If you’re allergic to dairy or cutting back on cholesterol, you may consider rice milk as an alternative to cow’s milk. Rice milk lacks the protein in cow’s milk, but commercial brands may be fortified with calcium. Unsweetened rice milk contains sugar, but no fructose. Sweetened rice milk may contain fructose.
Rice Milk Nutrition
Unsweetened rice milk, made with brown rice and unfiltered water, contains 113 calories per cup. Brown rice contains no fructose, but does contain sucrose. A cup of rice milk contains 12.67 grams of sugar, 0.67 grams of protein, 22 grams of carbohydrate and 2.3 grams of unsaturated fat. Because rice milk is plant-based, it contains no dietary cholesterol. Commercial brands of rice milk may contain 283 grams of calcium – about 28 percent of your daily requirement – and vitamins A, D and B-12.
Sweetened Rice Milk
If you buy sweetened rice milk, check product labels for the type of sugar it contains. If it’s sweetened with brown rice sugar, it does not contain fructose. If it contains fruit sugars or processed sugar, it likely does contain fructose. A food nutrition label might not distinguish between types of sugar, but the ingredients list might prove more revealing. If your rice milk contains honey, molasses, agave syrup, cane syrup, high fructose corn syrup or table sugar, it contains fructose.
Make Your Own
If you want to know for certain that your rice milk does not contain fructose, make it yourself. Use four parts water to one part of brown rice. Rinse the rice and cook until it becomes very soft. Put the liquid and rice – don’t drain off the liquid – into a food processor or blender. Process until the mixture liquefies. For a smoother drink, strain through cheesecloth and, for a thinner drink, add water. Add flavorings such as vanilla or cocoa if you wish. If you use rice milk in cooking, it may not thicken puddings and other sauces that depend on milk protein. You can add egg whites as a thickening agent.
Considerations
Limit fructose consumption from sweetened rice milk and other sources if you need to lower your triglycerides, a type of artery-clogging fat. The American Heart Association recommends most people include no more than 50 grams to 100 grams of fructose in their daily diets. If you suffer from fructose malabsorption, you may need to severely restrict your consumption of fructose to avoid symptoms such as diarrhea, bloating and gas. If you suffer from inherited fructose intolerance, ingesting even small amounts of fructose could endanger your health.
References
- United States Department of Agriculture: Nutrient Database
- "Circulation"; Triglycerides and Cardiovascular Disease A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association; Michael Miller, et al.; April 2011
- Taste the Dream: Rice Dream Nutrition Facts
- MayoClinic.com; Added Sugar -- Don't Get Sabotaged by Sweeteners; April 2011
- $5 Dollar Dinners: How to Make Your Own Rice Milk
- University of Maryland Medical Clinic: Hereditary Fructose Intolerance
- MayoClinic.com; Fructose Intolerance -- Which Foods Should I Avoid?; Katherine Zeratsky; March 2011
Member Comments