Do you soak brown rice? If you don't, you might want to start. Why? Because brown rice contains phytic acid. In fact, brown rice contains more phytic acid than any other grain, even oats.
Brown rice contains 1250 milligrams of phytic acid per 100 grams and oats has 1170. (Source)
What's wrong with phytic acid? Phytic acid binds with minerals and prevents absorption. So, while brown rice contains three times more calcium and magnesium than white rice, you can't absorb it due to the phytic acid. So you might as well eat white rice.
But I personally love the flavor of brown rice. If you want to eat brown rice and get maximum nutrition from it, use this trick that will remove over 90% of the phytic acid in brown rice.
Why Soaking Rice in Water Doesn't Cut It
The big problem with brown rice is it doesn't have much phytase. Phytase is necessary in order to break down phytic acid (kind of like we need lactase to break down lactose). So when you soak brown rice in water, even if you add an acidic medium (like yogurt or whey), there is not enough phytase to break down the phytic acid much.
How to Soak Brown Rice: This One Trick Removes Over 90% of the Phytic Acid
The Trick: Save and Reuse Your Rice Soaking Water
Saving and reusing your rice soaking water will remove over 90% of the phytic acid in your brown rice when the rice is soaked for 24 hours. (Thanks to Stephan Guyenet of the Whole Health Source blog for this recipe.)
Here's how to do it (jump down for the printable recipe):
1. Measure your brown rice and add to a bowl.
2. Add rice soaking water. (See the recipe below that explains how to start the first batch of rice soaking water.
3. Add filtered water to cover the rice.
4. Cover with a plastic bowl cover (I love these from Amazon) and put in a warm place for 24 hours. You can soak the brown rice for less time but it should be soaked for at least 8-12 hours, and ideally for 24 hours.
5. When ready to use the rice, strain at least 10% of the rice soaking water into a mason jar and store in the fridge to use the next time you make rice.
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- Brown rice (organic)
- Filtered water (filtered for chlorine and fluoride)
- Add brown rice to a glass or ceramic bowl and cover with water filtered for chlorine and fluoride.
- Cover and soak brown rice for 24 hours at room temperature without changing the water.
- Strain the water from the rice. Save the soaking liquid and store in the fridge.
- Cook the brown rice in filtered water or bone broth.
- The next time you make brown rice, add the soaking liquid you saved in the fridge from the last batch. Add more filtered water to cover the rice.
- Each time you use the rice soaking liquid for brown rice, it becomes more effective in removing phytic acid, until 96% or more of the phytic acid is degraded within 24 hours. (If you soak for less time, it will remove less phytic acid.)
How does soaked water with phytic acid in it remove phytic acid from new rice?
If your removing physic acid into the water why would you want to save it ( the water). and use again?
Good question, I would throw it.
But it is now containing phytase, an enzyme that breaks down the phytic acid. That is the whole point of this article.
Hi Mike,
The rice contains both phytic acid, and a smaller amount of phytase – the enzyme that breaks down phytic acid. After 4 soaks and reserving 10% of the soak water each time, your starter water in the fridge contains concentrated phytase and broken-down phytic acid. This is enough to help overcome the phytic acid in the next batch of rice you will soak.
-Eric
Nice
How much water do you add for soaking?
Enough to cover it and then a little more (because the rice will soak some of it up and it might not cover it all after a few hours).
Wouldn't it be better to to add some rye flour to the water? Rye is the highest source of phytase.
Yes, unless you are gluten-intolerant, then I’d recommend a phytase-rich psuedocereal like buckwheat.
How much buckwheat flour should be added to say 3 cups of dry brown rice for soaking? I am still having trouble getting phytic acid levels adequately reduced by using previous soaking water as a starter.
Hi, Can you post links to where you are getting your info? How did you find out that reusing the water can break down up to 96% of phytic acid? thanks!
T
Hello,
A more effective method for reducing phytic acid in brown rice would be soaking it for 12-24 hours with 1 tsp of lemon juice (acid medium), 1 tsp of vinegar (enzyme boost), and 1-2 tsp of whole rye flour (phytase boost). For best results, cook rice in a pressure cooker after soaking.
Even with this reusal method the amount of phytase in the water is still far too low to remove 90% of its phytic acid.
But Vinegar is an acid medium too. There’s no need to add lemon juice.
Also, do you have any source material/evidence to say that this method is more efficient than the reusal method described on this site?
Vinegar is an acid medium, yes, but true apple cider vinegar also contains enzymes and probiotics, making it a good enzyme boost. Also, I personally think lemon juice is the best acid medium.
Strangely I can no longer find the source that differentiates vinegar from other acid mediums.
Also, the reusal method is mentioned in virtually no other sites, including WAPF and NCBI. How effective you are at removing phytic acid depends on length of soak, initial water temperature, whether or not you combine the rice with phytase-rich rye flour along with the other ingredients, and whether or not you pressure cook.
Please ditch the plastic :( Such a waste.
I agree with your advice, planetearth says. What’s wrong with just putting a plate over the bowl.
Each batch of soaking water will have more and more phytase.
Also, when I started doing this, I added some whey (from home made kefir) to the soaking water.
Why would you save the soaking liquid and store in the fridge? the rice is to be rinsed several times to remove the phytic acid!
I am curious as to whether or not anyone has actually measured the amounts of phytic acid and phytase in the soaking water (as well as the rice itself) after several soaks. Or before and after using acidulants such as vinegar or lemon juice. Or the rye flour method. Is there maybe some guessing going on here? Just asking.
How long does the leftover water last?
That’s my question, exactly.
Hi,
Do you think it would be fine to freeze the soaking liquid if I don’t plan on making brown rice for a while? Would the phytase be denatured?
Thanks
Now you have re-absorbed the arsenic.
Is rice okay if it soaks longer than 24 hours?
Hi
Can you please send me a step by step idiot guide on the best way to soak wild rice brown rice oats and lentil please.
Kind regards
John Roperti
Australia