Rice, Arsenic and the Choices I Make in My Kitchen
Updated: Oct 30
Rice, Arsenic & the Choices I Make in My Kitchen
Website article • Grain series
I’m half Korean, and rice was a staple in our home. We ate it every day, sometimes at every meal. For millions of families around the world, rice is that kind of food: everyday, comforting, and part of who we are. It’s also a grain that takes up more arsenic from soil and water than most others. [1, 4]
That isn’t a reason to give rice up. It’s a reason to know where your rice comes from and how to prepare it well. Generations of cooks soaked, rinsed, and drained their grains before cooking, and some of that practical kitchen wisdom turns out to have good science behind it.
My own interest started with a lab result. A test showed high arsenic, and my doctor asked when I’d last eaten rice. I had, at a restaurant. After about a week without rice, my retest came back very low, and I’ve seen the same pattern since. That doesn’t prove rice was the source, but it was enough to make me curious. Here’s what I learned, and what I do now.
Where your rice comes from matters
Arsenic levels vary a lot by rice type and growing region. In the video I say Asian rice is high in arsenic. The real picture is more nuanced than that:
· Lower on average: white basmati from India, Pakistan, or California, and U.S.-grown sushi rice. [4, 11]
· Higher on average: rice grown in the South Central U.S. (Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas). Jasmine tends to land in the middle. [11]
· Brown vs. white: brown rice holds more arsenic than white rice of the same type, because arsenic collects in the outer bran. Brown rice also gives you more fiber and minerals, so it’s a tradeoff, not a good-or-bad label. [4, 11]
My preparation routine, and what the research says
Soak, then pour it off. I soak my rice for about eight hours in filtered water, then pour off the soak water and rinse before cooking. The arsenic that comes out goes into that water, so it needs to go down the drain, not into the pot. Rinsing on its own does only a little; FDA testing found it has minimal effect on cooked rice. [3] Soaking and discarding the water may help more, though results vary from study to study. [5]
Parboil it yourself. The method with the strongest home-kitchen evidence is one researchers at the University of Sheffield call “parboiling with absorption.” In their study it removed about 74% of the inorganic arsenic in white rice and more than half in brown rice, while keeping more of the minerals than other methods. [5]
· Bring 4 cups of water to a boil for every 1 cup of rice.
· Add the rice and boil for 5 minutes.
· Drain, then add 2 cups of fresh water per cup of rice.
· Cover and cook on low to medium heat until the water is absorbed.
Home-parboiled vs. store-bought: this is different from the parboiled rice you buy at the store. Commercial parboiling happens at the mill, without that draining step, and it can move arsenic from the bran deeper into the grain. In testing, store-bought parboiled rice isn’t consistently lower in arsenic, and it’s sometimes higher. [11, 12]
If you love your rice cooker (I do): do the 5-minute boil and drain on the stove, then finish in the rice cooker with fresh water. The rice is partly cooked, so you may need a lot less water than usual. A normal rice-cooker cycle on its own keeps all the cooking water, so it doesn’t give you that draining step.
Or cook it like pasta – my least favorite method. Boiling rice in 6 to 10 parts water and draining the extra reduces inorganic arsenic by roughly 40–60%, depending on the rice. It also washes away more nutrients, including the added vitamins and iron in enriched rice. [3]
Why I use filtered water
Rice absorbs the water it’s cooked in, and much of what’s dissolved in that water goes into the rice with it. So if your water has contaminants in it, you’re cooking them into your rice. Research from areas with arsenic in the water supply shows that cooking water alone can raise the arsenic in cooked rice. [4] After soaking arsenic out of the rice, I don’t want to cook any back in.
My home has a whole-house filtration system, and I run my cooking water through a Berkey gravity filter as an extra step. In the video I call this “ultra filtered.” That’s my shorthand for double-filtered. Ultrafiltration is actually a specific membrane technology, and it’s not what a Berkey is. [6]
What matters most is what your particular filter is designed and tested to reduce, and what’s in the water coming into it. If you’re on a private well, it’s worth having your water tested for everything that’s in it because you are cooking that into your food. [4, 6]
Why I cook in uncoated stainless steel
My rice cooker is the JOYDEEM DFB-D300, which the manufacturer describes as having an uncoated 316L stainless steel inner pot. [7] I simply prefer a cooking surface without a nonstick coating.
To be fair to nonstick: some coatings use PTFE, which belongs to the broad PFAS family, but the FDA reports negligible migration from authorized nonstick coatings used as intended. [8, 9] And stainless steel isn’t perfectly inert either. It can release small amounts of nickel and chromium, mostly with acidic foods and long cooking times. Plain rice and water are about as gentle as it gets. [10] For me, it’s a preference, not a fear.
A quick note on testing
If you’re curious about your own levels, the type of test matters. Urine testing mostly reflects exposure over the past few days, not what may be stored in the body. Total arsenic tests also pick up the largely harmless forms found in seafood; a test called speciation separates those from inorganic arsenic, the form of concern. A low or undetectable result means below that test’s detection limit, not zero. [1, 2] My experience is my own, not a recommendation to cut rice and retest. Talk through testing with a qualified clinician.
Small choices, many layers
In my coaching work, whether I’m supporting neurofeedback clients or people looking for more energy and emotional balance, I look at the whole picture: nourishing food, clean water, sleep, movement, and a nervous system that feels safe. Reducing avoidable exposures is one quiet layer in that picture.
None of this is about fearing your food. It’s about a few good questions: Where did this rice come from? What does my water filter actually reduce? Does my preparation method do what I think it does? Am I eating a variety of grains?
Watch the video to see my routine, and stay tuned for more in the Grain series:
I’m a health and wellness coach, not a medical doctor. This article is for education and isn’t medical advice.
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