Rice milk contains no dairy and, just like soy milk, it’s safe for those suffering from lactose intolerance. Rice milk is also low in fat, which makes it a wonderful substitute for cow’s milk in baking. By making these changes, you can keep better track of your calories and nutritional intake during your weight loss journey. These aren’t the only health benefits the drink can offer. Keep reading to learn more!
What is Rice Milk?
Rice milk is made from boiled rice, brown rice starch and brown rice syrup. Because it is derived from rice, there is no trace of animal byproducts, thus making it a popular milk alternative for vegans and vegetarians. It still delivers many essential nutrients.
Unsweetened rice milk may not taste that appealing, which is why a lot of it has added flavour to make it taste more like cow’s milk.
Nutritional Value of Rice Milk
Rice milk is high in carbohydrates, higher, in fact, than cow’s milk!. Unlike cow’s milk, though, it doesn’t have any lactose or cholesterol. This mean’s it’s healthier for the heart and better for those with a lactose intolerance.
If you’re substituting rice milk, you may need to supplement the protein and calcium loss. However, many commercial brands are fortified with the nutrients the drink might be lacking. Rice milk is also often reinforced with vitamin B12, vitamin D, vitamin A and iron.
One cup of rice milk may contain approximately 140 calories, way lower than the 185 calories found in an equal amount of cow’s milk. Furthermore, rice milk also contains 3g of fat per cup, compared to cow’s milk’s 11 (although skimmed milk only has a half a gram per cup).
Health Benefits of Rice Milk
Here are some of the best health benefits of rice milk:
- Helps boost digestion: because there’s little to no lactose in rice milk, it’s much easier to digest and promotes the gut’s bacterial environments. This protects you from indigestion and infections.
- Helps improve bone density: because some rice milk is fortified, it has a lot of minerals in it, including magnesium, iron, vitamin D and calcium. These all help lower the risk of osteoporosis.
- Helps reduce cholesterol: since rice milk has no cholesterol, it’s good for those struggling with obesity and various cardiovascular illnesses. Drinking it can reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular conditions.
- Helps prevent chronic illnesses: the antioxidant properties of the milk may help boost the immune system, promote the body’s resistance to oxidative stress and ease inflammation. This is actually one of the best health benefits of rice milk.
- Helps with skincare: the antioxidants and acids in the rice milk, like the paraaminobenzoic acid, protect the skin from UV rays, thus reducing the development of blemishes and wrinkles.
Drawbacks of Rice Milk
Since rice milk is rice-based, it has a high sugar and carbohydrate content but a low protein content. Rice milk is also low in calcium and fat, both nutrients which are vital for the development of babies. If you are using it as a family drink fortified rice milk will be a better option.
