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Arsenic In Rice

cyclinglady

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cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

Consumer Reports last year reported high levels of arsenic in rice.  I didn't think that much about it.  At the time, only my husband was gluten free.  I baked a few goodies for him and he ate Rice Chex occasionally and I made rice just once or twice a week for dinner.  Now that I'm gluten free too, I'm baking a lot more (using rice flour), eating brown rice porridge (instead of oatmeal which doesn't agree with me now), and steam a lot more rice.  In fact, I just bought a 50 pound bag of rice (CA grown) at Costco for 1) us to eat and 2) good earthquake food since it keeps for years and years though I do rotate it out.  

 

Now the FDA agrees with Consumer Reports.  They found that brown rice has much higher levels.  

 

How are you reacting?  

 

I never worried about apple juice and arsenic since we eat apples and don't drink juice unless it's from our backyard trees.  But rice?  

 

 

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shadowicewolf Proficient
shadowicewolf
Posted

Consumer Reports last year reported high levels of arsenic in rice.  I didn't think that much about it.  At the time, only my husband was gluten free.  I baked a few goodies for him and he ate Rice Chex occasionally and I made rice just once or twice a week for dinner.  Now that I'm gluten free too, I'm baking a lot more (using rice flour), eating brown rice porridge (instead of oatmeal which doesn't agree with me now), and steam a lot more rice.  In fact, I just bought a 50 pound bag of rice (CA grown) at Costco for 1) us to eat and 2) good earthquake food since it keeps for years and years though I do rotate it out.  

 

Now the FDA agrees with Consumer Reports.  They found that brown rice has much higher levels.  

 

How are you reacting?  

 

I never worried about apple juice and arsenic since we eat apples and don't drink juice unless it's from our backyard trees.  But rice?  

I don't worry about it and i react to nothing in it.

 

Its the rice that was found in the south, i believe, that had that issue due to being planted where old cotton crop fields were or something to that degree.

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

I read the reports when they came out and I have not really drastically reduced my rice consumption (which is maybe about a cup a week, total) as a result because:

 

 

" While the levels varied depending on products tested, FDA scientists determined that levels are too low to cause any immediate or short-term adverse health effects. The FDA’s next step is to use the new data to complete their comprehensive risk assessment."

 

Until I see more research, I am not overly-concerned about it, honestly. 

 

This company has complied several studies in one place

 

Open Original Shared Link

 

To answer your question, no, I do not notice any reactions of any kind.

ItchyAbby Enthusiast
ItchyAbby
Posted

I just don't buy rice from Texas or the south. :) California rice is ok, from what I understand.

bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

I have to be careful of rice because of corn contamination. (Some white rice is "polished" with corn, and I have a corn intolerance.) I started with stomach upset when I was eating brown rice so I switched to white rice a long time ago. I don't think it was the arsenic in the brown rice that was bothering me though. At that time almost EVERYTHING was making me sick because I hadn't healed yet.

 

Uncle Ben's rice is totally corn-free so that's what I've been using. I prefer their instant rice because it's easier to prepare at work where I only have a microwave, and because I think it tastes better than long cooking rice. Unfortunately, both grocery stores in my town stopped carrying the instant so now I have to cook the rice at home and bring it to work.

 

I don't eat as much rice as I used to though, because I've been able to add back foods that use to bother me. Now I eat lots of sweet potatoes and squash. I only have rice when I run out of the other things.

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

here is another good article on the subject:

 

 

Open Original Shared Link

  • 2 weeks later...
Pastafarian Newbie
Pastafarian
Posted

Im new here so this is the last thing I want or need to read. I live on the east coast where the tropical storms off the Florida coast has hit us hard these past few years. Knocking out the power lines  end of September -October.  Thought i would get a head start with my preparedness this year. So last week i purchased 50 lbs of rice from Sams Club...just new it was within my dietary guidelines and food budget.. Now This!

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IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

Im new here so this is the last thing I want or need to read. I live on the east coast where the tropical storms off the Florida coast has hit us hard these past few years. Knocking out the power lines  end of September -October.  Thought i would get a head start with my preparedness this year. So last week i purchased 50 lbs of rice from Sams Club...just new it was within my dietary guidelines and food budget.. Now This!

 

Please, read all the reports -and the conclusions of the studies--before you think your rice is "no good".

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted
  • Author

Im new here so this is the last thing I want or need to read. I live on the east coast where the tropical storms off the Florida coast has hit us hard these past few years. Knocking out the power lines  end of September -October.  Thought i would get a head start with my preparedness this year. So last week i purchased 50 lbs of rice from Sams Club...just new it was within my dietary guidelines and food budget.. Now This!

My family is still eating rice.  I just purchased another 50 pound sack at Costco.  Since rice has a stable shelf life (one to two years if opened and up to 30 if stored properly), we keep it for earthquake preparedness too.  

 

I'm just rinsing my rice a few times before cooking which is what all my Asian friends have been telling me to do for years! 

 

 I appreciate the feedback from everyone.  

Pastafarian Newbie
Pastafarian
Posted

Im new here so this is the last thing I want or need to read. I live on the east coast where the tropical storms off the Florida coast has hit us hard these past few years. Knocking out the power lines  end of September -October.  Thought i would get a head start with my preparedness this year. So last week i purchased 50 lbs of rice from Sams Club...just new it was within my dietary guidelines and food budget.. Now This!

@Irish Heart @cycling lady  thanks for the encouragement. 

  • 1 month later...
KnightRobby Enthusiast
KnightRobby
Posted

I'm actually questioning rice at the moment.  Chex cereals cause me more stomach pain but I don't know if this is from Celiac or Gastritis.  And I have chronic case of Gastritis.  It seems to be more about some of the textures of foods as well.  Anything rough feels rough as well!

GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

I don't know if it is a big problem or not.  Some of the early reports about arsenic in rice warned about infants and people who eat a lot of rice (celiacs) possibly being affected.  Seems to me the warning about feeding lots of brown rice to children are probably the biggest concern.

 

You don't have to eat a lot of rice if you are celiac though.  I do eat some in rice tortillas and such, but don't eat any pasta, cereal or bread very often.  They also feed arsenic to chickens.  If it's good for chickens it's good for us eh?  Not!

 

 

iloathegluten Newbie
iloathegluten
Posted

I don't worry about it too much.White rice is one of the few foods I'll tolerate right away after any GI distress. I can't eat brown rice. It sits in my stomach like lead, makes me feel like crap, and eventually gives me diarrhea on the way out, so I avoid that. I'm fairly certain it's not related to the arsenic in it though. I read somewhere about the high levels of phytic acid in brown rice make it harder to tolerate, and white rice has never caused me trouble.

Juliebove Rising Star
Juliebove
Posted

We are simply eating more white rice than brown.  I like both but husband and daughter prefer the white.  She is no longer on the South Beach diet so that's not an issue.  I plan to use up our brown and then only buy white.  We probably eat more potatoes than rice anyway.  And more beans than potatoes. 

 

Now my big worry is supplements.  What are they putting in those?

  • 3 weeks later...
NoGlutenCooties Contributor
NoGlutenCooties
Posted

I have to be careful of rice because of corn contamination. (Some white rice is "polished" with corn, and I have a corn intolerance.)

 

I don't seem to have any issues with rice or corn... but reading this made me a bit angry.  I mean seriously???  Can't they leave anything alone and just let food be food?   :angry:

 

I don't eat much corn any more because I grew up getting it fresh out of the garden and most of the crap they have in the stores now tastes like plastic to me (as far as corn-on-the-cob).  I wouldn't be a bit surprised if genetically-modified corn were the next thing to trigger a new kind of auto-immune disease... it'll be the corn version of Celiac.  UGH!

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      @Riley, on this forum we sometimes get reports from people with similar experiences as you. That is, their celiac disease seems to go into remission. Typically, that doesn't last. At age 18 you are at your physical-biological peek in life where your body is stronger than it will ever be and it is able to fight well against many threats and abuses. As Wheatwacked pointed out, absence of symptoms is not always a reliable indicator that no damage is being done to the body. I was one of those "silent" celiacs with no symptoms, or at least very minor symptoms, whose body was being slowly damaged for many years before the damage became pronounced enough to warrant investigation, leading to a diagnosis. By that time I had suffered significant bone demineralization and now I suffer with back and neck problems. Please, if you choose to continue consuming gluten, which I do not recommend, at least get tested regularly so that you won't get caught in the silent celiac trap down the road like I did. You really do not outgrow celiac disease. It is baked into the genes. Once the genes get triggered, as far as we know, they are turned on for good. Social rejection is something most celiacs struggle with. Being compliant with the gluten free diet places restrictions on what we can eat and where we can eat. Our friends usually try to work with us at first but then it gets to be a drag and we begin to get left out. We often lose some friends in the process but we also find out who really are our true friends. I think the hardest hits come at those times when friends spontaneously say, "Hey, let's go get some burgers and fries" and you know you can't safely do that. One way to cope in these situations is to have some ready made gluten-free meals packed in the fridge that you can take with you on the spot and still join them but eat safely. Most "real" friends will get used to this and so will you. Perhaps this little video will be helpful to you.  
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