It has been revealed that the way people cook
their rice can end up affecting their health very
seriously.
In the average home, rice is a must-eat food
on a daily basis, especially when you have
children around.
It’s so easy to cook — or so many of us
assume, what with the unceremonious ways
we pour it into the pot and cook it in a jiffy!
Yet, researchers are saying that the way we
cook rice can lead to diseases and death!
Scientists warn that rice contains a worrying
amount of arsenic, a harmful chemical that can
cause heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
According to a group of researchers in
Northern Ireland, the way most people cook
rice, which is by boiling it in a pan until it
absorbs the water, doesn’t get rid of the toxin.
Researchers warn that traces of the poison
arsenic – a chemical that contaminates rice as
a result of industrial toxins and pesticides used
in the growing process – can be found in the
rice even after cooking the way we do.
The safest way to cook rice is to soak it
overnight first, wash it with cool water the
following morning, before finally cooking it.
The researchers found that this reduced
arsenic levels by 80 percent.
Chronic exposure to arsenic has recognised
links to a range of health problems including
heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Thankfully, there’s no reason to panic just yet,
as a series of experiments showed that it is
possible to reduce our levels of exposure to
arsenic by simply changing the way we cook
rice.
A professor of biological sciences at Queens
University Belfast, Andy Meharg, tested three
ways of cooking rice to see whether it altered
the levels of arsenic.
In the first method, he used a ratio of two
parts water to one part rice, allowing the water
to ‘steam out’, as identified above.
In the second, he used five parts water to one
part rice, washing off excessive water before
serving. This saw the levels of arsenic almost
halved.
Finally, the rice was soaked in water overnight
before being cooked the next day, resulting in
an 80 per cent reduction of the toxin.
For the safest results, the overnight rice should
be rinsed until the water is clear, before being
drained and boiled in a saucepan using a ratio
of five parts water to one part rice.
********
Via The Punch
It has been revealed that the way people cook
their rice can end up affecting their health very
seriously.
In the average home, rice is a must-eat food
on a daily basis, especially when you have
children around.
It’s so easy to cook — or so many of us
assume, what with the unceremonious ways
we pour it into the pot and cook it in a jiffy!
Yet, researchers are saying that the way we
cook rice can lead to diseases and death!
Scientists warn that rice contains a worrying
amount of arsenic, a harmful chemical that can
cause heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
According to a group of researchers in
Northern Ireland, the way most people cook
rice, which is by boiling it in a pan until it
absorbs the water, doesn’t get rid of the toxin.
Researchers warn that traces of the poison
arsenic – a chemical that contaminates rice as
a result of industrial toxins and pesticides used
in the growing process – can be found in the
rice even after cooking the way we do.
The safest way to cook rice is to soak it
overnight first, wash it with cool water the
following morning, before finally cooking it.
The researchers found that this reduced
arsenic levels by 80 percent.
Chronic exposure to arsenic has recognised
links to a range of health problems including
heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Thankfully, there’s no reason to panic just yet,
as a series of experiments showed that it is
possible to reduce our levels of exposure to
arsenic by simply changing the way we cook
rice.
A professor of biological sciences at Queens
University Belfast, Andy Meharg, tested three
ways of cooking rice to see whether it altered
the levels of arsenic.
In the first method, he used a ratio of two
parts water to one part rice, allowing the water
to ‘steam out’, as identified above.
In the second, he used five parts water to one
part rice, washing off excessive water before
serving. This saw the levels of arsenic almost
halved.
Finally, the rice was soaked in water overnight
before being cooked the next day, resulting in
an 80 per cent reduction of the toxin.
For the safest results, the overnight rice should
be rinsed until the water is clear, before being
drained and boiled in a saucepan using a ratio
of five parts water to one part rice.
********
Via The Punch
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