Behind every public figure's appearance lies a personal wellness routine. This series examines the diets, exercise habits, treatments, and beauty and fashion choices of notable figures through the lens of everyday health.
Actor Son Ye-jin, 44, has shared a home-cooked meal featuring black rice mixed with white rice, alongside vegetables and grilled fish. Replacing refined white rice with multigrain blends and moderating portion sizes are widely recognized as effective strategies for managing blood sugar and body weight.
Son posted photos on Wednesday of what appeared to be a meal she had prepared herself, writing, "After cooking like crazy, sitting down and eating together with everyone is the happiest moment."
The photos showed a small serving of rice mixed with black rice, accompanied by various seasoned vegetables, salad and grilled fish. Online users took particular notice of the modest amount of rice on her plate.
When managing body weight, it is important to consider not only overall food intake but also the type of carbohydrates consumed. Replacing some white rice with whole grains such as brown rice or black rice, and eating sufficient protein and vegetables, can help regulate post-meal blood sugar levels and maintain a sense of fullness.
Rice is a major source of carbohydrates in the Korean diet, but its nutritional content — including dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals — varies significantly depending on how it is processed.
White rice is produced by removing the husk from the grain and then milling away the bran and germ, a process that reduces dietary fiber, some B vitamins and minerals.
Brown rice, by contrast, retains the bran and germ layers, making it richer in dietary fiber and micronutrients than white rice.
Dietary fiber slows digestion and helps sustain a feeling of fullness. It also moderates the rate at which blood sugar rises after a meal.
The starch in white rice is broken down relatively quickly by digestive enzymes. Eating large amounts at once can cause blood glucose levels to rise rapidly.
When blood sugar rises, the pancreas releases insulin — a hormone that helps move glucose from the bloodstream into muscle, fat and other body tissues.
A diet high in refined carbohydrates can also affect long-term blood sugar management.
Researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health published a study in the British Medical Journal in 2012 examining the relationship between white rice consumption and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The research team pooled data from four studies conducted in the United States, Australia, China and Japan, analyzing records from 352,384 adults.
Among Asian populations, those with the highest white rice consumption had a roughly 1.55 times greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those with the lowest intake.
Across the full dataset, each additional daily serving of white rice was associated with an approximately 11 percent higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
The researchers said that shifting from refined grains to whole grains could benefit metabolic health.
Brown rice, barley and oats are whole grains rich in dietary fiber and nutrients that can readily substitute for some of the white rice in a meal. Mixing them into cooked rice allows for a broader range of nutrients in a single serving.
One element of Son's meal that drew attention was black rice — a grain with a deep black or dark purple hue that gets its color from anthocyanins, a pigment found in the outer bran layer.
Anthocyanins are plant-based flavonoid compounds also found in abundance in blueberries, grapes and eggplant — foods that share the same purple and black tones.
Their most notable property is antioxidant activity.
The body naturally produces reactive oxygen species during the metabolic process of generating energy. When these accumulate in excess, they can increase oxidative stress, damaging cell membranes, proteins and DNA.
Anthocyanins are involved in countering this oxidative process, and research is ongoing into their potential effects on inflammation and blood sugar metabolism.
A 2025 study published in the international journal Food Production, Processing and Nutrition analyzed the potential of anthocyanins in black rice to support antioxidant activity and regulate post-meal blood sugar and lipid metabolism.
Black rice contains more dietary fiber, certain minerals and antioxidant compounds than white rice, making it a useful ingredient for diversifying the nutritional profile of a meal.
The glycemic response to black rice varies depending on the variety, the proportion mixed into the rice and the cooking method. Black glutinous rice and regular black rice differ in their starch composition.
Even when eating black rice, managing overall carbohydrate intake remains important.
The nutritional content of multigrain rice blends varies with the mix of grains used. A research team from the Department of Food and Biotechnology at Woosuk University compared the nutritional composition and antioxidant activity of commercially available blends containing 5, 8, 16, 17, 20 and 25 grains.
The five-grain blend showed the highest levels of protein, minerals and polyphenols among the products tested.
Because the study compared specific commercial products, consumers choosing a multigrain blend should consider both the types of grains included and their proportions.
Incorporating a variety of ingredients — black rice, brown rice, barley and legumes — can help ensure a balanced intake of dietary fiber, protein and minerals.
When managing body weight, the overall composition of a meal matters as much as the type of rice served.
A meal like the one Son shared — multigrain rice paired with vegetables and grilled fish — provides carbohydrates, protein and dietary fiber in a single sitting.
The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health recommends a framework called the Healthy Eating Plate as a guide to balanced meals.
Under that model, roughly half of each meal should consist of vegetables and fruit, one quarter of whole grains such as brown rice or barley, and the remaining quarter of protein foods such as fish, chicken or legumes.
Vegetables are high in dietary fiber and water content, which adds bulk to a meal and helps sustain fullness.
Leafy greens, mushrooms and cucumbers are particularly well suited to weight-management diets because of their relatively low calorie content.
Fish is a high-quality source of protein, which the body needs to maintain and repair muscle and other tissues. Protein also plays a role in signaling satiety after a meal.
Fatty fish such as mackerel and salmon are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which may help manage blood triglyceride levels and support cardiovascular health.
Adequate protein intake during weight loss is also important for preserving muscle mass.
Because muscle mass tends to decline with age, middle-aged and older adults are generally advised to combine dietary adjustments with strength training.
Serving a moderate amount of rice also helps control overall calorie intake.
Daily caloric needs vary by sex, age, weight and physical activity level. Those with sedentary lifestyles can structure their meals by moderating rice portions and increasing the proportion of vegetables and protein foods.
Eating pace also matters. Chewing food thoroughly and eating slowly gives the body time to register fullness, which can help prevent overeating.
Regular physical activity is also necessary to support weight management. Aerobic exercise such as walking and cycling increases energy expenditure, while strength training helps preserve muscle mass during weight loss.
A healthy diet is best built around moderating carbohydrate intake while ensuring adequate nutrition. Eating multigrain rice alongside vegetables and protein foods in balanced proportions can support both blood sugar and weight management.
rainbow@heraldcorp.com
