Is eating rice a good idea?

I eat it every day. It is a cheap, easy carb.

First time I've heard of the arsenic problem. Well, so much for my rice milk ... From what I'm reading the consensus seems to be there's no short term danger in eating rice, but long term effects are unknown as are the environmental variables involved. Brown rice is unfortunately worse than white and California basmati is the lowest in arsenic content per the Consumer Reports link below.

https://www.food.gov.uk/science/arsenic-in-rice
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/01/how-much-arsenic-is-in-your-rice/index.htm
http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/Metals/ucm319948.htm

Here's a researcher who's looking into the arsenic compounds in rice:

http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2016/jan/organic-arsenic-rice-012616.html

Brown rice is too much of a hassle, so we eat bulgur instead, and actually prefer it to brown rice.

I don't really eat white rice unless it is coconut rice with poke or something. White rice is too pasty tasting in general to me.

Everything in moderation.

I have mixed feelings about this. There are all kinds of naturally occurring stuff in the foods we eat. Fish at the top of the food chain have heavy metals in them because, well, they're eating from the top of the food chain. Licorice, rhubarb, the green part of potatoes, and many other plants we eat have bad things in them. Mangos are in the same family as poison ivy and can cause contact dermatitis. Various crops can pick up heavy metals from the soil.

In other words, you can get "organic" foods from your local Whole Foods or health food store that contain things that are bad for you. My perspective is, none of us are getting out of this alive, and as long as you eat a variety of things you'll keep your "dosage" of bad things low enough so it won't be much of a concern. Worry too much about this stuff and you'll drive yourself crazy.

I had some brown rice just now with dinner. I don't eat it every day, and I don't plan on cutting back on an occasional mango, bar of licorice candy, potatoes, or top predator fish like tuna or salmon.

vingogly wrote: »

none of us are getting out of this alive

Absolutely brilliant.

I eat rice a lot - I generally prefer the taste and texture of brown rice, but white goes well with some meals.
I usually measure out a half cup serve, that's enough for me and is not much more than 100 cals.

I don't consider any food "dead calories", if there are calories you are getting energy, which is one of the reason's to eat. Of course, you want to ensure you are getting good nutrition too, which you can do by eating a variety of foods.

Don't overthink this.

sarabushby wrote: »

Supposedly you shouldn't eat rice too often as it naturally contains Arsenic, you can google for more info and there's stats on what's a 'safe amount' of different types of rice and rice products for adults and for children.

Yet society has been eating large amounts of white rice for decades and we're all fine. It's all about the dose-I suspect the dose for this would have to be outrageous in order for it to do damage.

I eat rice a few times a week, but I don't make it a large part of my meals. For example when I make fried rice at home my recipe if 50% rice 50% vegetables. If you are adding meat you can go even lower, like 30% rice 20% meat 50% vegetables.

Also I know healthy eating can seem expensive, but you can save a lot of money by making things yourself from scratch. For example, it's a lot cheaper to buy a bag of beans and cook them yourself than to buy canned beans. On the flip side there are some things which are cheaper to buy already made, for example pancake mix and spaghetti sauce (depending on the brand).

Another way to save on healthy eating is to cut back on meat. I noticed that my shopping bill is almost cut in half since I have been having more meatless meals and meals where the meat is more like the side than the main dish. Meat is expensive and lean meat is even more $$$. For example when I make sloppy joe I replace half of the meat with brown lentils.

You can also look up tips for buying more fatty meats and making them lean through the way you prepare and cook them. For example I read a few articles that said if you buy 80% lean ground beef and brown it on low heat for a longer time it helps the meat release more of its fats and you can reduce the remaining fat even more by rinsing the meat with hot water after it's cooked, some might worry that this might take away from the flavor, although to me meat doesn't have much flavor anyway.

Not sure how it is cheaper to buy pancake mix. All it is flour, baking powder, egg or egg white, water/buttermilk/milk/non-dairy milk. I don't bother adding sugar to mine. I mean, why? You are going to drown it in sugar anyway. No one has ever missed the sugar in the pancake.

I make my own buttermilk from culture. Takes like 1 minute to actually do anything (add store bought live culture buttermilk to a quart Ball jar 3/4 full of milk) and then you just wait a day for it to clabber at room temp somewhere. Put in fridge and use when needed. When you need more buttermilk, add more milk and leave out for another day. I haven't bought buttermilk in months now because you can keep generations of the bacteria alive indefinitely as long as you regularly feed - just like sourdough starter or yogurt.

85Cardinals wrote: »

I'll allow it.

LOL!!