Michal Zafir compared rice to spoons of sugar - and a dietitian responded with criticism
Is a plate of rice really equivalent to a pile of sugar, and should every glucose spike be feared? Michal Zafir's video sparked a heated debate. Zafir stands by her message but admits she lacked a solution. Dietitian Yarden Ovadia argues the comparison is misleading — here is the breakdown from both sides.
Four everyday foods — a cup of cooked rice, salty pretzels, unsweetened cornflakes, and a glass of orange juice — have ignited a viral debate. At the center of the storm is Michal Zafir, a healthy living guru, who posted an Instagram video titled "The Great Sugar Test."
In the clip, she demonstrated how these foods break down in the body by placing rows of sugar spoons next to them. Her message was simple: even non-sweet foods cause blood sugar spikes that should be avoided. However, the dramatic illustration backfired, with professionals and users accusing Zafir of demonizing carbohydrates and ignoring the metabolic differences between food types.
Zafir admits she didn't foresee the intensity of the backlash. "I didn't expect such noise," she says. "My husband, Yoav, warned me that people don't know these nuances, but I didn't think it would cause panic." She maintains that, biochemically, the body does break down complex carbohydrates into glucose, leading to spikes. "I admit I should have immediately offered a solution instead of just highlighting the problem. Perhaps then the level of alarm would have been lower," she adds.
Zafir clarifies that she does not advocate for avoiding carbohydrates, but rather teaches how to combine them with proteins, fats, and vegetables for metabolic balance. "My content is aimed at adults seeking stability, not at children or those with eating disorders. However, due to the video's virality, it reached a much wider audience," she explains.
Different perspectives on carbohydrates
Clinical dietitian Yarden Ovadia joined the criticism, posting a rebuttal video pointing out the main flaw: comparing starch in rice to pure sugar is misleading.
"People think that because rice breaks down into glucose, it's equivalent to sugar," Ovadia explains. "But starch is a complex polymer, and the rate of absorption depends on the entire meal's composition, fiber content, and cooking method. Rice eaten with other foods behaves differently than pure sugar."
Furthermore, Ovadia disagrees that every sugar spike is inherently bad. "For a healthy person, a rise in glucose after a meal followed by a return to baseline is a normal physiological response. There is no evidence that healthy people should aim for a 'flat' sugar graph," the dietitian asserts.
Despite their professional disagreement, the story ended constructively. Zafir and Ovadia continued their discussion privately. "Michal handled the debate very respectfully, which is rare for social media," Ovadia concludes. "We agreed on the main point: sugar consumption in the population is indeed excessive, and it is important to teach people mindful eating without unnecessary fear of food."
