March 3, 2025

331: The Truth About Rice Concentrate: A Must-Know for Plant-Based & Vegan Diets

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Hey, Sunshine! Are you curious about the ingredients in your favorite plant-based products? You’re not alone! In this episode of Power on Plants, we’re diving into a question that’s been buzzing in our community: What is rice concentrate, and is it safe for your whole food, plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle?

We’re Jarrod and Anita Roussel—healthcare professionals, homeschooling parents of four, and your go-to guides for simple, delicious plant-based living that fuels natural healing the exciting, enjoyable way.

We know how overwhelming it can feel to navigate food labels and make the best choices for your health. That’s why we’re here to break it all down for you.

In this episode, we’ll explain exactly what rice concentrate is, how it’s made, and why it’s used in some food products. We’ll also share why choosing organic products is so important for avoiding harmful pesticides, herbicides, GMOs, and even arsenic exposure. But most importantly, we’ll help you see how this ingredient can fit into a healthy eating plan that’s focused on life-giving, whole, unprocessed plant foods.

Whether you’re just starting your journey toward healthy food and a sustainable meal plan or you’ve been living the WFPB lifestyle for years, this episode is packed with practical tips to help you feel confident and informed. Thankfully, the key to lasting health isn’t about stressing over every little ingredient—it’s about focusing on the bigger picture: a life filled with energy, joy, and delicious, nourishing meals you actually love! 💕

We’re here to encourage you, inspire you, and remind you that you’re not alone on this journey. You can absolutely take control of your health, even if you’ve been told your struggles are “just part of aging” or “bad genes.” And if you’re ready to make plant-based eating simple and fun, we’ve got you covered with easy, family-approved recipes that will have everyone coming back for seconds.

So grab your favorite plant-based cup of happy, pop in your earbuds, and let’s have some fun together!

💃🏻 Ready to learn how to stop falling off the healthy eating wagon for good so your body can finally feel great? Inside Accelerator, we'll take you by the hand & walk you step-by-step through our proven 5-Step WFPB Framework so you can heal naturally to actively live your God-given dreams. Join the Waitlist Here, and be the first to know when the doors open next!

🎁 Not yet a member of our FREE plant-based community, PIE? Once you're on the inside, every single podcast episode becomes searchable for you. 😲 Join the family to gain the plant-based encouragement, real health-changing ideas, and sustainable plant-based inspiration you've been praying for! 💕

🥣 Grab our Cookbook Bundles today to learn the simple way to make whole food plant-based eating quick, enjoyable, and sustainable.

🤔 Wondering what's in our new Thrive Cookbook? Click here for the inside scoop!

Transcript

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Hey sister, welcome to the Power on Plants podcast.

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Are you tired of staring into the fridge wondering what to eat so you can just feel better?

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Do you want to avoid spending hours in the kitchen making complicated meals in the name of health?

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Would you love to leave fatigue behind and finally have the energy to do all the things you want to do?

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Hi, we're Jared and Anita Roussel, christ followers, healthcare professionals, parents of four and big fans of great tasting food.

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We, too, tried exercising more, eating natural and clean foods, but we still found ourselves struggling with what we thought were changes that come with age or bad genes, and we weren't finding answers the traditional route.

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So we dug into the research and created our secret nutritional weapon sustainable plant-based living.

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The truth is, you can eat more whole plant foods, and it's not hard.

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You just need the way.

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That's realistic and delicious, so you never feel deprived.

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If you're ready to enjoy your meals, no longer be held back by your health struggles and actively live your life, then you're in the right place.

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So grab your favorite plant-based cup of happy.

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Then you're in the right place.

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So grab your favorite plant-based cup of happy, pop in those earbuds and let's get started.

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Well, hello, friend, welcome back to the Power on Plants podcast, the place where we explore all things whole food, plant-based the delicious, rapid and simple way for lasting health.

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We're your hosts, jared and Anita Roussel, and today we're diving into one ingredient that's been popping up on labels and sparking some curiosity inside our community rice concentrate.

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We've received several questions from those of you who have spotted rice concentrate quote unquote in the ingredients list of some of their favorite whole food plant based products.

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It's understandable to be a little curious or even cautious when you see an unfamiliar ingredient, especially one that sounds a bit processed.

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We previously had the same questions ourselves, so, as always, we're here to share what we've learned with you.

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So what exactly is rice concentrate?

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Simply put, it is derived from you guessed it rice, usually the rice hulls.

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Now, the rice hull is the outer layer of the rice grain, which is typically removed during the processing of white rice.

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Now, that sounds great.

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So far, right, a discarded part of the rice that we actually should be eating.

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But why is it used in certain pre-prepared products?

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Eating?

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But why is it used in certain pre-prepared products?

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Well, primarily, the function of rice concentrate in food products is as a flow agent or an anti-caking agent.

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What exactly does that mean?

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Well, think about powder products like spice blends or even some dry baking mixes.

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These products have a tendency to clump together, especially when exposed to moisture.

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Rice concentrate helps to prevent this clumping, keeping the product free-flowing and easy for you to use.

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It absorbs moisture and keeps the individual particles separate.

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It can also be used in capsules or tablets to help the ingredients flow smoothly during manufacturing.

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And we all know what the real question is here, right?

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Is rice concentrate safe?

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This is probably the biggest question on your mind.

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The good news is that, generally speaking, rice concentrate is considered safe for consumption.

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It's a natural product derived from a common food source.

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However and this is yes, this is where we want to emphasize the importance of choosing organic products, especially when rice concentrate is involved.

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That's because non-organic rice may be exposed to pesticides and herbicides during cultivation.

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By choosing organic products that contain rice concentrate, you're ensuring that the rice used was grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides and genetically modified organisms, aka GMO.

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Studies also show organic farming practices tend to yield lower levels of arsenic in the soil, further reducing the potential for that exposure.

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So we recommend looking for a certified organic label on products containing rice concentrate.

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So how does rice concentrate fit into a whole food, plant-based lifestyle?

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Great question.

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While it's not a whole food product itself, it's a minimally processed ingredient derived from a whole food and, in particular, a part of the rice that is beneficial and typically discarded from white rice In small amounts.

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As it's typically used in food products, it's unlikely to have any significant impact on the overall nutritional profile of your diet.

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The key, as always, is to focus on the bigger picture a diet that's rich in colorful, whole, unprocessed plant foods.

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And if you still feel concerned, you can always choose products that do not contain rice concentrate.

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There are plenty of whole food plant-based options available that simply don't use any anti-caking agents at all, but if you enjoy a product that happens to contain organic rice concentrate, there's generally no need to worry.

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So, to sum it up, rice concentrate is a functional ingredient used to prevent clumping in various food products.

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It's generally considered safe, but choosing organic products is recommended to minimize potential exposure to arsenic and pesticides and GMOs.

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As with any non-whole plant food, ingredient moderation and awareness are key.

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We've loved having you join us for another exciting episode of the Power on Plants podcast.

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It's exciting talking whole food plant-based eating with you, friend, and sharing all the things that we wish someone would have told us years ago when we were trying to find out exactly how to make whole food plant-based eating exciting, enjoyable and lasting.

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If you're wondering, what in the world do I eat?

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That's whole food, plant-based, simple and will have me and my family going back for seconds.

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You'll want to go right now and check out our cookbooks at poweronplantscom forward slash cookbook.

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That's poweronplantscom forward slash cookbook Also, jared, and I absolutely love hearing from you.

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Recently, lacey Lane left a podcast review and said I have many clients that are plant-based and I'm always looking for new resources for them.

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I will definitely be adding a link to this show in my client dashboard.

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Such realistic and practical episodes and so fun.

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Sunshine, if we've helped you by showing up here every single week and you'd love to have more episodes coming your way before you go, it would mean the world to us if you would take just a minute and leave us a written review.

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It brightens our day reading every single one.

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You are loved, you are prayed for and we cannot wait to see you again on the next episode of Power on Plants.

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Thank you.