There’s a popular joke: Experts say, don’t eat breakfast on an empty stomach. :-)
But when experts say, Don’t eat rice on an empty stomach, they actually mean it! (^o^)/YES!
To understand the reasons behind this advice, let’s hear the explanation from Dr. Hou Zeling, an endocrinology expert at Hainan Chengmei Hospital.
The Dangers of Eating “Rice” on an Empty Stomach
In some parts of China, the word “meal” or “eating” specifically refers to rice.
Dr. Hou explains that when we say “don’t eat rice on an empty stomach,” we are referring to carbohydrates like rice and noodles. In simpler terms, you should avoid eating staple carbs like rice or noodles as your first bite when hungry. Instead, start with vegetables, meats, or eggs.
Rice and noodles are high-carb foods that are quickly converted into glucose after consumption. These are known as fast-acting carbs or “quick carbs.”
Once these “quick carbs” enter the body, they cause a rapid spike in blood sugar levels. To balance this, the body quickly releases a large amount of insulin—the hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar.
If this blood sugar–insulin battle happens frequently over time, it becomes a tug-of-war that harms both sides—just like a trade war: no winners in the end.
When the body begins to show insufficient insulin secretion, insulin resistance, or delayed insulin response, it leads to high blood sugar. Over time, this can result in diabetes, which may eventually affect the function of the heart, kidneys, blood vessels, brain, and other major organs.
How to Eat Properly?
"From an endocrinology and nutrition perspective, having congee with steamed buns as a national treasure breakfast can be quite harmful to the body," said Hou Zeling. Congee, being easy to digest and absorb, causes blood sugar to rise quickly and reach its peak in a very short time. The insulin used to lower blood sugar also undergoes a similar spike, leading to an insulin peak. This is like the saying "wounding the enemy by a thousand, hurting oneself by eight hundred." Long-term overload can damage insulin function.
Hou Zeling specifically reminded that blood sugar levels during breakfast affect the bodys condition for the entire day. Therefore, eating a scientifically balanced breakfast is crucial. She advises avoiding "fast carbs" like desserts, and instead opting for slower glycemic foods such as whole wheat bread, corn, and other coarse grains, paired with high-quality proteins like eggs and milk, as well as appropriate amounts of meat and vegetables.
If your breakfast consists of noodles or similar foods, its essential to adjust the eating order. Typically, meals take about 10-30 minutes, so its recommended to start with fiber-rich vegetables, eggs, and appropriate amounts of meat, and leave noodles or other staple foods for last. This should also apply to lunch and dinner; remembering the correct order helps slow down the rise in blood sugar, reducing insulin peaks.
However, if youre dining out, and the meal lasts 1-2 hours, it is advised to eat vegetables, meat, eggs, and fish first, followed by the staple foods 15 minutes later. This small change can have significant health benefits.
Simply consuming rice, noodles, or other staple foods results in digestion mostly completed within 2 hours in the stomach, and the food enters the small intestine, causing blood sugar to spike quickly. This can also lead to a feeling of hunger before the next meal, making it more likely to experience low blood sugar. When consuming vegetables, meat, eggs, fish, fats, and other foods, digestion takes longer—about 4 hours—reducing blood sugar fluctuations and maintaining stable blood sugar levels, thus preventing hunger-driven overeating that could worsen obesity.
Diabetes Focuses on Prevention
The incidence of diabetes in China continues to rise. According to the latest statistics, the number of people with diabetes in China has surpassed 140 million, accounting for about a quarter of the global total.
Hou Zeling stated that in recent years, not only has the incidence of diabetes been high in China, but there has also been a trend of younger patients, with more and more young people and even children being diagnosed with diabetes. This is primarily linked to unhealthy eating habits.
With economic development and the continuous improvement of living standards, peoples diets have become increasingly refined. In particular, beverages like milk tea and desserts have become daily favorites among young people, making high blood sugar a public health issue.
Illness enters through the mouth. Many metabolic diseases can be controlled by improving lifestyle and dietary habits. She emphasized that the best way to control diabetes is not through treatment, but prevention.
Expert Profile
Hou Zeling
Attending Physician, Endocrinology Department
Medical Expertise:
Specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of common endocrine disorders, including diabetes and its complications; hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, thyroiditis; obesity, gouty arthritis, lipid metabolism disorders, electrolyte imbalances, and primary aldosteronism.
Clinic Hours:
Full days on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays; Tuesday afternoons
Written by: Liang Shan
Edited by: Huang Fei
Reviewed by | Dong Wen, Meng Chanyu, Hou Zeling