Questions: 1. Was Arsenic in Rice something you were aware of before watching this video? 2. Now that you know that some Rice may have relatively high levels of inorganic arsenic, would that change your rice eating habits? 3. If you are, like most of us in Asia, who use a rice cooker to cook rice, would you change the way you cook rice because cooking rice with excess water and then discarding the excess water after cooking (like cooking pasta) have been shown to lower the arsenic levels in rice significantly? Do leave your response below, would be great for everybody to know how others would respond to this Arsenic in rice issue! Cheers Doc I have a blog post where I collated useful and relevant articles, information and studies regarding Arsenic in Rice - www.whatscookingdoc.sg/lifestyle-medicine-notes/all-about-arsenic-in-rice
1. I have heard about this and read many comments on health videos warning as such. 2. No. 3. Dr. Barnard in a video once said he boils rice like pasta but I`ve yet to try it. I think the ones shouting not to eat it the most, are the ones who haven`t given up junk food yet. The ones that don`t eat it often anyway unless its from the local take place with all the sugar, oil, and fried meat :(
I heard about this issue first from Dr. Michael Greger. He did not, however, cover cooking methods as a solution to reducing arsenic levels. He only spoke of the regions where rice is grown with less arsenic, mainly encouraging people to purchase rice from California, a state where they have strict laws about metal contaminants.
Well, I just found out a week or two ago about arsenic in rice from Flav city on RU-vid… But yes, now I will change my method a bit on cooking rice, by adding more water… I do not use a rice cooker. But then again, we are not Asian and we do not eat much rice...🤗👍
@@gaymichaelis7581 Good for you :-) Whilst I am getting quite a bit of angst and heat from fellow Asians who love rice for daring to even suggest cooking rice in the 'cooking pasta' way ... :-)
Dr. Chan, why isn't this taught in culinary schools? While preparing a recipe, I delved deeper into researching various foods and came across a video about soaking grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. It emphasized not just the importance of soaking but also the necessity of roasting them at specific temperatures. I was floored why are we not given this information at a training level?
Because culinary school and medical school do not teach real true nutrition. The standard American diet (SAD) is not true nutrition and not food health safety. Listen to Dr. Sten Ekberg and Dr. Eric Berg for the best of authorities on real food advice.
Thanks, I have people who complain I speak too fast or explain too much... so now I just speak at the speed I am comfortable with and the length that I feel is needed, and let viewers choose the speed they prefer to watch and to skip whatever they want to skip. Cheers!
What else can we drink or eat ? Everything we eat, the air we breathe or drink, there s an issue.... so, even the rice we are told to buy from China? Give me a break.
Dr. Chan, thank you for all your efforts regarding a healthier consumption of enjoying rice. MOMENTS...into your presentations, I subscripted, to this channel. Why? I quickly recognized the knowledgable, well planned effort that you prepared; furthermore, I also recognized your ability to express such information to us in a very sincere manner. We thank you sir! Respectfully, Richard
Hi Richard, thank you so much for your encouraging words. I cannot express how much it is appreciated, especially when it can really get quite discouraging putting so much effort and especially heart into making a video, so much so that I have taken a break from and have not posted any new videos for the past 2 months. Thank you for your encouragement, I shall garner enough energy and motivation to start making videos again. Thanks. Blessings, Doc
And u think that arsenic is then eliminated? Or like many who say that now there is just a LITTLE poison that I eat every day? Any scientifi c studies don e ? Quinoa is a protein & is very much like brown rice.
I just recently learned about the high levels of arsenic in rice and rice products. I now eat organic rice specifically grown in California which has very low levels of arsenic if any at all. The downside is that this rice is VERY expensive. I've never tried cooking it with a 10 - 1 ratio. But I will after viewing your video.
Correct, the south central rice growing states have some of the highest inorganic arsenic concentration rates in the world, followed by Spain, and Italy. California rates are much lower. Brown rice is the highest as far as rice type, followed by long grain. The "fragrant" rices such a Jasmine and Basmati from Thailand and India respectively, had some of the lowest. Another way to reduce arsenic is to wash rice extra thoroughly. I wouldn't obsess over it too much unless I was eating it as a large part of my diet, while I greatly enjoy it, my consumption is no more that a few of cooked cups per week, and then that's usually either basmati, jasmine, or arborio (I use for risotto), so I still cook my rice in the traditional method. Also keep in mind that arsenic is a natural element found in most of our environment. Getting your water supply tested (even if municipally supplied) is always a good idea though, when having it done, be sure that they test for arsenic besides the other harmful metals, toxins, and pathogens commonly found in water.
@@p.v.rangacharyulu241 not very safe for people like me with celiac disease unless the chinese packing facility and the rice has never touched equipment that touches wheat rye barley or coucous
If you can find non-organic brown rice from California, you might save some money. From what I've read, organic rice will take up just as much arsenic as regular rice. That being said, who knows how the organic vs non-organic growing process differs so maybe you're avoiding some arsenic by buying organic anyway!
The arsenic comes from the soil and water, not from current use of pesticides or fertilizers. The organic label doesn't help with arsenic. Also, brown rice has much more arsenic than white rice @@OmnipotentEnt
Thank you 🎉 My grandma washed rice thoroughly in water, srubbing it with both hands several times. The water is so cloudy. She then par-boils, washes it and boils till the water dries out
Rice is nice! As a daily rice eater it wasn't easy to switch to the boil-like-pasta method because the rice absorbs the sauces much better when cooked traditionally. However, when left to drain for some.. time...in a metal mesh colander this improves. Thank you, very useful video!
That's how plain rice is cooked in Guyana, boiled then strained. My grandparents were rice farmers and ate plenty of rice, they both lived to their mid 90's without health issues.
And we Guyanese still cook it so 🤷 😋 We wash the rice thoroughly, cook it in tons of water then strain in, while in the strainer wash it again in cold water, then put it back into the pot for the extra water to dry out....
I recently started cooking it like that again... I use to cook it that way but then j stopped because it's time-consuming...but j do now but the only thing I didn't strain it...ill do that now...just been worried it would spoil
This is how traditionally rice is cooked. As growing up saw grandma cooking this way. Later slowly heard things like draining water would drain all nutritions etc etc and people stopped draining the water.
Thanks for this important info. I’ve never thought about arsenic. In Hawaii we eat lots of rice cooked the traditional way in a rice cooker. I’m 83, in good health & hope to live another 10 years still healthy. Lei🌺
This is my first time here. I love the way you got straight to the point and stayed on point. I really appreciate the information and intend to follow your advice. Thank you!
The heavy use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicide, fungicide, mulloscicide, herbicides, etc in rice farming( and also vegetable farming) in our country is enough to make me rethink how and how much I consume rice. There are organic ones but they are significantly more costly.
The difference between all those pesticides and arsenic is that all those pesticides are supposedly not carcinogenic or they would not be approved for use (at least in many countries), although of course we have our doubts. However arsenic has been classified as a carcinogen.
Thanks doctor..... glad to know this details.... just want to share... my grandpa eat rice twice a day (using rice cooker and steamer in olden days) since kid till he age 98 years old. He is considered healthy and no cancer , no cholesterol, no diabetes, no hypertension. He recently passed away at age 98 because of natural death , pneumonia to be exact (as he is a smoker) ❤️ from him i see balance diet (chicken fish vege rice ) n eating promptly breakfast lunch dinner at the same timing mostly, simple real food meal are the keys to his longevity .... he does no eat much snack.
Wow thank you for this video! I had no idea! And thank you for providing documented evidence of this issue and ways to reduce the risk of disease and side affects! 🙏🏾
Before the automatic rice cookers became globally available rice was always cooked like you described, ie: boiled in lots of water and then discarding the starchy water, and then simmering on medium heat till done. We didn’t know why but we just accepted that as the only way rice was cooked, not because of arsenic, of which we were not in the know because many households used the starchy water for thickening other food items such as curries and lentil soup.
@@israelizzyyarrashamiaak766 luziana and Texas in USA and in some places in China high As and Cd. Rice from India and Pakistan are generally safe. Edit: about china it's only some places only
@thezoldics7648 it dosent have anything to do with cooker it's water pollution. But if u drain water from rice it will be safer instead of drying it up
Sr.Dr Chan Tat Hon, a medical doctor from Singapore. I am very lucky and pleased to have found your channel .Thanks for releasing this info .Excellent !! exposition thank you very much indeed !!
You should buy different brands of rice and send it to a lab for a trace metal analysis, and find out whether rice from US or Asian countries have more/less arsenic. One of the biggest arsenic rice poisonings came from rice grown in Bangladesh a long time ago. But with most of the rice being grown in less developed and polluted countries like Vietnam, it would be interesting to see if there are major differences + compare the results with the arsenic levels considered to be harmful.
I was reading on the EWG "Organically-grown and conventional rice both contain arsenic. But arsenic concentrations in rice appear to vary based on the variety and the region where it is grown. White rice -- particularly basmati, jasmine and pre-cooked “instant” rice -- tends to have lower concentrations of arsenic than brown rice because arsenic accumulates in rice bran. Rice varieties grown in California or imported from Southeast Asia are often lower in arsenic than rice grown in other parts of the U.S."
Estimated Dr., how about the research of Professor Andrew Meharg that found that soak the rice overnight before cooking it in a 5:1 water-to-rice ratio reduce 80% arsenic compared to the usual way of cooking?
Here in Ghana, I only use locally grown organic brown rice. I soak my rice for 24gts changing the soaking water three to four times. I then cook it in a ratio of about 10-1, or thereabout. Thanks for such an excellent video!
10 parts water to 1 part rice? So, do you drain the water or let it absorb in rice when you cook? I understand it is different for white and brown rice, but I still look forward to your response!
my mom has eaten brown rice her whole life and she doesn't have any problems in fact she is really healthy going for 10 mile bike rides every day at 87 years old and she always told me from the age of 6 that brown rice is a super power but prep it right for starch resistance.
I believe the method of cooking rice with high level of water to desired al-denteness of rice and draining the water, also helps to reduce the starch levels of rice, hence improving the glycemic index of the cooked rice
Yes, I agree that rinsing rice about three times then cooking it in the water to rice ratio of 6 to 1 ‘or’ 10 to 1 then draining it thus improving the glycemic index of the cooked rice and also at the same time getting rid of arsenic much better. ~But also “after cooking the rice” then if you leave it in the refrigerator to cool overnight then warm it up eating it the next day, this also does improve the glycemic index of the cooked rice.
@royjohnson465 Absolutely true and if you add a table spoon of apple cider vinegar or the juice of half a lemon when the water starts to boil it brings the glycemic index even more down and your grains will never be sticky. I have been cooking this way for 30 years, and no, you don't taste the vinegar or the lemon juice after it's looked.
Thank you for this video! The way I was originally taught was apparently the right way, but after not cooking for a while, I started messing up my rice. Then someone showed me the ratio to cook it without rinsing, which is how I been cooking it for the last few years. I guess I'm going back to the old way! Thanks again for this valuable info! God bless you! Xoxo 🙏🏾❤
I've always cooked rice with high water ratio, drained it in a strainer, sometimes even rinsing it again and then steaming the excess water out. I always thought I was the odd one out using a somewhat amateur but full proof method because others prefer the other method, but little did I know it is better.
Hey SK, all rice and rice products do have some amount of arsenic in them, it all depends on the source/type of rice used. You can't do anything to reduce the arsenic levels in rice products that require no cooking ( eg. rice crackers, rice milk etc) but you can to rice or rice products that require some degree of cooking with water. The key in reducing arsenic in rice or rice products is in boiling in excess water and then throwing away the excess water used in boiling. Hope this helps. Blessings, Doc from Singapore :-)
Ditto. My son just bought an expensive Japanese “favored” rice cooker. Rice is outstanding but looks like I am sticking to my old methods and passing info on to him. Thank you Dr Chan 🙏🏽❤️. I have allergies to nuts and do use store bought rice milk hmm might have to boil my rice then make my own rice milk too 😊👍🏼.
1. Yes. I was aware of arsenic in rice but was unsure of which varieties were safer. 2. It did affect my rice eating habits because I didn't know what to do about it. For my Asian family and friends not eating rice was crazy. 3. Yes. I love rice so I plan to change the way I cook it. Thank you. You are amazing.
Me too, although in recent years, my family has diversified our choices of staples beyond just rice, rice remained a regular part of our diet. It is unthinkable for most people I know in Singapore to stop or reduce their rice intake, so I hope this video would at least nudge some to consider changing the way they cook it. But ever since I posted this video a few months ago, I have received a number of comments from people that it is still 'unreasonable' or even 'ridiculous' of me to expect people to stop using a rice cooker and change to cooking rice the way we cook pasta as I suggested in this video. So I went to do some more research on studies available and adapted the rice cooking process hat was recommended in the studies, so that I can still use a rice cooker & yet still reduce the arsenic levesl. Am in process of editing the video, shall post that in the next few days, do look out for it. Thanks for dropping by my channel. Blessings, Doc
I cooked our white jasmine rice this way today & it turned out GREAT. The rice pkg said it was from Thailand. I used 8 cups of water to cook 1 cup of rice. It cooked in boiling water over about 15 minutes, & then I put it in a strainer & ran warm water over it. Thanks for this info.
That's how I cook my rice, never knew it could help reduce the arsenic level too,I found out this method reduce the starch content of the rice.Thanks Doc.
Dr. I have a question, is there a test we can do to determine the level of Arsenic in the body? does arsenic accumulate in the body over time? if it does, how does one eliminate the accumulated arsenic? is there an arsenic detox?
The levels of arsenic in rice depends on (1) where it is grown (whether the soil/water is contaminated with arsenic) ; (2) whether polished or not, polished rice has lower levels than unpolished rice grown from the same area; so polished rice can still have quite high levels of arsenic if it is grown in areas with arsenic contaminated soil/water (3) How it is cooked, whether absorption method (eg. using rice cooker) or boiling/discard excess water method. Hope this helps. Cheers
La más alta contaminación ambiental está en asía y todo mundo conoce que antes de empezar la pandemia que en China hay mucha contaminación. Así que es más lógico que el arroz que biene de estos países es más contaminado. Que el de las Americas. De todos modos gracias por su aporte a la salud. Yo siempre lo e lavado demasiado. No sólo por el arsénico si no por limpieza.
Arsenic is a poison and I am really not surprised to find another food contaminated with something. I live in Canada, born here of Caucasian descendants and I love rice. I have many recipes where you put all your staples together including the rice to all cook together. I will cook the rice this new way from now on and try to adjust my recipes accordingly. Thank you
I cook my rice just like the Astiates. I only eat a certain variety. Another variety tasted muddy. That's why I stick to the variety that tastes good to me as much as possible and as I read right now, it also did well in the tests.
It’s all fair and well to advise how best to cook rice but coming from a Chinese family, I know that almost nobody I know personally, would even contemplate cooking rice like pasta 🙁 it’s such so far from the cultural norm of cooking rice. Also I’d like to know a little bit more about the rates at which Asians get diabetes at a later stage of life...does a lifelong consumption of rice contribute to risks of diabetes?
Have you considered to personally conduct an experiment of cooking rice in DISTILLED water - considering how distilled water tends to absorb much higher amounts of elements (for obvious reasons) it may reduce arsenic by a considerably higher rate than tap water...
I saw a video where the influencer mentioned consuming wild rice is best because it doesn't have any arsenic. According to him, wild rice is a grass and therefore, doesn't absorb arsenic.
Kudos to you, Dr Chan, for all your valuable and insight sharings. If I'd watched this video just a few days earlier, I would not have bought a new rice cooker! :)
Sally you can use the rice cooker to cook rice and strain it. I keep exeses water , the way doctor mentioned .when almost cooked I strain it to a collander put the rice back and switch on the rice cooker. It will automatically switch off once done. This method is very good for diabetics also. Hope this will help.
Parboil the rice and then proceed to cooking it in the rice cooker as usual. You may have to experiment with how much less water you have to add though.
Good amount of information! Reminds me that Indians or the people in India have been cooking their rice by boiling it since centuries... they don’t have a rice cooker as we do.. sometimes doing things the traditional was seems the best way to go...
Good point! I actually didn't realise , until many viewers commented on this video, that this is how many people in India cook rice. I live in a multicultural community here in Singapore with Chinese, Malays and Indians - and we share one thing in common, we love rice, and from young I have always thought that the only and 'proper' way to cook rice is to cook it with a rice cooker!! So naive of me :-) Thanks for dropping by my channel, Blessings, Doc
Hi Kathy, every step - soaking, washing, rinsing rice before cooking does help reduce arsenic to some degree, but not by very much though. From the study I shared in the video, the key step that reduced the arsenic in the rice to the greatest degree is in boiling the rice in excess water and then draining away the water after that. Hope this helps. Cheers. Blessings, Doc
Is it true that using Turmeric (Curcumin) and black pepper with your rice will also lower the arsenic damage to our DNA? A little yellow rice never hurt anyone? Will half cooking the rice with a lot of water, then draining it, and then finish cooking the rice with the needed amount of water get the heavy metal concentration way down without loosing as many nutrients? Rice grown in the Southern U.S. states has much more Arsenic because it is grown on the same soil that Cotton plants were also grown that were treated with chemicals containing Arsenic in the past. I have plenty of time, now that I'm retired, to read up on the foods I eat, especially when they may have been pre-processed by food corporations.
Yes cooking rice in the way you mentioned does help. Also Basmati rice from California, India, or Pakistan is the best choice, according to Consumer Reports data. These types of rice have about one third of the inorganic arsenic compared to brown rice from other regions. Jasmine rice also has much lower amounts.
I've placed butter, salt, broth, herbs, and Turmeric with rice covered and placed in the oven and it's great. I rinse the rice 10 times until the water's clear after soaking it for 15 min or so.
Those of us who know wheat is a killer, the rice items you listed are all in my breads and crackers. I love rice too. Thank you for keeping us informed.
@@DutchmanAmsterdam I believe that the toxicity is now gone from wheat, rice, white potatoes, beans, all soy products as well as , nuts. I work for the paleiadians and discovered that very recently. Blessings to you and yours dear.
Additionally, if you let rice soak in a pot of water overnight and then drain it and cook it in the way you mention then you can even reduce the arsenic levels by around 80 %.
I remember when my mom had stomach cancer the Dr. was telling us he was doing a procedure that was created in Japan as because of all the rice they eat they have a much higher chance of getting stomach cancer then in America - Every other cancer form is very low but stomach cancer is very high in Japan
The main culprit is more like the rampant alcohol consumption, from sake to beer. And the mercury from tuna in sushi doesn’t help either. By the way, alcohol consumption has been shown to be associated with higher rates of throat, esophageal, stomach, and breast cancers.
Excellent video. I still use the rice cooker but I start the cooking with a lot of water, then let it boil for a few minutes before throwing away the water. Then I put new clean water but just enough to finish the cooking as usual in the rice cooker. Hope that makes sense. Would you think it reduces enough the arsenic?
The key step in all the different studies about reducing arsenic in rice seem to be boiling the rice and then discarding the water used in the boiling, so the process you described would probably be helpful in reducing arsenic to some degree. In fact I am in the process of making a video on how to reduce arsenic levels in rice whilst using a rice cooker because so many people got 'angry' with me for this video for suggesting boiling rice like pasta instead of using a rice cooker! :-) Blessings, Doc
@@TheHabitsDoctor I eat brown rice. I usually let the rice soak in water for a day and then rinse and throw it on the rice cooker. is that good enough?
@@TheHabitsDoctor THANK YOU for sharing- can you include a video about black rice i believe it has the most arsenic. i buy from california since i think arsenic levels are lowest there. i truly appreciate you sharing more on this.
Glad you found the video useful. I am working on a video to demonstrate a method of cooking rice using a rice cooker that will still be able to reduce arsenic levels in the rice substantially 😄
Now I understand why , Rice Soaking, rinsing, cooking in lot of water , draining and recooking with high protein meat was necessary for old times, in Asian festivals.
I am from south indian state tamilnadu.we do the same technique for centuries.but now people have changed the cooking method either using pressure cooker or rice cooker.
Yes, soaking does help reduce the arsenic further - there is this study pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29053420 that looked at that in some detail, and the degree of reduction of arsenic is related to the soaking time and the amount of water that you used to soak the rice, the longer time and the more water used for soaking, the greater the reduction of arsenic, but that's provided the water used in the soaking is not contaminated with high levels of arsenic in the first place. Hope this helps. Thanks for dropping by my channel and leaving a comment. Cheers!
@The Habits Doctor, thank you. Excellent presentation. I look forward to reading the link you provided on the related top. Good to whether the vitamin content does down with rinsing.
This is how I cook my rice, drain & rinse in cold water again. I cook brown & black rice in a pressure cooker as it helps with the anti-nutrients. Great video for awareness!
I knew that there was arsenic in rice but I thought it was at low levels. Some arsenic is good at increasing brain activity and boost the IQ. I rinse the the rice before cooking in the rice cooker. I’m American but I grew up in Japan. I eat a lot of rice and tofu with veggies. I’m also vegetarian and have been most of my life. Once in a while I eat an egg or have some yogurt with fruit.
Too much tofu is a bad thing thing too. You overproduce estrogen in your body, so it causes hormonal issues. I speak from experience. I went vegan for 1 year, and that’s all I used, tofu, and other soy products, because it’s so readily available. But I ended up having to do hormonal treatment. You can eat soy products like tofu once in a while but don’t overdo it.
@@ntmn8444The estrogen in soy is phytoestrogen which protects the body from the harmful effects of the estrogen your body produces and the one present in meat you may eat. Because it binds with the estrogen receptors. It does not increase rates of cancer contrary to the animal estrogen from your own or meat intake. Rather it reduces cancer incidents and other estrogen related mishaps. Compare cancer incidents which is much lower in countries with high soy consumption. The soy scare was deliberately created by the meat industry to discourage vegetarianism and keep their profits up. I get so tired of having to explain this again and again.
@@ntmn8444What were your hormonal issues exactly? It doesn't seem to be related. I'm aware that most doctors also still believe the misinformation that phytoestrogen is harmful like estrogen. It makes no sense because meat is usually from female animals and therefore high in estrogen, than that is supposed to be ok, same for eggs and milk.
It would take hundreds of pounds of rice a day to get any harmful effect. AND the body needs arsenic to function properly. So you’re not going to scare me away from this most healthy food.
Hi Dr Chan. Just found your channel and find your channel very informative. Can you advise if this method of boiling the rice and throwing out the water helps with de-starching the white rice as well. By de-starching the arice helps with controlling diabetes? Thank you
That’s a fantastic tip. Thank you for sharing that. I don’t eat rice anymore, I’m on keto, but I just started cooking my little senior dog low protein meals using rice as a base. I was worried about the arsenic.
Rice fields in the southern US were previously used to grow cotton. Arsenic was used in those cotton fields 100 years ago and remain to this day. So only buy rice from southeast Asia or California.
I have read that traditionally the rice was traditionally soaked, which makes it more digestible removing the phytic acid. I also read that either soaking it in that 6 to 1 ratio helps remove the arsenic and then you can cook it as before. Or that you can soak it in water with a bit of powdered charcoal which will remove a lot of the arsenic, then rinse and prepare as usual.
I always rinse my rice thoroughly and then soak it for about one hour depending on the amount of rice. I usually add some apple cider vinegar to the water while soaking then I give it a few more rinses before cooking. I do all this to remove the phytic acid. I went through a period where I didn't eating rice for over a year when I heard about the phytic acid in rice.
Back in 1967 , I saw an Indian Family cooked her rice once half cooked she would pour the white water from the pot , I was too young to understand why . Thank You .
I only eat non GMO Basmati rice from Asia, specifically from the Himalayan region that I get on Amazon and organic brown rice from California, I use a rice cooker though and don’t boil the rice in a pot with lots of water.
