Question from Shoshana
Do you know which brands of organic rice have less arsenic or no arsenic?
Debra’s Answer
Here is an article from Rodale that I think answers your question: Rodale: How Companies Are Coping With Arsenic in Rice.
Arsenic is a poison, but it is also a naturally occurring element, present throughout the Earth’s crust in minute qualities. Our bodies are designed to process arsenic, which can pass through the body in a few days. The problem occurs when there are higher concentrations of arsenic in rice or other foods, usually due to pesticide contamination of the soil. And some people eat a lot of rice as a dietary staple.
There are two ways to reduce the total amount of something. One is to choose a sample that contains less, and the other is to be exposed less frequently. Reducing the amount of rice you eat from every day to three days a week or once a week will be the same as eating rice with a lower amount of arsenic.
The fact that we cannot always eliminate toxic exposures is one of the reasons we also need to support our bodies in the ability to detox the chemicals we are exposed to (see my Toxic Free Body website).
Personally, I don’t eat rice. Occasionally I use Lundberg Sweet Dreams Brown Rice Syrup in a recipe. This is made from brown rice grown in California by an established organic farm.
I would stay away from cheap off-brand rice and stick with well-known organic brands such as Lundberg.
Thank you for this – I read the article and was alarmed a bit. As one who is gluten intolerant, eating rice is a basic in our house, rice pasta or just rice – however Lundberg is my favorite staple.
Almonds also contain arsenic, a part of the natural compound. Thanks –
Response to Debra: Actually, I read that non-organic arsenic was added to some soils.
COMMENT FROM DEBRA:
Here are two good articles that explain how arsenic gets into soils from human activity.
* Gardening on Lead- and Arsenic-Contaminated Soils
* Historical use of lead arsenate insecticides, resulting soil contamination and implications for soil remediation
Pesticides containing arsenic have been used in the past and have contaminated soils, but to the best of my knowledge, arsenic is not be applied to soils today.
Here is a list of arsenic levels in different brands of rice:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/11/arsenic-in-your-food/index.htm#chart
Environmental Working Group, EWG sent out an email saying you can remove some aresenic by rinsing it before you use it. The email suggested you do this with all rice, even organic.
COMMENT FROM DEBRA:
What evidence do they have for this? Arsenic in rice is systemic, not sprayed on. It’s in the soil. Farmers are not intentionally applying it. You can’t wash off arsenic that is inside the rice.
Brown rice contains more arsenic than white rice.
http://thesavvyceliac.com/2012/09/20/should-gluten-free-folks-be-worried-about-arsenic-found-in-rice/