Rice Milk/hemp Milk

[jasonD2]

So i had a very detailed conversation with a customer service rep at Rice Dream. Evidently all of their "gluten-free" products are tested for gluten using a new highly sensitive method. If anything comes up positive it is rejected; they are very strict about this and are under the ever watchful eye of the FDA. I was also told that this product is safe for people with celiac or gluten intolerance and the rep i spoke with personally knows someone with celiac who uses it w/o any problems. I'm still giving myself a few months without it and in the meantime will try Hemp Milk since i cant find any other rice milk products that are free of carageenan. Wegaman has one, but i dont live near one of their stores. has anyone tried Hemp Milk? I heard its more nutritious & better tasting than rice milk, however, I have a few nut and seed allergies (not a physical reaction, just tested positive on my allergy panel) and wasnt sure if its safe for me. id appreciate some feedback

thanks,

jason

[Fiddle-Faddle]

I don't trust the people at Rice Dream, because they consider anything under (and including) 20 ppm "safe" and apparently not "positive" in their test.

But I know a child who HAS reacted to it, and many here have reacted to it. So just because someone at Rice Dream knows someone who didn't react doesn't mean a thing.

Shame on them.

And the ever watchful eye of the FDA is totally corrupt, anyway.

I have tried hemp milk, and I really, really like it, which surprised me. I think, because of the name hemp, I was expecting something that tasted like rope! But it's delicious (and I CAN drink dairy, and I still think hemp milk is delicious).

[jasonD2]

haha- I wouldn't go as far as to call the FDA corrupt..I do quite a bit of work with them (especially the food safety people)

Is hemp milk ok for folks with sensitive stomachs/IBS?

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Well, sensitive stomachs and IBS are caused by something.

So it would depend on what is causing the IBS/sensitive tum. If you are sensitive to gluten, that is MORE than enough to cause every known symptom of IBS! But that doesn't mean that it's the only thing that you, jason, are sensitive to. Maybe you're sensitive to dairy (most celiacs are until gluten-free for a few months). Maybe you're sensitive to soy, or even hemp.

The only way to know is to try it, I guess. But wait until your tum is pretty well settled for a good week or so, so you can tell if it's the hemp milk that is setting it off (if it does). If you try the hemp milk while you have a raging bout of diarrhea, you won't know if the hemp milk is adding to your symptoms or not!

[jasonD2]

true, something causes IBS but once you have it you always have it -- even if the cause has been eliminated. its kinda like an old injury that will act up if its irritated. its more a sensitivity issue

[mushroom]

I used hemp milk while I was in Nevada, and I just loved it. Wish they had it here. (I'm one of the millions who have been told they had IBS

[jnclelland]

has anyone tried Hemp Milk? I heard its more nutritious & better tasting than rice milk, however, I have a few nut and seed allergies (not a physical reaction, just tested positive on my allergy panel) and wasnt sure if its safe for me. id appreciate some feedback

thanks,

jason

I can't speak to its safety for you allergy-wise, but Living Harvest's vanilla hemp milk is really delicious. I use it to make lattes, and I like it better than rice milk - and even regular milk, for that matter!

Jeanne

[Fiddle-Faddle]

true, something causes IBS but once you have it you always have it -- even if the cause has been eliminated. its kinda like an old injury that will act up if its irritated. its more a sensitivity issue

Actually, I don't think this is true. Remember University of CHicago's study from 2006 that said that it takes an average of ELEVEN years to get diagnosed with celiac? Well, for most of those 11 years, most celiacs are diagnosed with IBS--which mysteriously VANISHES when they go gluten-free. REALLY.

I think you've been mostly gluten-free for a while, now, right? Except for that stupid Rice Dream? Maybe that was enough to keep you from healing--or maybe you have a separate issue, other than celiac, that is causing you problems. BUt, unless you have refractory celiac, where the villi are so damaged they can't repair even with a gluten-free diet, if celiac is your problem, you will be fine once your gut heals, as long as you really stay 100% gluten-free.

[jerseyangel]

true, something causes IBS but once you have it you always have it -- even if the cause has been eliminated. its kinda like an old injury that will act up if its irritated. its more a sensitivity issue

It depends. I think that in certain cases, once the irritant is removed, the "IBS" goes away--I do agree that we always have the tendency, as in we will probably always be sensitive to certain things.

Keep in mind, though, that sensitivities can change or subside. After I first went gluten-free, I couldn't tolerate rice or corn. After 3 years, I now can. With some of my other sensitivites, I still can't.

I also was diagnosed with another condition that is sometimes associated with Celiac, and after a 6 week treatment prescribed by my GI, I'm doing much better generally and I no longer have any of the symptoms of "IBS".

Don't discount listening to your body and finding a good GI who will work with you--they are out there, albeit sometimes hard to come by. For me, the third was the charm.

[Takala]

I use hemp milk and I seem to be fine with it, which rather surprised me. It sits in my stomach quite well. Tastes acceptable. High protein, good omegas.

If it weren't for this board, I'd still be using the stupid Dream milk products and wondering why I couldn't shake the brain fuzzles.

[jasonD2]

what id like to know is if the gluten in rice milk would affect someone with just an intolerance since its such a trace amount

[Fiddle-Faddle]

I believe it would, Jason, because the difference between gluten sensitivity and celiac disease is NOT how sensitive you are to gluten. The only difference seems to be in the definition of diagnosing celiac--which is by damaged villi of the intestines.

Now, for many people with "just" gluten sensitivity, they might be MORE sensitive to gluten than some people with damaged villi (celiacs). For whatever reason, their villi are just not as damaged--yet. Some people with "just" gluten sensitivity are actually in the early stages of celiac. They're just lucky it was caught early, before significant villi damage occurred.

THose trace amounts are enough to cause real symptoms in real people. And remember, it only takes 1/16 of a piece of bread to cause VISIBLE damage to the villi of someone with celiac--and that can happen without discernable symptoms!!!

Look at ravenwoodglass's sig sometime, and you'll learn a lot about how much damage gluten can cause--and how severe the damage can be-- to someone who doctors didn't consider to be "celiac."

[Fiddle-Faddle]

what id like to know is if the gluten in rice milk would affect someone with just an intolerance since its such a trace amount

That "trace amount" was enough to cause severe eczema in a 5-year-old I know, whose tests for celiac were all negative, so he is "just" gluten intolerant. His eczema was so severe , it looked like he had third-degree burns on his face and hands. This was JUST FROM RICE DREAM--he was otherwise gluten-free, and the eczema went away when they stopped the Rice Dream.