Is Rice safe during pregnancy?

Grains & cereals Also called Chowl (Bengali); Arisi (Tamil); Biyyam (Telugu); Tondool (Marathi); Akki (Kannada); Choka (Gujarati); Dampudu biyyam (Telugu); Kuthari (Malayalam); Kathai chokha (Gujarati).

Part of the diet; the FDA flags rice as a leading arsenic source

The US FDA notes rice is a leading dietary source of arsenic that may have developmental effects on infants and lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes; it lists brown rice as a whole grain, the NHS lists rice among starchy foods, and ICMR-NIN's sample pregnancy diet includes rice.[1,2,3]

What official sources say

US FDA: Dietary Advice Before and During Pregnancy

  • Rice, which is a major global food source, is also a leading dietary source of arsenic that may have developmental effects on infants and lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes.[1]
  • Examples of whole grains include: Brown rice[1]
  • Folic acid is sometimes added to staple foods to help people meet their daily needs, including: Enriched breads, pasta, rice, and breakfast cereals[1]

ICMR-NIN: Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024

  • Its sample pregnancy diet includes rice or phulka. (p. 17)[2]

NHS: Have a healthy diet in pregnancy

  • Starchy foods include bread, potatoes, breakfast cereals, rice, pasta, noodles, maize, millet, oats, yams and cornmeal.[3]
  • Choose wholegrain or higher-fibre starchy foods over refined white ones, for example wholewheat pasta, brown rice, or potatoes with the skins left on.[3]

Related general rules

US FDA: Dietary Advice Before and During Pregnancy

  • By eating a variety of grains during pregnancy, you can promote better health for your baby.[1]

Nutrition per 100 g (USDA)

Energy360 kcal
Protein6.61 g
Fibre1.4 g
Iron4.36 mg
Calcium9 mg
Folate (DFE)386 µg
Folate, total231 µg
Vitamin A (RAE)0 µg
Vitamin C0 mg
Vitamin D0 µg
Vitamin B120 µg
Sodium1 mg

USDA FoodData Central: Rice, white, medium-grain, raw, enriched (FDC ID 168879), per 100 g. Public domain. Values describe that USDA record; composition varies with variety and preparation.

Sources

  1. US FDA: Dietary Advice Before and During Pregnancy · fda.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
  2. ICMR-NIN: Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024 · nin.res.in. Printed page 17. Paraphrased and cited by printed page; the text is not reproduced.
  3. NHS: Have a healthy diet in pregnancy · nhs.uk. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). Not endorsed by the NHS.

Sources checked 26 September 2026.

Quotes are checked word for word against each source page, and paraphrases against the original text. Official bodies are named as sources only: none of them reviewed or endorses this page.

Educational information, not medical advice. Your own doctor or midwife may advise differently for you — follow their advice.