I know you’ve seen it . . . all those headlines even in the main stream media about how RICE is so bad for you NOW because they just NOW found out that it supposedly has high levels of arsenic in it.
Makes me want to say — OMG! Not because I am afraid of my rice, but because I think everyone needs to take a chill pill, relax, and really think about what all this does and does not mean.
The Problem
I’m not going to reiterate what has taken up so much of the dialogue on the web on this subject. Review the infographic and see these posts about the subject (Food Renegade, Real Food Forager, Chic Shades of Green. I’m sure these aren’t the only posts, but these are the ones I remember seeing recently. They all pretty much say variations of the same thing detailing the new rice/arsenic controversy).
And yet, in spite of all that above information, I will still eat my white rice. Yes I eat white rice and not brown (always have and always will). As it turns out, white rice is actually more digestible for your body. There is a reason why Asian cultures, known for their high rice consumption, eat white and not whole grain rice.
Emily @Butter Believer did a fantastic post on white vs. brown rice. She beat me to it because I had it tucked away in the back of my mind to do a post about this very thing. However, she saved me the work of having to research all the data. Bottom line . . . . don’t be a ricist — get it? ricist . . . . racist . . . yeah yeah, sue me for being lame.
10 Reasons To Eat White Rice (in spite of arsenic)
So between all the hoopla over arsenic in rice and all the people who want to judge me for eating white rice instead of brown, here are my TEN reasons I will not stop or reduce my rice intake:
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White Rice has been eaten with ‘organic arsenic’ for thousands of years by the Asian cultures. (arsenic found naturally in the soil in minute amounts)
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White Rice is more digestible by the body than brown.
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White Rice is a hhhhhheck of a lot easier to make than brown rice (no soaking, sprouting, fermenting — yada yada)
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There is a lot less ‘arsenic’ found in White Rice and White Rice products like rice noodles than its brown rice counterpart.
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My White Rice does NOT come from one of the sketchy areas of the US where pesticides and sludge materials have been used to grow it creating raised inorganic levels of arsenic.
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White Rice tastes better IMO.
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White Rice is A LOT more flexible to work with than brown rice.
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Of all the things that FREAK me out about the food today, this RICE thing is not high on my list of FEARS — NUMERO UNO and DOS would be SOY and CAFO meat!
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Where is there ANY anecdotal evidence that rice — WHITE OR BROWN is harmful? I think there is far more anecdotal evidence concerning SOY side effects than rice!
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UMMMM, I just don’t want to stop eating it. Rice is food. Real Food. And I refuse to believe that all rice everywhere is tainted and will kill me.
So peeps, there you have it. Plain and simple. Not very scientific or even rational in the minds of some, but the bottom line is that I think we are making mountains out of molehills here. In fact there is more anecdotal evidence and studies that WHEAT gives us much more to freak out about — and I personally still eat wheat on occasion (properly sourced and prepared of course). 
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I agree! We eat some white rice in our family with no fear too!
Love it, love it, LOVE IT! We still eat our white rice too. I feel OK about it especially since I wash it in several changes of water before I cook it. Goodness, asking me to give up white rice would be like asking a bee to give up nectar!
I forgot to mention this too Jana. But this is something that my hubs culture does do. . . . rinse that rice! Let me tell you, I get quite the lecture if I don’t. Must be they know a thing or two about that too.
Haha, yeah, since I was brought up on that side of the world, this is something ingrained in me!
Not trying to be flippant, but what good does rinsing rice do. If the arsenic is in the ground the plant takes the nutrients and it is IN the rice, not ON the rice. Rinsing it, doesn’t do anything to remove it from the rice grain itself. Again, I am not trying to be annoying, it isn’t going to remove any arsenic.
Kristi, most of the arsenic is in the bran of the rice. Most. This is because it is on the outside and that is what soaks up the stuff in the soil. This is why people advocate eating ‘whole grain’ rice because all nutrients (as well as antinutrients) are in it. On White rice the bran has to be polished off. The residue that remains from the bran is rinsed away removing excess antinutrients. Does that help?
Oh and also, the tests in the study did show that white rice had much less of the arsenic.
Well, perhaps it doesn’t do much for the arsenic Kristi, but all Asians are taught to wash rice well. I’m not entirely too sure of the reason, but I have heard that white rice can contain talc to keep it all separate and free-flowing. If this is the case, I for one definitely do not want to be eating that! I grew up in Japan, where rice washing is absolutely de rigueur, in at least 5-6 changes of water.
I did not know that about the talc. But I’m not sure talc is bad. Isn’t that a mineral? But I guess maybe it doesn’t taste so great.
early on in our marriage I would forget to rinse and he always knew. 
Also, my assumption about the bran is that some of the residual is left behind in the white rice. Atleast this is what I have been told by the hubs. His mom did a lot of farming. I haven’t asked her just going on what the hubs has said.
Does rinsing mean it removes all the arsenic? I’m sure it doesn’t. However, I find it hard to believe that there is much since everyone makes such a big deal about white rice having ‘next to no’ nutrient value.
Well, everything I know about talc indicates it’s not something good to ingest, but then I don’t really have any factual evidence. It’s just something my mom always said and what I’ve heard. I know also I tried to avoid using it on Rob when he was little. Maybe it’s different kinds though? Lol, yeah I can also always tell if the rice isn’t rinsed properly!
hmmm, will have to look into that Jana. Not having kids it has never been something that I have had to worry about, I guess.
I love white rice in my chicken bone broth with veggies. I always get the Jasmine white rice, which apparently is lower in arsenic than other types. I just like the taste and texture of it.
Me too, Liz! I always cook rice in bone broth and add copius amounts of butter and a ton of veggies!
Jasmine is my favorite too. And yes, bone broth does make it tastier and also reduces the glycemic index . . . a lot. But so does all those yummy stews that I make from my hub’s culture. If I am making it with something like that we will often just have plain steamed rice.
I love Jasmine, some browns, red, black, wild and I’m not planning to stop eating any of it. I try and buy brands with organic and sustainable footprints. Beyond Jasmine, I usually just soak it so it cooks in 30 minutes. Soaking has become such a common task that I really don’t even think about doing it for rice, grains, oats etc.
I agree soy, commercial meat, packaged processed foods, GMO those are my big food
fears!
Yes Robin. I didn’t mean to make it sound as if Brown Rice is bad. It’s not. Just not my preference and I also think it is too much work when I can just steam white. It’s also my hubs preference. I think I was just rolling two pet peeves into one post. I tire of having to explain why I (God forbid — because often, but not always, the question comes off that way) use white rice. Nothing wrong with brown rice if your body can handle it and you soak it.
And GMO’s totally forgot to mention those. They totally freak me out. Especially after seeing Genetic Roulette. Aye.
Thanks for the mention, Jen! When you said this on my post it really got me thinking, but yet it’s another reverse of everything I always thought to be true— hit me over the head (with a rice cooker)! The thing that really DID scare me about this was how much we were consuming and my daughter is still so young! I realized that I had to rethink the replace gluten with rice thing. I haven’t bought any since the news came out and I’m actually giving up grains now so there goes the rice for me. But, I will probably buy jasmine or basmati from now on. I do agree that soy and conventional meat are a bigger problem but still my poor little baby and all that arsenic! great post!
Hi Lyza, Yeah, I just linked in your post for the info. I didn’t feel like recreating the wheel of info and you had such great info already. Hope you didn’t take it as critical. What really got me was the Infographic suggesting limiting your rice intake and using alternate grains (yeah, don’t think so . . . . they have their own problems). We want to be cautious but not paranoid. I already feel like I am concerned about so much. This seems like an easy one not to freak out about. Can’t believe that I am saying that . . . .
You’re right, I think we all have to learn to expand the variety of foods we eat. I hope I’m not paranoid.. just cautious.
Although, I am paranoid about GMO’s.
Ha ha, yeah me too! I meant about rice.
We all are being cautious I guess. Paranoia might have been a wrong choice of words But paranoia is not all that bad. That is a post for another day….
Of course, my friend pointed out that white rice makes our sugar spike since there is no fiber to help slow it down. :-O All things in moderation and keep paranoia for the bigger matters.
That’s why we eat it with LOTS of good fat!
I touched on the white rice issue when I posted my risotto recipe, which is a great way to get bone broth in my husband.
I’m currently on GAPS, so grain-free. But of the grains I could add back, white rice is the least of my worries. I’m much more concerned about gluten in my grains than arsenic.
Looks Good! I have been wanting to make risotto, it’s just a matter of getting the right rice. I usually have jasmine and I know I need a short grain to make it. Gluten is of concern for people who can not tolerate it, for sure. I haven’t determined that it is an issue for me. But I do eat it in only small quantities for sure just because I believe that wheat has been so messed with over the years that it no longer resembles what it used to be.
Not sure if this has been mentioned in the media coverage about arsenic and rice but I’d suspect the southern rice issue has mostly to do with the way cotton fields were treated in the past. In the early part of the century arsenic was sprayed on cotton to get rid of boll weevils, the bane of cotton farmers. I live in former cotton country so that’s been a concern of mine not for rice since it’s not grown here, but for veggies and such. Here’s an interesting link on the subject Southern rice and high arsenic. Not sure how you would know for sure but historically I don’t think rice grew too well on cotton land and vice-versa. Rice needs wetlands which cotton doesn’t do well on. Perhaps with advances in irrigation this has become an issue?
Kathy, that is a good point. No, I don’t think it was mentioned in any of the posts or articles I read. Most were blaming high pesticide and sludge use. That makes a lot more sense as to why it’s more concentrated in those areas. I am pretty sure that other areas have used pesticides as well, but the use of direct arsenic (inorganic) makes total sense!
I learned from my Sri Lankan mil that rice should be rinsed again and again and when you think it’s good enough rinse it some more.
I don’t use basmati rice anymore as new husband prefers sushi rice, but traditional prep of that type also includes rinsing it until the water runs clear. If I haven’t rinsed well enough I will get starch foam bubbling out of the rice cooker–a big mess.
Yes, I have learned that the best tasting rice is rice that has been thoroughly rinsed too. I usually let it rinse until the water looks like water I would drink.
Great post, it helps make me feel a little less guilty about still eating rice!
I’m gluten intolerant, and this whole rice scare has made me realize just HOW MUCH I rely on rice in everything, rice cakes, rice with stir fry, rice in soup, rice flour for baking. I’m not cutting out rice, but I have realized that I need to diversify more and not be so reliant on one ingredient… just in case…
Danielle, you might want to try almond flour as a replacement for rice flour. Coconut flour is a good option too but it requires adjustment with the eggs. It’s good to be diverse in food choices, but Asian cultures do use rice in everything too and they are some of the healthiest on the planet. I’m not convinced that this as big a deal as everyone is making it out to be.
Hahaha! Not being overly concerned with up-to-the-second news, I had no idea there was a debate about arsenic in rice. Can’t say I’m too concerned about it either, but I love your no nonsense attitude with regard to this current issue. I would think that tons of people world wide would have bit the dust by now if rice was really all that bad for you, but people rarely stop to apply logic to the newest scare.
So true Becky. And I have to admit, I probably fall in to that category of freaking out when I hear things like this. However, until I see evidence that people are sick and dying from this, I don’t see any reason to fear rice as we have been eating it with no ill effects for many many years.
I read the Consumer Reports article that brought this to the media’s attention. Its the November 2012 issue. Anyway, it says that children can still safely eat 1 1/4 servings a week of rice and adults can eat 2 and that’s without rinsing the rice. They caution on eating rice cereal b/c its broken down and not in its original state and limit those servings to 1 a day for kids.
I’m Cajun and most of my culture’s dishes tend to revolve around rice: gumbo, jambalaya, dirty rice, rice dressing…We always were taught to wash our rice well. I do know one thing — I will stop eating brown rice. I had started it for health benefits, but it has more arsenic in it. My preferred brand was in the safe side for white rice, but in the unsafe for the brown rice. Consumer Reports did list brand by arsenic level, so if its a concern to anyone, you might go out and invest in this issue.
Stacy, I would think that in the case of rice it might be a good reason to buy outside of the local market. Those suggested servings only apply in the case that you are using those rice in question.
Except for manmade chemicals, I often think the hype that comes into our homes via the nightly news need to be taken with a grain of rice, er, I meant salt!
Agreed!
Eating white rice instead of brown makes you an idiot.
Then I join the majority of the world (including traditional cultures) in being an idiot. Have a blessed day.
Jenna, Are you for real?
Why is it helpful for white rice to be more digestible if it’s almost nutritionally useless? It’s just starch. I’m not trying to be snarky; that logic just doesn’t make sense to me. The whole *point* of fiber is that it’s not digestible – that’s how it cleans out your digestive tract and keeps things moving.
I don’t think you are being snarky, just asking a question. Check out these links Rachel:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/01/07/dr-paul-jaminet-interview.aspx
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/23/low-carb-high-fat-diet.aspx
These are the premise for what I am talking about with white rice.
Jaminet refers to the bran creating a blockage of mineral absoption based upon the poo being heavier after eating bran (which is the whole grain part of the rice). This means that it is taking minerals and nutrients out with it and not absorbing it into the body.
Here’s another from Chris Kresser: http://chriskresser.com/arsenic-in-rice-how-concerned-should-you-be
Chris has another article somewhere that talks directly about white rice over brown, but I can’t seem to find it right now.
Here’s a few more: http://chriskresser.com/is-starch-a-beneficial-nutrient-or-a-toxin
http://perfecthealthdiet.com/2011/06/is-shou-ching-to-blame-for-our-rice-habit/
Thank you for explaining! I’ll go check out those links.
way to be honest about your food lovely
i think it takes a lot of ..uhhh, ovaries… to come out and tell the truth – especially in the face of a “brown” grain culture. i think we have to pick our battles and none of us are perfect – nor would we want to be. we all have our guilty pleasures – whether it be white rice, KD, alcohol, the occasional does of heroine (jk about that last one. obviously)… i’m just sayin that i think you’re very brave to be so honest and you know what matters to you. good on you.
thank you for sharing with us at the Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up! I hope to see you again with week with more seasonal & fresh/whole food posts
xo, kristy
Although I do consider a little bit of white wine to be a guilty pleasure every once in a while, I am a firm believer in eating white rice. No guilt here at all with the white rice.
I just get a little agitated with the food police telling us what we should be eating all the time. You are absolutely correct — no one eats a perfect diet.
I think the stress over the arsenic issue is probably more harmful to our health than the amount of arsenic from well-rinsed white rice. You know, if people can live on fast food, we who try to eat real food should be able to tolerate a small amount of arsenic. That said, I still would not be buying rice cereal for an infant…more because of the processing than for the rice worries.
I’m glad they tell us these things, because we should KNOW, so we’re making INFORMED choices. But I agree; I’d rather eat my rice and get a little bit of arsenic than eat junk food that DOESN’T have arsenic but is full of all kinds of other yuckies.
I agree Rachel. My concern was not with the information but the reaction to it. I want to know these things. But I think we also need to use good judgement as you say. A few posts I read (none that I listed in my post) were very mellow dramatic. I think it hurts the cause to educate about food choices when we create drama that is slightly misplaced.
I don’t advocate rice cereal (or any cereal) for infants with or without arsenic. And I agree. The stress is far worse than a minute amount of arsenic ever will be.
I’m Chinese and just got back from a visit to Hong Kong – an island of long-lived people who eat a lot of seafood and white rice, white breads and noodles. I noticed there are many people with crowded teeth, missing teeth, and most people need thick glasses. Weston Price warned against “polished rice” as one of the “displacing foods of modern commerce”. I think if we are aiming for optimal health, we would be wise to heed his warning against white rice.
I disagree that white rice is the reason. The advent of whole grains into modern society has caused this dental decay that you see now, not the traditional diet. My husband grew up in the Philippines. My husband has told me that the older generations teeth are often intact unlike the younger generations.
I am also unaware of anywhere where Dr Price mentioned not to eat white rice. I believe that was Sally Fallon in Nourishing Traditions who makes that recommendation. Traditionally white polished rice has always been eaten.
Surely you’re not saying that whole grains are new! Until about 1900, almost all grain was unrefined. (A few rich people could afford highly-refined flours, but it took a lot of work to get it that way, so it’s not what the average person ate.) Then they started mass-producing it, storing, and shipping it, and started refining the grains/flour so it wouldn’t go rancid.
There have only been about a hundred years in which the general grain consumption has been the refined stuff – and during that time, all kinds of degenerative and/or chronic diseases have become rampant. (Probably more because of fake fats than refined grains, but I think both have played a role.) Buttered whole wheat bread is a nutritionally complete food, because whole wheat has almost every known nutrient in it. (The few it doesn’t are things like vit. A, which are high in butter.)
I’m talking about rice, not wheat. Look it up. White rice has been consumed by traditional cultures for hundreds of years. My hubs said the old timers still use hand pounding to polish their rice.
However, sifting of wheat has always been true up until modern times as well. I am still researching this. But I have a hunch that sifted wheat (not bleached, bromated refined) is acceptable to eat. (I should have also mention that I meant ‘not properly prepared whole wheat products’ and modern processed and sugar ladened foods)
Here’s a link from MDA regarding his thoughts on the Asian white rice issue: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-asian-paradox-how-can-asians-eat-so-much-rice-and-not-gain-weight/#axzz29zOoYH58
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