Can quinoa be a healthier and safer alternative to rice ?
Prof Dr Parvez I. Haris
Faculty of Health & Life Sciences, De Montfort University, Leicester, United Kingdom, E-Mail: pharis@dmu.ac.uk
For many years we have been carrying out research on rice, especially focusing on its essential and toxic element composition [1-3]. Our research with population in the UK and Bangladesh revealed that those with a higher intake of rice have greater exposure to arsenic [1-2]. Reducing human exposure to high levels of toxic forms of arsenic has been an important area of our research. Studies by us and others have revealed that arsenic content of rice can be high and it can be a cause for concern, especially for the following groups: (i) babies whose weaning food often tends to be rice; (ii) those with celiac disease and gluten intolerance who often consume rice as it is gluten free (iii) population groups who consume large quantities of rice on a daily basis. In order to identify low arsenic grains, we have analysed several other grains including quinoa. Our research revealed that, in general, quinoa has lower arsenic content than rice. It also has higher content of essential elements such as zinc, calcium and potassium. However, there are some varieties of rice that have low arsenic content, especially aromatic rice such as Kalijeera rice from Bangladesh [3]. Quinoa has lower glycaemic index compared to both brown and white rice. Therefore, it will be beneficial for those with diabetes. Like rice, it is also gluten free making it suitable for those with gluten-intolerance. Quinoa has more protein and fibre compared to both brown rice and white rice, making it attractive for populations that have insufficient protein in their diet. It also has higher content of essential elements such as zinc, calcium and potassium. This is especially important for populations that suffer from calcium and zinc deficiency. Unlike rice, little or no irrigation water is required for growing quinoa which is important as availability of clean water is getting scarce in many parts of the world. The author has found, from his personal experience, that quinoa can easily replace rice to complement typical dishes that are consumed by people in high rice consuming countries such as Bangladesh and India. It is similar to rice in some respects but crispier in texture. Recently, it has been demonstrated that quinoa can be grown in high rice consuming countries such as Bangladesh making it possible for populations in these countries to reduce their rice intake and simultaneously increase their consumption of quinoa.
[1] Cascio, C., Raab, A., Jenkins, R.O., Feldmann, J., Meharg, A.A. and Haris, P.I., 2011. The impact of a rice based diet on urinary arsenic. Journal of Environmental Monitoring, 13(2), pp.257-265.
[2] Melkonian, S., Argos, M., Hall, M.N., Chen, Y., Parvez, F., Pierce, B., Cao, H., Aschebrook-Kilfoy, B., Ahmed, A., Islam, T. and Slavcovich, V., 2013. Urinary and dietary analysis of 18,470 Bangladeshis reveal a correlation of rice consumption with arsenic exposure and toxicity. PloS one, 8(11), p.e80691.
[3] Al-Rmalli, S.W., Jenkins, R.O., Watts, M.J. and Haris, P.I., 2012. Reducing human exposure to arsenic, and simultaneously increasing selenium and zinc intake, by substituting non-aromatic rice with aromatic rice in the diet. Biomedical Spectroscopy and Imaging, 1(4), pp.365-381.
Conflicts of interest: The author has no conflicts of interest to declare.
Prof Dr Parvez I. Haris
Faculty of Health & Life Sciences, De Montfort University, Leicester, United Kingdom, E-Mail: pharis@dmu.ac.uk
For many years we have been carrying out research on rice, especially focusing on its essential and toxic element composition [1-3]. Our research with population in the UK and Bangladesh revealed that those with a higher intake of rice have greater exposure to arsenic [1-2]. Reducing human exposure to high levels of toxic forms of arsenic has been an important area of our research. Studies by us and others have revealed that arsenic content of rice can be high and it can be a cause for concern, especially for the following groups: (i) babies whose weaning food often tends to be rice; (ii) those with celiac disease and gluten intolerance who often consume rice as it is gluten free (iii) population groups who consume large quantities of rice on a daily basis. In order to identify low arsenic grains, we have analysed several other grains including quinoa. Our research revealed that, in general, quinoa has lower arsenic content than rice. It also has higher content of essential elements such as zinc, calcium and potassium. However, there are some varieties of rice that have low arsenic content, especially aromatic rice such as Kalijeera rice from Bangladesh [3]. Quinoa has lower glycaemic index compared to both brown and white rice. Therefore, it will be beneficial for those with diabetes. Like rice, it is also gluten free making it suitable for those with gluten-intolerance. Quinoa has more protein and fibre compared to both brown rice and white rice, making it attractive for populations that have insufficient protein in their diet. It also has higher content of essential elements such as zinc, calcium and potassium. This is especially important for populations that suffer from calcium and zinc deficiency. Unlike rice, little or no irrigation water is required for growing quinoa which is important as availability of clean water is getting scarce in many parts of the world. The author has found, from his personal experience, that quinoa can easily replace rice to complement typical dishes that are consumed by people in high rice consuming countries such as Bangladesh and India. It is similar to rice in some respects but crispier in texture. Recently, it has been demonstrated that quinoa can be grown in high rice consuming countries such as Bangladesh making it possible for populations in these countries to reduce their rice intake and simultaneously increase their consumption of quinoa.
[1] Cascio, C., Raab, A., Jenkins, R.O., Feldmann, J., Meharg, A.A. and Haris, P.I., 2011. The impact of a rice based diet on urinary arsenic. Journal of Environmental Monitoring, 13(2), pp.257-265.
[2] Melkonian, S., Argos, M., Hall, M.N., Chen, Y., Parvez, F., Pierce, B., Cao, H., Aschebrook-Kilfoy, B., Ahmed, A., Islam, T. and Slavcovich, V., 2013. Urinary and dietary analysis of 18,470 Bangladeshis reveal a correlation of rice consumption with arsenic exposure and toxicity. PloS one, 8(11), p.e80691.
[3] Al-Rmalli, S.W., Jenkins, R.O., Watts, M.J. and Haris, P.I., 2012. Reducing human exposure to arsenic, and simultaneously increasing selenium and zinc intake, by substituting non-aromatic rice with aromatic rice in the diet. Biomedical Spectroscopy and Imaging, 1(4), pp.365-381.
Conflicts of interest: The author has no conflicts of interest to declare.
