A superfood, actually!

Many people love rice and beans because this simple dish provides an inexpensive source of complete protein that provides all of the essential amino acids for human health. 

But brown rice offers many other health benefits, including protection against chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and various cancers. 

“There’s a delicate balance of bioactive components in rice bran that together show anti-cancer activity including the ability to inhibit cell proliferation . . . and initiate the programmed cell death known as apoptosis in malignant cells,” stated Elizabeth P. Ryan, PhD, senior author of a University of Colorado Cancer Center review published in Advances in Nutrition.

Rich in insoluble fiber but low in sodium, brown rice also guards against high blood pressure. This carb helps with normal brain functioning and is a great source for quick energy.

Nutrients in Brown Rice

Unlike white rice—in which the grain is stripped of several layers before being polished— only the top layer of the rice kernel (an inedible hull) is removed in the process of making brown rice. This preserves many of the grain’s nutrients.

Nutrients include manganese, selenium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, thiamine (vitamin B1), niacin (vitamin B3), vitamin B6, and vitamin B9. These are key nutrients that help decrease the risk of high blood pressure, cancer, and heart disease.

Rice contains many powerful antioxidant phytonutrients that help fight disease and reduce LDL cholesterol.

More Good News about Brown Rice

Research shows that women who eat more whole grains—including rice and quinoa—weigh less than those who don’t eat as many servings.

Eating brown rice instead of white rice was shown to help women with Type 2 diabetes control body weight and stabilize blood glucose levels in a recent study.

New Ways to Eat Rice

Use leftover rice for cold rice salads and stir-fries.

Cooked rice makes a satisfying dessert. Try adding a milk or milk alternative to a serving of rice, and then add spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg. Raisins and honey add sweetness.

After finding significant levels of arsenic in varied samples of popular rice products, Consumer Reports (CR) is calling for regulation of the substance in agricultural practices and, in the meantime, recommending limits on weekly rice consumption.

CR tested more than 200 samples of rice products from well-known companies to store brands, organics to conventional. CR’s scientists found measurable amounts of arsenic in just about every one. Inorganic arsenic, a carcinogen, was found in almost every category, along with organic arsenic.

White rice from four southern states, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Texas, which accounts for 76 percent of domestic rice, generally had higher levels of total arsenic and inorganic arsenic in the tests. But brown rice uniformly contained more arsenic than white rice of the same brand in the tests, which CR attributes to arsenic accumulating more in the outer part of the grain that is polished off to refine white rice.

Rice producers, in part, pointed to the organic arsenic naturally present in soil. And Anne Banville, a vice president at the USA Rice Federation, said in a statement there was no evidence of adverse health effects from exposure to arsenic in US rice. “And we believe the health benefits of rice must be properly weighed against the risks of arsenic exposure, which we believe are minimal,” she said.

But she doesn’t speak for the entire industry. Grant Lundberg, CEO of Lundberg Family Farms in California, told CR the company has begun extensive testing of its products for arsenic.

Is Arsenic In My Food Safe?

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there is no “safe” level of exposure to inorganic arsenic. Its presence in food, though, especially American rice, is not exactly news. Nature reported in 2005 that US rice carries "1.4 to 5 times more arsenic than rice from Europe, India, and Bangladesh."

And in a broadly reported study, Consumer Reports this year found concerning levels of arsenic in apple and grape juice.

But after studying the results of its latest testing, CR is calling for the federal government to set limits on arsenic in rice and ban its use in agriculture.

“Consumers Union believes a standard for arsenic should be set for rice, and industry should accelerate efforts to reduce arsenic levels in rice,” the report reads. “They should also develop types of rice that take up less arsenic, and use rice with the lowest possible arsenic in products for young children, such as infant rice cereal.”

Consumer's conundrum

Brown rice uniformly contained more arsenic than white rice of the same brand in the tests.

How Much Rice Should You Be Eating?

To avoid consuming too much arsenic, Consumer Reports recommends:

1. Babies should not eat more than 1 serving of infant rice cereal per day.
2. Children should have only 1 serving of rice per week; adults may have 2 servings.
3. Limit rice cakes for kids to just once a week. Adults may have 2.5 servings of rice cakes per week.
4. Limit ready-to-eat rice cereal to 1.5 servings for children per week. Adults can pour a bowl three times a week.
5. Kids should not drink rice milk on a daily basis; adults may have ¹/₂ a serving per day.