 20 per cent amylose but Doongara has been developed to contain 28 per cent. It’s great advantage is that amylose is more slowly digested and so does not cause a jump in blood glucose. This can help keep blood sugar steady for people with diabetes, provide sustained energy for athletes, and give greater satiety (satisfaction).
Doongara Rice is produced by the Ricegrowers’ Co-operative Limited and sold in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Canada, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Tonga, Vanuatu and South Africa under its flagship brand SunRice. Riverina Hampers in Griffith, New South Wales also sells Doongara rice.
DM
