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Arsenic in rice

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09 June 2021, 06:56 PM
wtg
Arsenic in rice
Beech-Nut recalled some baby rice cereal and is discontinuing the product because of concerns regarding high concentrations of arsenic in rice.

On a related note...Concerns about arsenic in rice surfaced some years ago. I recently ran across this article that describes a method for cooking rice that greatly reduces the amount of arsenic, without also reducing desirable nutrients.

https://phys.org/news/2020-11-...retains-mineral.html


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We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

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09 June 2021, 07:22 PM
ShiroKuro
Interesting and disconcerting.

Re the way to make rice, what about people who use rice cookers? Also, I assume that the first boil removes more problematic bits than just washing the rice?

Hmm


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09 June 2021, 07:56 PM
Steve Miller
Wasn’t there a Cary Grant movie about this?

“Arsenic and Old Rice?”


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09 June 2021, 08:04 PM
wtg
quote:
Originally posted by ShiroKuro:
Interesting and disconcerting.

Re the way to make rice, what about people who use rice cookers? Also, I assume that the first boil removes more problematic bits than just washing the rice?

Hmm


This is the Consumer Reports article about arsenic in rice.

https://www.consumerreports.or...-your-rice/index.htm

It notes:

quote:
Our latest tests determined that the inorganic arsenic content of rice varies greatly depending on the type of rice and where it was grown. White basmati rice from California, India, and Pakistan, and sushi rice from the U.S. on average has half of the inorganic-arsenic amount of most other types of rice.

Our findings led us to treat those specific rices from those areas differently from other types of rice and rices grown in other regions. Based on our data, we calculated that consumers could have about twice as many weekly servings as we previously recommended if that was the only rice or rice product someone ate. For adults, that adds up to 4½ servings per week; children could have 2¾ servings.

All types of rice (except sushi and quick cooking) with a label indicating that it’s from Arkansas, Louisiana, or Texas or just from the U.S. had the highest levels of inorganic arsenic in our tests. For instance, white rices from California have 38 percent less inorganic arsenic than white rices from other parts of the country.

Brown rice has 80 percent more inorganic arsenic on average than white rice of the same type. Arsenic accumulates in the grain’s outer layers, which are removed to make white rice. Brown has more nutrients, though, so you shouldn’t switch entirely to white. Brown basmati from California, India, or Pakistan is the best choice; it has about a third less inorganic arsenic than other brown rices.

Rice that’s grown organically takes up arsenic the same way conventional rice does, so don’t rely on organic to have less arsenic.


We eat mostly white basmati and California sushi rice. Brown rice very rarely. We use a rice cooker and don't do anything special.


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We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

Bazootiehead-in-training



09 June 2021, 08:08 PM
Piano*Dad
quote:
Originally posted by Steve Miller:
Wasn’t there a Cary Grant movie about this?

“Arsenic and Old Rice?”


ROTFLMAO
09 June 2021, 08:43 PM
ShiroKuro
quote:
sushi rice from the U.S.


I wonder what they mean by sushi rice? (I suspect it's different from what we mean...)


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09 June 2021, 08:44 PM
ShiroKuro
Ahh, I am pretty sure this is what Mr. SK buys:


(edited to get smaller pic)

And it says Sushi rice on it. Who knew.


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09 June 2021, 08:54 PM
wtg
Same rice we buy at Costco. We eat it, and so does the dog.

Big Grin


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We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

Bazootiehead-in-training



09 June 2021, 10:19 PM
ShiroKuro
Mr. SK fed rice (and miso soup) to the dog he had when he was little!! Ole


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10 June 2021, 12:09 AM
BeeLady
But.but...arsenic is "all natural"! Razzer


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10 June 2021, 07:14 AM
CHAS
The arsenic came from pesticides used when cotton was grown on the land.
Cotton fared poorly on my land that now produces rice. Arsenic levels should be low.
The land was bought and cleared by my grandfather and further tamed by my father. It produced soybeans and was never expected to produce much until the 90s when rice gained popularity.
The point is: Buy Chas' rice. Big Grin


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Several people have eaten my cooking and survived.

10 June 2021, 08:41 AM
Piano*Dad
quote:
The arsenic came from pesticides used when cotton was grown on the land.


That's interesting. So it stays in the soil and can move into other plants years later. Not all plants pull pesticide residues in like that, especially to the edible parts.

This might complicate organic labeling.
10 June 2021, 09:57 AM
CHAS
" Organic growing conditions, however, do not guarantee low arsenic levels, since any rice growing in arsenic-laden soil soaks up arsenic, says Meharg.


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Several people have eaten my cooking and survived.

10 June 2021, 10:03 AM
wtg
From the CR article:

quote:
Rice that’s grown organically takes up arsenic the same way conventional rice does, so don’t rely on organic to have less arsenic.


Wonder if the guidelines for qualifying as organic will change in the future....


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We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

Bazootiehead-in-training



10 June 2021, 10:52 AM
AdagioM
quote:
Originally posted by ShiroKuro:
Interesting and disconcerting.

Re the way to make rice, what about people who use rice cookers? Also, I assume that the first boil removes more problematic bits than just washing the rice?

Hmm


I use a rice cooker, too. We use brown rice at our house, but we don’t eat rice that often any more (no kids to fill up!).

Based on the second half of cooking in this new method, it sounds like cook as usual after the first boil. So you/we could do the first boil stovetop, drain, and proceed with the rice cooker. If we were eating rice 4x/week, I’d do it, but we’re more like 2x/month, so I won’t bother.


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