Rice milk provides a nutritious, dairy-free alternative to cow milk for people with milk allergies. Like cow milk, most rice milks are good sources of calcium, an essential mineral for bone health and a variety of important metabolic functions. An 8 oz serving of most rice milks contains about 120 calories, the same number in an 8 oz serving of reduced fat cow milk.
Highest Calcium Content
You can get 30 percent of the recommended daily calcium intake, or 296 mg of calcium, from an 8 oz. serving of Enriched Rice Dream, Trader Joe’s Rice-Um and Trader Joe’s Basmati Rice Milk. Enriched Rice Dream also contains added vitamin A, vitamin D-2 and vitamin B-12.
Lower Calcium
Some rice milk brands contain less calcium. An 8 oz serving of Westbrae Natural Rice Milk provides 25 percent of the recommended daily calcium intake, and an 8 oz. serving of Naturally Preferred Rice Milk or Pacific Rice provides 15 percent of the recommended daily calcium intake. An 8 oz. serving of regular Rice Dream contains only 2 percent of the recommended daily calcium intake.
Comparison
Some enriched rice milk products provide just as much calcium as cow milk. An 8 oz serving of reduced fat, 2 percent milk or nonfat milk provides 30 percent of the recommended daily calcium intake. Rice milk typically contains far less protein than cow milk, however. An 8 oz serving of rice milk typically contains only 1 g or 2 g of protein, while an 8 oz. serving of reduced fat cow milk provides 8 g of protein.
Recommended Calcium Intake
Calcium plays an especially important role in bone growth during adolescence and bone maintenance during old age. Adolescents ages 9 to 18 should get 1,300 mg of calcium per day, while adults ages 19 to 70 need only 1,000 mg per day. Men ages 71 and over and women ages 51 and over should get 1,200 mg per day.
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