Genmaicha tea -- is it primal? page

[karismorrall]

Hello! I just started going primal in the last week, so consider me a newbie.

I'm stationed with the military in Okinawa, Japan for the next three years. Going primal in an Asian country has its added challenges -- rice is EVERYWHERE -- including, as I accidentally discovered, in some teas.

During my last trip to the farmer's market, I bought a big bag full of what I assumed was plain old loose leaf green tea. (My grasp of the Japanese language is, at best, tenuous. I usually just go off the pictures on the packaging.)

I got home, opened the bag and realized that the tea had weird crunchy things mixed with it. After a little bit of googling, I figured out that the crispy bits are roasted brown rice. (Kind of like Rice Krispies ...) It's called genmaicha, and apparently it's pretty common over here.

Would I be committing a primal sin if I brewed up a cup of this Rice Krispies tea? Technically, I wouldn't be eating the rice -- it would just be floating in my little infuser. I hate to throw away an entire bag of tea. (To be honest, I've already drank a cup of the stuff, and it tastes damn good.) Thoughts?

[Damiana]

I'm with you on your last sentence. Who cares? It's so good. You're not getting anything out of it except the taste of the roasted rice. I doubt there's but a few calories' worth in an entire cup. I say drink away.

[karismorrall]

Awesome! Thank you!

[EyeOfRound]

I love genmai-cha!

[Drumroll]

It does technically add a carb or two to your cup of tea, but just don't drink gallons of the stuff and the impact should be negligible.

Enjoy it!

If you're TRULY worried though, go for the pure tea next time I guess.