Rice is one of the easiest things you can make. All it takes is two ingredients: rice and water, plus the directions are pretty easy to follow.
But if you make rice pretty often, you may be exposing yourself to a dangerous chemical. Rice is exposed to lots of toxic products and pesticides, and these chemicals can stay in the fields where it's grown for years. The main worry is arsenic, a poison that's lethal in high doses.
Eating rice won't kill you, but exposure to arsenic can cause lots of health risks including certain types of cancer. Luckily, there's an easy way to reduce these chemicals in your rice.
Rice has 10 times more arsenic than most foods, but there are ways to "flush" the chemical out of your food. The key is to use more water. We all know that you should mix one part rice with two parts water, but if you double the amount of water your rice's arsenic levels will drop.
To lower them even more, leave your rice soaking overnight. It requires a little planning ahead, but this can reduce the arsenic level by 80%.
If you just don't have the time or patience to leave your rice out overnight, just try to rinse and drain your rice really well, because the water will drain away harmful chemicals.
