Leftover Rice Can Make You Slim

Rice, when chilled overnight can contain up to 60 percent fewer calories than when freshly cooked — potentially dropping from 130 calories per 100g to just 52. But you need to cook it in the right way, according to research presented to the american chemical society.

When the water is boiling, before the rice is added, pour a little coconut oil into the pan — about 3 percent of the weight of the rice you’re using. When cooked, leave in the fridge for 12 hours to hugely reduce the calories.

This exciting phenomenon is down to the way starch in the rice changes when it is heated then cooled.

When cooked rice is eaten, its starch is turned into the sugar — glucose — by the body and converted into fat if not burned off.

However, when rice is chilled, its starch becomes what is called ‘resistant starch’, which the body cannot digest. This means it is not included in the calorie count.

The coconut oil stops the cold rice from sticking together, and also seems to produce more resistant starch in the rice, further reducing the number of calories.