HWN Suggests

Grains of truth: why rice is the world’s best-loved staple

Allow me to introduce you to a legend of the rice world, Katsuyuki Furukawa. He is the greatest rice farmer in Japan, winner of the country’s “best rice” competition for five years in a row, grower of rice so exceptional that, in the end, the organisers asked him very politely not to enter again, and gave him a special diamond lifetime achievement award instead.

His rice tastes really, really good.

I got to know Furukawa-san last year at his small farm, just five paddy fields a couple of hours north of Tokyo in central Fukushima, where he tends his organic, biodynamic crop using – unusually – Chinese herbal medicine for fertiliser. Over two visits, I helped with planting and…

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Featured

  Here’s the Verdict on If Rice Is Healthy, Including Brown Versus White

Across the globe, rice is a major food staple—it’s been a mainstay in countries like Japan and India for thousands of years, and it’s still hard to argue with its versatility in modern kitchens.

  Rice lovers beware, your favorite food may be poisoning you

Researchers have known for some time that the food and drink we all consume contains arsenic. Should we be concerned? Aren’t we protected by federal regulations? Actually, no—we are not. In the US, as in many countries, the government regulates the concentration of arsenic in drinking water, but does not regulate the concentration of arsenic in any other drink or food. We have a mercury-in-food regulation; why don’t we have an arsenic-in-food regulation?

  If you are cooking rice the BBC Food way, sorry, but you're doing it wrong

These are not normal times: people are on edge more than ever before, internet outrage is at an all-time high and cancel culture and cultural appropriation are entering the zeitgeist faster than you can scroll through your social media backlog to take down anything offensive. Look, cancel culture is mean and too unforgiving, but if there's one thing that does deserve to be burned to the ground, it's the way BBC Food suggests you cook rice.

 Cook Rice Differently To Reduce Its Calories

Researchers say it can curb obesity in countries where rice is a staple

 GM golden rice gets landmark safety approval in the Philippines

The Philippines has become the first country with a serious vitamin A deficiency problem to approve golden rice – which is genetically modified to prevent the deficiency – as safe for humans and animals to eat. According to a government report, it is as safe as conventional rice varieties.

 Increased global mortality linked to arsenic exposure in rice-based diets

Rice is the most widely consumed staple food source for a large part of the world's population. It has now been confirmed that rice can contribute to prolonged low-level arsenic exposure leading to thousands of avoidable premature deaths per year.

 The weird power of rising carbon dioxide to make rice less nutritious

Higher levels of CO2 are lowering amounts of protein, iron, zinc, and B vitamins in rice.

Articles of Interest

Should I worry about arsenic in my rice?

Rice however, is different from other crops, because it's grown under flooded conditions. This makes the arsenic locked in the soil more readily available, meaning that more can be absorbed into the rice grains. This is why rice contains about 10-20 times more arsenic than other cereal crops. But are these levels high enough to do us any real harm?

Brown Rice Linked to Lower Diabetes Risk

Replacing as little as a third of a daily serving of white rice with an equal amount of brown rice may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, a study suggests. And replacing white rice with other types of whole grains can cut the risk even more.

Brown vs White Rice - Which Is Better For Your Health?

Brown rice is a whole grain. That means it contains all parts of the grain — including the fibrous bran, the nutritious germ and the carb-rich endosperm. White rice, on the other hand, has had the bran and germ removed, which are the most nutritious parts of the grain. This leaves white rice with very few essential nutrients, which is why brown rice is usually considered much healthier than white.

High Levels Of Arsenic Found In Rice

Researchers at Dartmouth College recently found high levels of arsenic in rice. Particularly high amounts were found in brown rice syrup — a sugar substitute used in foods aimed at young children.

How Bad is Rice, Really?

Let me draw your attention to rice – diminutive member of the cereal grain family, frequent component of anti-low-carb advocates’ arguments, and the source of much consternation among grain abstainers. Is white rice the proverbial black sheep of the grain family? Does it deserve our full and unwavering opposition? Or, perhaps, can we treat rice like that crazy uncle who drinks a bit too much at family gatherings – occasional visits of short duration are fine and mostly harmless so long as you keep the hard stuff (scotch/soybean oil) locked up?

Is reheated rice safe to eat?

So long as you store it properly, there’s no reason to be afraid of reheating cooked rice. It’s the building block for many a great dish.

Man Cannot Live On Rice And Beans Alone (But Many Do)

Of course, rice and beans are now a staple in many parts of the world — but thanks to rising global food prices, the combo may not be as healthful as it could be. That's because beans tend to be more expensive than rice. As a result, the poorest tend to increase the amount of rice they eat and decrease their bean consumption,

On Rice and Arsenic

A team of researchers from Dartmouth University released a widely publicized study with the somewhat provocative title “Arsenic, Organic Foods and Brown Rice Syrup.” The study was yet another general reminder that words like “organic” or “natural” are not synonymous with the word “safe.” But more specifically it detailed unexpected amounts of poisonous […]

Put Away the White Rice

Today the choice of whole grains on the shelves at has grown exponentially, and I am feeling the same curiosity and excitement I felt all those years ago. There’s a new culture around grains — they’re interesting to all cooks, not just vegetarians. I see exotic cereals on the menus of high-end restaurants all the time now.

Regularly Eating White Rice Raises Diabetes Risk

A new meta-analysis confirms that the Asian food staple is correlated with type 2 diabetes, even in Western countries like the U.S.

Rice: The World’s Underappreciated Staple

I don’t share the current national aversion to white rice. True, nutritionists prefer brown rice because the high fiber content slows down the carbohydrate absorption rate. But you can get the same benefit by combining rice with high-fiber vegetables and legumes.

The Trouble With Rice

But it’s not just arsenic and cadmium, which are present in soil both as naturally occurring elements and as industrial byproducts. Recent studies have shown that rice is custom-built to pull a number of metals from the soil, among them mercury and even tungsten. The findings have led to a new push by scientists and growers to make the grain less susceptible to metal contamination. The highest levels often occur in brown rice, because elements like arsenic accumulate in bran and husk, which are polished off in the processing of white rice.

Resources

The Nutrition Source

Rice is a main staple in more than 100 countries worldwide. In some households, rice is included with more than one meal a day. This starchy high-calorie grain is generally low cost, making it accessible to all and a vital base of many diets.