How to Reduce Arsenic in Rice

How to Reduce Arsenic in Rice

Avoid feeding infants with rice but use other supplements.

We do not what it does to babies.

In adults it may take 20 years for arsenic to develop symptoms.

How it react with heavy elements like cadmium is also not known.

The soil is contaminated with arsenic with prolong use of 

pesticides and herbicides from 1960s to increase the crop yield.

The chronic kidney disease in our farmers is also related to arsenic and other heavy metals in agrochemicals.

The main sources of arsenic pollution include certain pesticides and herbicides, wood preservatives, phosphate fertilizers, industrial waste, mining activities, coal burning and smelting.

Read the Web Artcle b Dr. Atli Arnarsony

The arsenic content of rice can be reduced by washing and cooking the rice with clean water that is low in arsenic.
This is effective for both white and brown rice, potentially reducing the arsenic content by up to 57%.
However, if the cooking water is high in arsenic, it may have the opposite effect and raise the arsenic content significantly.
The following tips should help reduce the arsenic content of your rice.

• Wash the rice before cooking. This method may remove 10–28% of the arsenic.
  
• Soak rice overnight, discard the water and use fresh water for cooking.
  
• Use plenty of water when cooking.
  
• Brown rice contains higher amounts of arsenic than white rice.
  
• If you eat large amounts of rice, the white variety may be a better choice.
  
• Choose aromatic rice, such as basmati or jasmine.
  
• Choose rice from the Himalayan region, including North India, North Pakistan and Nepal.
  
• If possible, avoid rice that is grown during the dry season.
  
• The use of arsenic-contaminated water is more common during that time.
  

The last and most important piece of advice concerns your diet as a whole. Make sure to diversify your diet by eating many different foods.
Your diet should never be dominated by one type of food.
Not only does this ensure that you are getting all the nutrients you need, it also prevents you from getting too much of one thing.

Bottom Line:

You can follow a few simple cooking methods tips to reduce the arsenic content of rice. Also keep in mind that some types of rice, such as basmati and jasmine, are lower in arsenic.