healthbrief


NOT SO NICE RICE N


ew research by the nonprofit Consumers Union (CU), which


publishes Consumer Reports, may cause us to reconsider what we place in our steamer or cookpot. Rice—a staple of many diets, vegetarian or not—is frequently contaminated with arsenic, a known carcinogen that is also believed to interfere with fetal development. Rice contains more arsenic than


grains like oats or wheat because it is grown in water-flooded conditions, and so more readily absorbs the heavy metal from soil or water than most plants. Even most U.S.-grown rice comes from the south-central region, where crops such as cotton were heavily treated with arseni- cal pesticides for decades. Thus, some organically grown rice in the region is impacted, as well.


CU analysis of more than 200 samples of both organic and conven- tionally grown rice and rice products on U.S. grocery shelves found that nearly all contained some level of arsenic; many with alarmingly high amounts. There is no federal standard for arsenic in food, but there is a limit of 10 parts per billion in drinking water, and CU researchers found that one serving of contaminated rice may have as much arsenic as an entire day’s worth of water. To reduce the risk of exposure,


rinse rice grains thoroughly before cooking and follow the Asian practice of preparing it with extra water to absorb arsenic and/or pesticide resi- dues; and then drain the excess water before serving.


See CU’s chart of arsenic levels in tested rice products at Tinyurl.com/ ArsenicReport.


natural awakenings March 2013 17


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64