Cream of Rice – What’s the hype about?

Cream of Rice – What’s the hype about?

Over the last 5 years cream of rice has infiltrated the fitness industry by storm, with nearly every mainstream brand now supplying their own product. But what’s all the fuss about, isn’t it just powdered rice?

In essence, yes. Cream of rice products are powdered rice. However, many companies add extra ingredients, such as digestive enzymes and multivitamin complexes which add to the nutritional value of rice. The main selling points for cream of rice products are that they are flavoured and provide a simplistic, tasty method of getting easily digested carbohydrates into the diet.

Cream of rice is often used by bodybuilders due to its convenience and that it can be consumed in large quantities without causing any gastric discomfort. For many, consuming hundreds of grams of carbohydrates through low glycaemic index foods, such as sweet potatoes and whole grain products, can induce bloating and gas due to the excess fibre content. This often makes consuming subsequent meals difficult.

Individuals looking to lose weight also favour powdered rice, as a small serving can be made with large volumes of water to make a high-volume low calorie meal. Mixing in a scoop of your favourite Whey Protein, nut butter and frozen fruit turns this basic creamed rice bowl into a well balanced meal.

We currently offer two brands (Naughty Boy and NXT) of cream of rice in store. Flavours include carrot cake, maple syrup, blueberry pancakes, banoffee pie, apple pie, chocolate, strawberry shortcake, salted caramel and unflavoured.

Here are a few tips for making your cream of rice:

1. Pour the desired serving of rice into a large mixing bowl and combine with warm water (a 3:1 ratio of water to rice is a good starting point, you can always add more later if wanting more volume).
2. Place in the microwave in intervals of 1 minute, whist stirring thoroughly with a FORK in-between.
3. Repeat this process until you are happy with the consistency of your rice.
4. Let the bowl cool slightly before adding in any whey protein (this step is crucial otherwise the rice will cook the whey).
5. Top with some fruit, nut butter or dark chocolate and enjoy!