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At a gluten free expo last year, I attended a lecture given by a physician who was warning that a gluten free diet is “unhealthy”.  I was interested in hearing what she had to say, because I was under the impression that a gluten free diet was a relatively healthy one.

Basically, the essence of her lecture was this:  Rice flour is used a lot as a substitute for wheat flour in gluten free food products.  So, we, as gluten free eaters, ingest a lot of rice in varying forms, and rice contains arsenic.  Regular exposure to small amounts of arsenic can cause health issues (see the article links below for more information). You should know that arsenic is in the air, water, and soil in organic and inorganic forms.  It is the inorganic form of arsenic that can be harmful.

As a natural element in soil, arsenic is present in many foods in trace amounts.  The difference between rice and other foods is that rice absorbs arsenic more readily than other plants.

The amount of arsenic in soil varies depending on geographic location, for example, soil in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas contain more arsenic than soil in California.  Hence, rice grown Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas contains more arsenic than rice grown in California.

Something of particular interest is the difference in arsenic levels between white and brown rice.  I had been inclined to eat brown rice over white rice because brown rice was widely believed to be healthier for you.  Right?  Not so relative to arsenic levels.  Brown rice contains more residual arsenic because it isn’t processed.  When rice is treated to become “white”, some of the arsenic is removed during the processing.  Brown rice has an astounding 80 % more arsenic than white rice!

In doing my research on this topic, I’ve read a number of articles, but I’m referencing two articles for your review.  One on the Food and Drug Administration’s web site and one on Consumer Reports’ web site.  I think both agencies are reputable, and the information they provide is very informative.  They also offer suggestions for cooking rice and they propose alternative grain suggestions (see image from Consumer Reports).  Consumer Reports refers to “Nicer Rices” which include white basmati rice from California, India, and Pakistan, and sushi rice from the U.S.

I would suggest reading the articles on these sites especially if you have a baby or a child.  They have recommendations for how much rice should be ingested by your child.

So, what are you to do?  That is entirely up to you.

After attending the lecture and reading recent articles about arsenic in rice, I have modified my diet a bit.  I am more conscious of the ingredients in the gluten free foods that I eat.  I always check to see if rice flour is an ingredient in the foods that I buy, and if so, I check to see how high rice flour is on the list of ingredients.  I buy rice that is grown in areas where I know there isn’t as high of a concentration of arsenic in the soil.  I rinse my rice before I cook it.  And I limit the amount of rice that I eat in a week.  In addition, I read whatever I can on the subject to keep myself updated on the latest studies.

I’ve been hesitant to address this issue in my blog, but I feel I would be remiss in my duty to keep you informed.  After all, that is truly my goal.  My hesitation is because I don’t want to alarm anyone.  But I would suggest reading up on the subject, and then discuss the topic with your physician.