The Rice Diet was developed in 1934 by Dr Walter Kempner at Duke University Hospital. Dr. Kempner was treating patients with malignant hypertension (very high blood pressure) and kidney disease. As there were no other treatments available, Dr Kempner started a treatment called the “Rice Diet”.
He fed his patients white rice at every meal. The rice diet is essentially a low-sodium diet. You can’t add salt to any food. And because it is low in fat, it brought success to people who had serious illnesses that could not be cured by other treatments.
Today, the Rice Diet continues to be offered as an outpatient program at the Rice Diet Clinic in Durham, North Carolina. The same low sodium, low fat dietary principles are followed. Patients with morbid obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, congestive heart failure and kidney disease come to Durham and find hope.
The body needs about 500mg of salt a day to keep it functioning. However, in a typical American diet, we consume between 4,000 and 7,000 mg of salt. When you eat rice, you immediately feel better. That’s because you get rid of the excess salt and water you’re carrying around. Salt makes you feel bad. It also gives you an appetite. If you drastically reduce your sodium intake, you may find that you lose hunger and cravings for food.
Patients at the Rice Diet Clinic are seen daily by our medical staff. They eat three meals a day at the Rice House and take part in activities such as stress management, yoga, group therapy and nutrition lectures.
The clinic offers a lifestyle programme in a safe and supportive environment, encouraging deep changes that lead to lifelong health for patients who come to the clinic. The Rice Diet programme goes beyond simply eating three healthy meals a day, offering advanced classes and workshops led by medical experts.
People who attend the clinic are often unable to exercise for years because of their condition. However, the clinic provides a supportive environment for them to resume exercise. Yoga and Tai Chi classes are offered daily. Many of the participants at the Rice Diet Clinic have started walking.
The Rice Diet Clinic offers a wide variety of meals. For the first few days, the menu is limited. After that, you will be able to choose from a wide variety of fresh vegetables, fruits, cereals, fish and legumes. The menu changes every day and offers a great deal of variety. Despite the name ‘rice’, rice is not the centrepiece of the menu. A number of different types of rice are offered, but these are just some of the many (over 30) items that are available at every meal.
The Durham Clinic’s Rice Diet programme takes between four and eight weeks. The four-week program costs $5,900 for the program and 21 meals per week. Participants arrange their own housing with the help of the clinic.