Whether you are vegan and follow a plant-based diet or not, rice is probably one of your most common food choices: easy to make, comfort food and it goes well with everything. You even know that brown rice, which is unprocessed and full of fibre, is healthy, beneficial for gut microbiome and immune system, full of vitamins and minerals. So, what could go wrong when eating rice?
Unfortunately, there’s a dark side to it, whether it’s white, brown, wild, organic: it contains arsenic, one of world’s most toxic poisons. It’s a toxic substance found in soil, water, in the environment, in plants and animals, which, sadly, humans raise its levels even more by using chemicals, pesticides, fertilizers. It has two forms, organic (found in plant and animal tissue) and inorganic (found in soil, water and rocks). Inorganic is generally more toxic and is found in a variety of foods, with rice being the most known –although it’s even found in chickens which often are given drugs with arsenic to grow faster.
Arsenic doesn’t have a smell or a taste so it’s difficult for us to figure out the foods that contain it. Although once consumed it will leave our system in a few days, part of inorganic arsenic may remain even for months, which means that the more we consume it, the more it accumulates, causing us multiple health problems and affecting our gut microbiome. More specifically, in small doses it can cause headache, stomach pain, diarrhea, dizziness, confusion while it gets more serious in larger doses, as inorganic can even cause death. Long-term exposure and consumption is linked to high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, dementia, neurological and heart problems and of course certain types of cancer (skin, liver, bladder, kidney, lung etc). It’s also dangerous during pregnancy, for babies and kids, as it can cause development and performance problems, affecting also the child’s immune system.
Before you panic remembering all the times you’ve eaten rice the past month, let’s see what you need to know and what choices you can make in cooking it or using healthier alternatives.
Which type of rice is better and how to cook it?
Unfortunately, according to Consumer Reports, there have been found significant levels of arsenic in all types of rice, organic or not, with brown rice –otherwise healthier than others due to its fibre content- being with the highest content in arsenic, which accumulates in its outer hull. Organic rice and wild rice, which are also considered healthy choices, still absorb arsenic from the soil, so they’re not safer from this point of view. The disappointing part is that once arsenic is found in the soil, it remains forever. So what can you do to stay safe?
If you want to keep the rice-like texture, you can choose basmati from India, Pakistan or California which is found to have 1/3 of the arsenic found in brown rice. If you don’t like basmati, you can make other alternative choices and much safer choices. Buckwheat, amaranth, millet, polenta appear to have very low levels of arsenic, while protein-rich quinoa most of the times is also safer than rice. Low levels are also found in bulgur and barley, but they’re not gluten-free like the other alternatives. Other healthy choices are cauliflower rice or teff which are gluten free.
If you decide to stick to rice, you can reduce the amount of arsenic you put into your system through consumption by eating it no more than once a week and cooking it with a lot of water. Arsenic is water soluble, so if you cook it in excess water, you might be able to get rid some of it. Make sure you use 6-10 cups of water for 1 cup of rice, draining it at the end, as this can reduce the amount of arsenic by up to 60%, depending on the type of rice.
Another trick which is quite popular is cooking your rice in your coffee maker. Place your rice in the filter, where you normally put your coffee, and let plenty of hot water wash it off. This method was even published in PLOS ONE and is found to be able to reduce arsenic up to 85%.
Even if you use basmati or other alternatives, you need to always wash it well and soak it in filtered water for 48 hours prior to cooking it, rinsing it every few hours. It’s true that this might reduce the levels of some of its nutrients, but at least you’ll be safer as far as this toxic substance is concerned.
Avoid all rice products and always check the labels, as many gluten-free products might contain rice –this is probably why most people that follow a gluten-free diet present twice the arsenic found in others in their system, according to a research which was published in journal Epidemiology.
Keep in mind that if you follow a healthy diet and way of life, you’ll have a balanced gut micriobiome which will help your system fight toxins like arsenic and keep you healthy. Cruciferous veggies can help in the battle against arsenic due to their sulforaphane content which helps in the elimination of arsenic and other heavy metals.
Find more info about autoimmune supporting vegan nutrition plans and protocols at www.feedyourimmunity.com/
Resources
https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp2-c1.pdf
http://www.inchem.org/documents/ehc/ehc/ehc224.htm#1.5
https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/11/arsenic-in-your-food/index.htm
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0131608
https://journals.lww.com/epidem/Fulltext/2017/05000/The_Unintended_Consequences_of_a_Gluten_free_Diet.27.aspx
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25183111/
