Why I Rate Rice Milk (Provamel Rice)

Member Name: flutel

Product:	Provamel Rice
Date:	18/06/09 (59 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Dairy free, lactose free, low in saturated fat.

Disadvantages: A bit 'thinner' than soya or regular milk

Rice milk is part of the arsenal of milks that vegetarians and vegans use in their daily bid to cook and eat without dairy products. It is also used by those who are lactose intolerant.


Why Rice Milk
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Soya is a fantastic protein and soya milks have improved in taste and consistency tremendously over the years; I love soya - but I am slightly wary of using it constantly. Soya is a phyto-oestrogen (a plant hormone) which will impact on the body - often favourably - especially with post menopausal women. It has been allegedly implicated in thyroid complications because of the hormonal element. I discussed this with my doctor (who is also a vegetarian) and he felt that soya won hands down over cows' milk when it came to the health implications because standard cows' milk is full of hormone-altering chemicals (through drugs and growth promoters routinely given cows) and it has a high likelihood of containing pus from mastitis.
I am a believer in moderation; soya is great - but perhaps not lots of it and all the time. This is where rice milk comes in. It can be used in virtually the same way; on cereal, in cooking (sauces/custards), in tea and coffee (wait until the drink has cooled a bit before adding it to prevent curdling).

Packaging
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The rice milk comes in a UHT type tetra-pak (hooray-recyclable at supermarket recycling centres). It has a purple and blue colour scheme with a picture of a glass with rice milk being poured in. I think the milk being poured looks more like regular milk - so it is a little deceptive. The pack I have has a yellow flash across the top which states that it has improved taste.

Price
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Provamel rice milk can be bought for £1.30 at Tesco and some other supermarkets. This makes it a little more expensive than the budget soya milks (around 60p) but not completely prohibitive.

Ingredients
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The rice milk contains the following: Water, Rice (12%), Sunflower Oil, Tri-Calcium Phosphate, Acidity Regulator: Dipotassium Phosphate, Maltodextrin, Emulsifier: Rapeseed Lecithin, Sea Salt, Vitamins: Thiamin, B6 and B12, Flavouring, Stabiliser: Gellan Gum

Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) is the important one for vegetarians and vegans - so it is great that this product has it added. B12 is needed for making use of protein. It helps the blood carry oxygen, is needed for the synthesis of DNA and is essential for nerves.

It is low in saturated fat and lactose free - health benefits for all.


What I think about Provamel Rice Milk
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Even though the rice content comes in at 12%, the milk is generally a little 'thinner' than soya milk - which is usually 6-7% of the content. It is less effective as milk in tea (the tea looks more 'transparent' than when soya milk is put in) and this is perhaps not so aesthetically pleasing to milky tea drinkers. I do not use milk in tea though. I personally prefer the taste and consistency of soya milk but I still use rice milk occasionally. The price is ok - although I wish it was as cheap as soya milk.

All in all, it is a decent product which we use in my household about once a week.

Summary: An great - and easy - addition to a health conscious life.