Steamed with Good Intentions

(Image from Culicurious)

We've been increasing the mix of brown rice over white rice in our diet because of the former's high fiber content. We've also been eating more rice of whatever color because of the suspicion that the gluten found in wheat is a contributor to a family member's digestive difficulties. It now turns out that the cure is potentially worse than the disease.

In September the Food and Drug Administration released the results of a study that analyzed the arsenic content of rice. Rice--especially brown rice--contains significantly more arsenic than wheat and other cereals. These findings confirm the results in a 2012 Consumer Reports study [bold added]:

No federal limit exists for arsenic in most foods, but the standard for drinking water is 10 parts per billion (ppb). Keep in mind: That level is twice the 5 ppb that the EPA originally proposed and that New Jersey actually established. Using the 5-ppb standard in our study, we found that a single serving of some rices could give an average adult almost one and a half times the inorganic arsenic he or she would get from a whole day’s consumption of water, about 1 liter.

The reason? "Rice absorbs arsenic from soil or water much more effectively than most plants."

Disappointing....brown rice seemed to be a "good" carbohydrate, or at least one that was not as harmful as others. © 2013 Stephen Yuen