I do agree with many that the rice in arsenic story is over hyped. But, I also think information is power. It is good to know that rice may contain arsenic and that you can make informed choices–by buying rice that tested low in arsenic or by choosing processed foods that don’t have rice as a main ingredient. It is impossible for someone who is gluten free to avoid rice but here are some good options for those who are trying to include more foods that don’t have rice.
According to Consumer Reports testing, the lowest level of arsenic was found in Lundberg California White Basmati rice. Isn’t that nice to know? Here is a list of our favorite rice-free products…
Top 10 list of BEST GF RICE-FREE PRODUCTS:
1) La Venizienne Pasta – My kids prefer this corn pasta from Italy over the Tinkyada rice pasta we used for years. Having nothing to do with this rice news they will only eat La Venizienne Pasta. You can find it at G-Free NYC or at Food Liberation.
2) Ancient Harvest Quinoa – Ancient Harvest Quinoa is so easy to make and pre-washed so it tastes better than other quinoa. Lemon Quinoa is a favorite recipe that I love for lunch or dinner.
3) Arrowhead Mills Organic Whole Grain Amaranth – Amaranth is a seed that is great for breakfast with nuts and raisins and milk. It is sticky–like oatmeal–but has a more pronounced taste. Best of all amaranth has a lower glycemic index than other traditional morning grains. It can be gummy if overcooked. But it has two essential amino acids–lysine and methionine–not usually found in most grains which when combined with corn or brown rice results in a complete protein as high as that in meat.
4) Dr. Praeger’s Potato Crusted Fishies – Dr. Praegers Fish Sticks are all made with potato flakes and potato starch. My kids like the little ones because they are crispier.
5) Glow Gluten Free Cookies – These tasty cookies with garbanzo bean and fava bean flour come in
four flavors–Double Chocolate Chip, Snickerdoodle, Chocolate Chip and
Gingersnap. They travel so well and are in such a cute, stylish box.
four flavors–Double Chocolate Chip, Snickerdoodle, Chocolate Chip and
Gingersnap. They travel so well and are in such a cute, stylish box.
6) Skinny Pop Pop Corn – This is a new favorite of ours. It is not organic but everyone likes it and the ingredients are super simple. Popcorn is a whole grain food!
7) Ancient Harvest Quinoa Flakes Cereal – This is a great product for baking to replace wheat bran in bran muffins or for a nutritious hot breakfast cereal.
8) Real Foods Organic Corn Thins and Sesame Corn Thins – An alternative to rice cakes and an easy way to serve peanut butter and jelly.
9) Soft Corn Tortillas – Gluten free soft corn tacos are sold in large supermarkets if you look for them. Just check the ingredient label to make sure they are made with corn and are labeled gluten free. Check out my Beef “Spice Packet” Taco recipe and my Summertime Chicken Taco Recipe.
10) Fresh fruit and vegetables! Probably more important than giving up rice is including fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet! Fresh fruits and vegetables have glutathione in them to help you remove any traces of heavy metals in foods. So have some fresh food in with that rice instead of giving it up completely. See my post on Raw Food and Glutathione
honorable mention…
Pamela’s Products Corn Bread and Muffin Mix–this contains a little rice but in the non-alarmist spirit of not being dramatic at least the first ingredient is organic non-GMO corn–and my kids love it!
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I asked G-Free NYC for rice-free product recommendations as they have the opportunity to test and select the best gluten free products on the market. All the following can be found at G-Free on the upper west side.
“G-Free NYC believes that like any diet you should incorporate as many gluten free different foods as possible especially those packed with protein and fiber. We’ve seen a greater effort to incorporate grains and seeds such as quinoa, teff, amaranth, chia and flax in products. And we’ve noticed they not only improve the nutritional value, but the taste as well.” Some of these products include:
Purely Elizabeth Granola
New York Superfooods Chia Charger
Taffets Bakery Teff & Quinoa Loaves (does have some rice flour)
Peace Love Brownies (uses buckwheat flour)
Keenwah (made from quinoa)
Le Pain Des Fleurs Chesnut Crispbread (made from chesnuts)
King Soba Buckwheat & Sweet Potato (buckwheat & sweet potato)
Cocomama Quinoa Cereal (no rice)
Muesli Fusion (no rice)
Nature’s Path Mesa Sunrise (no rice)
Anonymous - The Ancient Harvest pastas are really good too. My celiac daughter loves this brand and we use it almost exclusively.
The Healthy Apple - LOVE this list; so great and love all of these brands! Thanks for sharing; such great info!
Lisa - Yipes, that's a lot of corn. Our boy is back on gluten after years off. I wanted to die when I found out how much arsenic he consumed in five years. Now our toddler is having issues (sparing the story) and I don't want to do as much rice with her. Corn is not a health food and if it's non-organic you're getting all that GMO crud. She likes quinoa and millet, but I'm hopeful to find some packaged foods for my lazier days that are not heavy on rice (or corn). Some of these look like good suggestions. Thank you.