View Full Version : Arsenic in rice
Gardenarian
9-24-12, 4:35pm
Now even organic brown rice isn't safe to eat! I wonder when it will end...
From the article:
What's the takeaway from all of this? To avoid excessive exposure to arsenic, Consumer Reports recommends that adults limit their rice intake to two quarter-cup servings per week; children, they say, should get just 1.25 servings per week.
"Waiter, there's arsenic in my rice." (http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/09/waiter-theres-arsenic-my-rice)
Tussiemussies
9-24-12, 5:19pm
I read about the brown rice issue, but they didn't give amounts to eat...is this something new that is going on, or just something they recently found that has been going on for a long time?
Thanks:)
It is my take that it has been going on for some time, but just now discovered. I'm not a big rice fan, but have consumed a lot of rice milk in my day.
Sheeesh, just after the long term study on GMO crops causing tumors. And you can't eat too much fish because of mercury. There was also a recent study on organic foods having no positive health benefit. I plan to continue to buy a lot of organic foods just to hedge my bets.
Tussiemussies
9-24-12, 6:48pm
It is my take that it has been going on for some time, but just now discovered. I'm not a big rice fan, but have consumed a lot of rice milk in my day.
Sheeesh, just after the long term study on GMO crops causing tumors. And you can't eat too much fish because of mercury. There was also a recent study on organic foods having no positive health benefit. I plan to continue to buy a lot of organic foods just to hedge my bets.
Thanks Rogar, was wondering since we have some brown rice from months ago and thought maybe I could use it...what about whit rice, I don't typically eat it, but is there problems with it too? I'm sticking with organic, I just wonder who funded that testing on organic foods? Do you know who did the testing? Thanks Rogar! Christine :)
We were talking about it this last week. It seems that everything is bad for you so the best solution would be to avoid food.
:laff:
I haven't looked at rice labels for country of origin, but I wonder if you can get rice grown overseas and if that would be any better?
That's it. I am quitting food. Even with home grown stuff, you have to think about what's in the compost you use, whether your soil has any toxins in it......I'll just have water, please. No, wait!!!! Doh!!!
There are times I just want to yell "get a grip folks". Whether it is the constant demand for antibiotics, germphobs, organic mania, supplements, fear of water, fear of food, fear of everything.
Get rid of the media, live a simple life as full of unprocessed food as manageable, take care of your health, treat symptoms with simple steps and know your own body. Even water taken to excess is a toxin.
ApatheticNoMore
9-24-12, 8:08pm
was wondering since we have some brown rice from months ago and thought maybe I could use it...what about whit rice, I don't typically eat it, but is there problems with it too?
from the original CR write up on their study (it's linked to in the MJ article):
"In brands for which we tested both a white and a brown rice, the average total and inorganic arsenic levels were higher in the brown rice than in the white rice of the same brand in all cases"
"Though brown rice has nutritional advantages over white rice, it is not surprising that it might have higher levels of arsenic, which concentrates in the outer layers of a grain"
Personally I have come to the conclusion that the whole grain advocacy is probably more harmful than not, but not due to arsenic. Mostly because whole grains are more reactive/allergenic etc. than more refined grains (go with your taste buds, they've been right all along, they want white rice with butter or rissotos etc! :)). And as for rice all of Asia has been polishing rice for a long time is my understanding (though with less precision than modern machinery allows). So there probably is at this point more historical evidence of people surviving well on white rice as a staple than brown. But they were not surviving on ARSENIC RICE, that's new, and disturbing.
I'm sticking with organic, I just wonder who funded that testing on organic foods?
Stick with organic. Organic chickens are not allowed to be fed arsenic which might be one of the roots of the rice problem to begin with. Vote with your dollars for a better world, to heck with one study.
"Not surprisingly, organic chicken contained no arsenic. That is because USDA organic rules do not allow it."
http://livingmaxwell.com/arsenic-in-chicken
Funny following that page to the FDA link it really is Pfizer that was selling farmers arsenic for their chickens. Those conspiracy theoriest who say the food system gets us sick so that the pharmaceutical system can treat us and that they are one and the same? Hmm ...
I haven't looked at rice labels for country of origin, but I wonder if you can get rice grown overseas and if that would be any better?
From the writeup of the CR study:
"white rice grown in Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Texas, which account for 34 percent of domestic rice, generally had higher levels of total arsenic and inorganic arsenic in our tests than rice samples from elsewhere."
Part of this is them being old cotton regions. What about California rice? Or should we be buying only from overseas (although Japan, a major rice producer is probably radioactive at this point)? They don't say. There main point is we shouldn't be allowing so much arsenic in the food supply. Well duh.
I make my dog's food. For the past year I've been using brown rice as the starch. Nice.
My takeaway thoughts from the CR article:
- stick with unprocessed foods. Rice syrup (a common natural sweetener) is high in arsenic.
- Avoid organic fertilizers that use chicken feathers ("organic" fertilizer for the garden isn't necessarily from "organic" ingredients as applies to food, just "organic" as in "carbon-based"/natural, not laboratory-manufactured)
- Rice from the southern U.S. was highest in arsenic. Interesting how we've destroyed our own soil there, when some parts of the world that have high natural levels of arsenic in water had lower levels in their rice crops.
We don't eat a lot of rice... but this raises the possibility that this same issue might apply to other foods raised in that region. Peanuts, for instance? Sweet potatoes? Pecans?
SteveinMN
9-25-12, 10:18am
this raises the possibility that this same issue might apply to other foods raised in that region. Peanuts, for instance? Sweet potatoes? Pecans?
While I'm no food scientist, I am an avid cook and got a minor in chemistry. :) My understanding of this issue is that the arsenic is collecting in the outer layers of the rice, as brown rice measures higher in arsenic than polished white rice. That as a given, peanuts and pecans should not display higher levels of arsenic since the shell is not eaten and, in the case of peanuts, most people do not consume the skin. Sweet potatoes might be okay if the skins are not consumed, if they're affected at all. It certainly is a safety issue that bears further examination.
I don't know that other plants would "put" the arsenic in the outer coating/shell just because rice does. Also, while it is concentrated there in the rice, the inner kernel also has measurably elevated arsenic. With both peanuts and sweet potatoes, the actual food part of the plant grows underground, giving it ample opportunity to absorb nutrients - as well as toxins.
Not sure how long I can avoid food. Maybe its time to just say f@&) it and order up 8 or 900 bags of Oreos. They can't be any worse for you than rice after all.
Miss Cellane
9-25-12, 7:02pm
Not sure how long I can avoid food. Maybe its time to just say f@&) it and order up 8 or 900 bags of Oreos. They can't be any worse for you than rice after all.
Hummmmm. Oreos or Twinkies? Decisions, decisions, decisions.
Not sure how long I can avoid food. Maybe its time to just say f@&) it and order up 8 or 900 bags of Oreos. They can't be any worse for you than rice after all.
And so chock-full of preservatives that they'll keep forever in your survival stores. Ingenious! ;)
What about other things like amaranth, quinoia, oats? Does anyone know, or what do you imagine?
The reason that the arsenic is so high in American rice is because of the history of growing with arsenic-based pesticides in that region. As far as I know, quinoa is primarily grown in Peru, and oats are a northern U.S. crop. I don't think amaranth is primarily grown in the south, either.
I think barley would be a great substitute.
I just read a couple article abstracts on this (did a search) and the gist of what I got was that washing it reduces 10% of the arsenic and then boiling the rice in a ratio of 6:1, water:rice will get rid of another 35-45% of the arsenic so you're still left with 50%. I did read that some much of the arsenic is in the outer husk (or whatever it's called) but it's also in the inner kernel as well. I like rice but I'm not in love with it. Not going to break my heart to give it up. I'll just save my rice-eating for times I go to Asian restaurants.
rosarugosa
9-26-12, 8:16pm
I read that white basmati from India was one of the better ones, and that is our preferred rice, so we'll just stick with that. I smoked cigarettes for 38 years; I'm not going to lose sleep over a bit of arsenic in my rice.
Found this article: http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2012/09/19/reported-arsenic-levels-in-some-rice-prompt-concern-california-rice-safe/
I feel a little better, since we buy bulk organic rice grown in California. Folks in Colorado might consider http://goldenorganics.net/our-products for bulk organic grains, legumes, fruits, etc. We make the trek there a couple of times a year to stock up, and it works out great.
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