arsenic in rice

[easiand]

Am getting a little concerned over arsenic in rice that I have been reading about. Have been on a gluten free diet now for about 3 years and just getting used to it. I do enjoy my free from products especially my treats (cakes and biscuits) and after reading most of them are made from rice flour am a little concerned. Anybody else out there been looking at this?

[Hidden]

no I havn't heard anything about it. had chilli con carne the other night with rice too!

have you googled it?

[easiand in reply to Hidden]

Yes googled it after watching a programme on tv a few weeks ago. It says brown rice is worse than white.

[Hidden]

Hi there, there are many things in our food that we are not aware of, the upper level for arsenic in drinking water is 10parts per billion.

Now what you have to realise is that inorganic arsenic is in soil and rice is grown in water so this is why it can have a higher amount of arsenic in it than say root vegetables.

Also, what about Fish and fresh water fish? well they also have high levels of inorganic arsenic in them.

So lets look at wheat and other crops and the pesticides that they are sprayed with and we are consuming small amounts of these chemicals! Now we as coeliac have to eat something and milled rice (rice flour) has had the germ removed hence the bulk of the arsenic so in my honest opinion it is something to be aware of but not necessary to avoid completely. And for example we all know how dangerous asbestos is and there is asbestos in the atmosphere and stating the obvious we have to breath! so it is all about keeping things in perspective and I'd just make sure that you wash rice thoroughly when making a rice dish and take comfort that your free from treats are made with refined rice flour.

Here's a link about arsenic in food and it also says where the rice with the lowest levels of arsenic in them come from:

webmd.com/diet/features/ars...

So I hope this helps and you enjoy your gf treats.

[easiand]

Thanks Jerry was getting a little worried there. The diet is tough enough without losing my treats

[SilverDreamMachine]

There was a tv programme recently featuring the amount of arsenic in rice. Either BBC1 or 2 I think. I do remember a conclusion was that basmati rice had the lowest levels.

[Penel]

This is an article from Chris Kresser about rice. Seems that white may be better than brown.

chriskresser.com/arsenic-in...

[Sorrento]

I watched a documentary about this. I believe they are monitoring the level of arsenic in food products. They also mentioned there would have to be a considerable amount to cause you any problems.

[Daisy77]

i've heard that there was arsenic in brussels sprouts...yet another reason not to eat the awful things

[Penel]

Apparently our bodies are good at getting rid of arsenic from our bodies, but alcohol can interfere with this process. This article describes a recent experiment from the US, looking at food and the amounts of arsenic found in toe nails. Certain foods can help to prevent a build up in the body.

sciencedaily.com/releases/2...

As Jerry has said, it's something to be aware of, but if you are eating a wide variety of food it shouldn't be a problem. People living in areas of arsenic polluted water are the ones at most risk.