Didn't See That One Coming :( Rice Dream

[powerofpositivethinking]

so after realizing I probably don't get enough calcium from my food since I'm not eating dairy, I went and bought some fortified rice milk since rice never seems to give me any trouble.  I've had trouble with almonds in the past and am avoiding soy, so I didn't want any type of nut or soy based milk.  I bought Rice Dream Enriched formula, which was labeled gluten free, the ingredients looked great and it had a good amount of calcium!  Plus I love saving money, and there was a dollar off coupon on it...

 

it was the last thing I had Wednesday night, and the only different thing I had eaten out of my regular routine that day.  Within an hour I felt nauseous, had an intense headache, foggy brain and felt really tired.  Normally, I lookup things on this site before I buy it, but not this time   that was a mistake!

 

I really didn't think I was super sensitive, but after reading through various posts on this site, unfortunately after the fact, I guess that trace amount of barley used in the filtering process was too much for me.  Plus it seems like barley still has a hard time being accurately tested.  grrrrrr  I thought I was doing something good for my body!

 

I poured it down the drain, and in my travels yesterday was near a Wegmans, so I picked-up their brand of rice milk.  learned my lesson from that one!

[1desperateladysaved]

I hope that will work for you.  When I could eat rice, I use to make my own.  If anyone is interested I found a recipe here.  Open Original Shared Link

[powerofpositivethinking]

thank you!

 

I hope that will work for you.  When I could eat rice, I use to make my own.  If anyone is interested I found a recipe here.  Open Original Shared Link

[powerofpositivethinking]

I would have still been drinking Rice Dream and feeling terrible, if not for other's posts about the barley 

 

Here's what I finally got back from them...

 

"Thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding our Dream® Enriched Original Rice Dream.

We consider gluten to be in the following, barley, bulgur, couscous, durum, graham flour, kamut, malt , rye, semolina, spelt, triticale and any other types of wheat. We do not consider oat products to be gluten free due to the fact that studies are needed to determine the long- term safety of oat consumption. The issue of cross contamination with oat and wheat remains a concern in North America.

Consumer health and safety is our number one concern. We do not have lists of products that are specifically considered to be gluten free. Reading the label is the best way to check for the presence of ingredients which contain gluten. If gluten is a major ingredient, it will be specified in the ingredient list. For consumers concerned about the presence of trace amounts of gluten, we suggest avoiding products that include natural flavors or spices. 

Hain Celestial Group products that make a gluten-free claim will carry the triangular Gluten-Free symbol, be labeled gluten-free, or specify Gluten Free certification by GFCO. To learn more about the wide variety of gluten free foods we offer please visit Open Original Shared Link. We hope you find the information, recipes and articles to be a useful resource.

The Hain Celestial Group's labeling declares major allergens (peanuts, soybeans, milk, eggs, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, and wheat) and we follow the U.S. FDA's regulations. We recognize the serious nature of the allergen issue and we strive to minimize risk.

Both major and minor ingredients of all products, as well as all processing procedures and equipment, are closely scrutinized and all potential allergen issues as determined by the Hain Celestial Group are declared on our labeling.

We assure you that strict manufacturing processes and procedures are in place and that all of our manufacturing facilities follow rigid allergen control programs that include staff training, segregation of allergen ingredients, production scheduling, and thorough cleaning and sanitation.

Thank you for your continued support. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us at 1-800-434-4246, Monday through Friday from 9AM - 7PM Eastern Time."

[cahill]

Rice Dream got me too

I have a specific reaction to gluten ( watery and i do mean WATER  diarrhea)  about 26 hours after ingestion of gluten . I did not realize at the time that rice dream was filtered thru barley or how sensitive I am . 

Lesson learned .

[greenbeanie]

Rice Dream was the product that kept me from figuring out that my daughter has celiac much sooner! We'd tried rotation diets, food journals, and all sorts of dietary changes, but the one thing we never changed was the Rice Dream. She couldn't tolerate milk, so a nutritionist put her on enriched Rice Dream (for calcium) at age 1, and she'd had it every day since. Three years later we finally figured out she has celiac, and within a few days of going gluten-free it became very clear that Rice Dream was causing continued problems. Thank goodness for this forum, or I never would have known it was made with barley enzymes! The nutritionist had her start taking Caltrate for calcium instead, and all is well now.

[powerofpositivethinking]

like I put above it was the only thing out of the ordinary I had that day, and within an hour...bam 

 

In that long winded response Hain gave me nowhere do they even mention it is filtered through barley.   

 

greenbeanie, I'm glad you realized it was a problem for your daughter!  

 

if you live in the Northeast US and are close to a Wegmans, they have organic enriched rice milk for only about 1.67 a box, and it doesn't make me sick 

 

I have to drive a good 35 min. to get to Wegmans, so the last time I was there I bought 10 boxes 

[powerofpositivethinking]

thought I'd add their reply they sent me with the link to their scientific study.  FWIW study or not, I will not be drinking it again 

 

Thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding your concerns about your recent experience with our Rice Dream® Enriched Original. We certainly hope you are feeling better. We can assure you that our product does not contain barley and is gluten-free. A barley-derived enzyme is used in the processing of the product, but this enzyme does not contain gluten.  

We did remove the statement from our packaging about the barley enzyme after very diligent studies on gluten testing were conducted by allergen experts at the University of Nebraska. We have included a link below to an article regarding our product and the steps we implement to ensure that our products are gluten free. We encourage you to read and learn about the product being gluten free. 
Open Original Shared Link

Thank you for your continued support. If I can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact me at 303-581-1514

[dilettantesteph]

Somehow it escapes peoples understanding that testing negative with a detection limit of 5 ppm is not the same as containing none of the contaminant tested.  I have faced this since I started testing food for contaminants professionally back in 1985.  Clearly there are those who react anyways.  It would be nice if they would be more upfront about the possibility of there being low levels of gluten present for those of us who are sensitive to lower levels of gluten cc.

[VeggieGal]

I've been feeling really good alately then boom! I tried rice dream milk last night and all day today ive been sluggish, headache, tired, achy arms, foggy brain and bloated...grrr I didnt see that one coming either!

[come dance with me]

Have you tried any nutmilks?  I love hazelnut milk in freshly brewed coffee.

[Dugudugu]

I hope that will work for you. When I could eat rice, I use to make my own. If anyone is interested I found a recipe here. Open Original Shared Link

Thanks a lot!!!!!