Nutritionist warns: Watch rice intake in kids’ diets to avoid risks
Rice is an ingredient in many dishes that children love. It is also the base for ready-made cereals, wafers, and drinks. It is considered healthy and easily digestible. However, a nutritionist has highlighted an important issue.
Anna Jedrej, a clinical nutritionist, revisited the topic of rice on her Instagram profile. Some time ago, she recorded a video emphasizing the importance of proper storage. She pointed out that leaving cooked rice on the kitchen counter at room temperature is a serious mistake, as it becomes an ideal environment for the growth of bacteria responsible for food poisoning. What concerned the expert this time?
The amount of rice is important
At the beginning of her new video, the nutritionist asks parents an important question: do they pay attention to the amount of rice in the diets of infants or young children? Drinks, wafers, cereals, porridge, desserts... rice can be found in many products. It has a neutral taste and rarely causes allergies, which is why food manufacturers often choose it. So where does the danger lie?
It’s good to diversify the diet
The nutritionist pointed out arsenic, a chemical element that naturally occurs in the soil. Recently, there has been increasing discussion about how dangerous it is to health.
- Rice tends to accumulate inorganic arsenic due to its specific physiology and cultivation conditions. It is grown in flooded fields that often contain natural arsenic or arsenic from soil and water pollution – says Anna Jedrej.
Children are particularly sensitive to the toxic effects of arsenic. Their bodies are in a phase of intense growth, which also means faster absorption. Both white and brown rice contain a lot of arsenic, and it is also present in all products based on this grain. The nutritionist cites studies showing that children whose diets contained too much arsenic had poorer IQ, memory, and intellectual abilities. At the same time, she asserts that there is no need to eliminate rice from the diet. Her point is to pay attention to the amount consumed and not to eat it daily. She emphasizes the importance of also focusing on other grains, like oats or barley. Good alternatives include products based on quinoa or amaranth, which do not contain as much arsenic as rice. She also mentions methods that can help reduce the arsenic content in rice.
What does the nutritionist recommend?
- Rinse rice before cooking until the water becomes almost clear.
- Soak rice for several hours before cooking.
- Cook rice in a large amount of water (1:6) and then drain the water.
- Use polished rice, which can contain up to 50% less arsenic.
