Cancer: What Experts Want You To Know About Preparing Your Rice The Right Way

Rice is eaten all over the world in all different ways. No matter if your rice is white or brown, it has one thing in common, and that’s arsenic, experts have explained. Now, researchers from the University of Sheffield say a new and simple way of cooking rice can remove this cancer-causing substance while retaining the nutrients which make this food so good.

According to the National Cancer Institute, arsenic is a substance that can be found in the air, water, or soil. It is released into the environment through agricultural and industrial processes such as mining or metal smelting. In this sense, arsenic can be present in some foods and even more dangerously in water, which increases the probability of developing cancer.

Unfortunately, some studies indicate that rice can accumulate up to 10 times more arsenic than other cereals, which accumulates in the outer layer of the bran because it is grown in fields flooded with water, where the absorption of the substances is easier. Also, brown rice, recommended for its fiber, may have more arsenic than white.

Although the milling process effectively removes the bran and much of the arsenic, we can easily lose the nutrients in the cereal. However, researchers from the Institute for Sustainable Food published a study in the journal Science of the Total Environment, where they present a solution to part of the problem, which consists of changing its preparation.

How to Prepare Rice to Remove Arsenic?

According to the research results, preparing rice in this way would help eliminate more than 50 percent of the arsenic found naturally in brown rice and up to 74 percent present in white rice without the cereal losing its nutrients essential.

The process is known as the “absorption parboiling method” was obtained after various tests carried out by the researchers to reduce the presence of arsenic in rice without losing its nutrients. The conclusion was that with this procedure, we can achieve the objective without sacrificing the nutritional properties of the cereal.

Below we share the step by step of the preparation. This will allow you to prepare your rice to prevent any problem to your health. You will also not lose the benefits of this cereal:

Step 1. Add fresh water to a saucepan, about 4 cups for each cup of uncooked rice, and bring to a boil.

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Step 2. Add the rice and leave it to boil for 5 minutes.

Step 3. Discard the water, as the arsenic will be present there.

Step 4. Add fresh water, for example, two cups for every cup of uncooked rice, since it has already been parboiled.

Step 5. Cook the rice on low to fair or medium heat with the lid on and wait for water absorption.

Sources: HT.com & Study Finds