So, What’s In Your …. Rice?

Several years ago I started making it a habit to read the labels of the packaged food I was buying at the grocery store.
I will also admit that I have been making it a real effort to buying more higher quality foods such as fruits, vegetables and in general organic food.
It may immediately cost me more at the cash register, but I believe the benefits do pay off and do make my life a lot more enjoyable in so many ways that I might write about it at a later date.
But today, I would like to share an interesting experience I made just the other day.
I felt like having some rice along with some veggies.
So I pulled out of our pantry a box of rice (purchased long before I started reading the labels as described above) entitled:
“New Orleans Style Long Grain & Wild Rice”. Sounds pretty good and looks even better in the picture on the box.
Then I had a look at the ingredients and you had better brace yourself:
Enriched Long Grain Parboiled Rice (Iron Phosphate, Niacin, Thiamine and Folic Acid), Wild Rice, Onion, Tumeric, Garlic, Parsley, Spices, Cayenne Pepper.
So far, so good, right?!
Wait until you read the rest of the list:
Salt (1000 mg sodium in one serving!), Chicken flavor (MSG aka monosodium glutamate, salt, sugar, yeast extract, onion, corn oil, hydrolyzed corn gluten, dextrose, modified corn starch, garlic, corn syrup solids, natural flavor, maltodextrin, soy sauce, hydrolyzed soy protein, soybean oil, molasses extract, caramel color, propylene glycol, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, citric acid, L-cystein hydrochloride, thiamin hydrochloride, silicon dioxide, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, corn syrup solids, sodium caseinate, dipotassium phosphate, mono + diglycerides, sodium hexametaphosphate.
Do we all need a university degree in chemistry to understand this stuff?
Needless to say that I am not going to eat the so-called rice in this box. Would you?
So, what’s your … rice?
Don’t be a stranger!

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Technorati Tags: healthy food, rice

Tags: healthy food, rice

Sunday, August 29th, 2010 rice

4 Comments to So, What’s In Your …. Rice?

Matt Klein
September 11, 2010

That sounds putrid Tiger. I never thought to look at the package because I thought it was just, you know, rice. Might pay closer attention now. All the flavored rice varieties taste like rubbish to me. I like straight basmati or jasmine, to which I throw a pinch of turmeric. Apparently it has joint rejuvenation and anti-cancer properties. Us old fogies need every advantage we can get.

Tiger
September 12, 2010

Thanks for writing in, Matt.
Funny that you mentioned basmati or jasmine with a pinch of tumeric, because that’s exactly how I enjoy rice at home.
And you are right that we have to take any advantage we can get, which all starts with being aware of our “surroundings”.
Always great to hear from you.

Brandon
September 17, 2010

In my honest opinion, i think you better cook your own rice instead of “buying rice in a box” or get a degree in chemistry=)

Tiger
September 18, 2010

Thanks for writing in, Brandon.
I totally agree with you.
That’s why I trashed the rice in a box.
How and when did that get into my pantry anyway?
It does not cease to amaze me what kind of crap is in so-called “food”.
Anyway, thanks again for sharing your thoughts.