Sri Lankan Rice Mixed Meals: Effect on Glycaemic Index and Contribution to Daily Dietary Fibre Requirement
- Author:
Hettiaratchi UPK
;
Ekanayake S
;
Welihinda J
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Centella asiatica, dietary fibre, glycaemic index, Lasia spinosa, rice meals
- From:
Malaysian Journal of Nutrition
2011;17(1):97-104
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Introduction: The glycaemic index (GI) concept ranks starchy foods according to
the blood glucose responses following ingestion. When considering commonly
consumed Sri Lankan meals, only a few can be categorised as low GI. However,
a significant negative correlation between the GI of Sri Lankan meals and fibre
content has been observed indicating the potential to reduce the GI of meals by
incorporating naturally occurring sources of fibre. Thus, the objective of this
study was to study the effect of increased edible quantities of fibre on the GI of
rice meals consumed in Sri Lanka. Methods: Meal 1 consisted of rice with several
meal accompaniments (lentil curry, boiled egg, coconut gravy and Centella asiatica
(gotukola) leaves salad). Meal 2 contained similar constituents as meal 1 and a
Lasia spinosa (kohila) rhizome salad. The composition of meal 3 was similar to
meal 2 but contained Trichosanthes cucumerina (snake gourd) salad instead of
Lasia spinosa salad. Meal 3 contained similar fibre contents as meal 1 and similar
meal size as meal 2. The glycaemic indices of the three meals were determined
with healthy individuals (n=10, age =20-30 yrs, BMI=24±3 kg/m2) using bread as
the standard. Results: Meals 1 and 3 contained total dietary fibre (TDF) contents
of 15.2g. Meal 2 contained 16.3g TDF. The GI values of the three meals were
63±5, 57±5, 61±5 respectively and were not significantly different from one
another (p>0.05). The GI of the rice mixed meal 2 was reduced by 9% when total
edible dietary fibre content of the actual meal was increased by 7.2%. Conclusion:
The study results show that the GI of rice mixed meals may be reduced by
including naturally occurring sources of fibre with starchy staples while fulfilling
daily dietary fibre requirement of an adult at low cost.
