Rice Dream Rice Milk

[jasonD2]

I am very concerned..I have been using Rice Dream milk for years and did not discontinue after I went gluten-free. Now I'm reading that its not safe. It says Gluten free on it and the store where i buy it says its gluten free. Whats the deal here? I would HATE to think that I have been consuming gluten for the past year when i worked so hard to change my diet abd avoid gluten. can someone please enlighten me?

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Jason, there have been many threads here about Rice Dream.

It used to say on the label that it was processed with barley enzymes. Barley, as you know, is considered to have gluten.

Recently, Rice Dream changed its label to read "gluten-free," and eliminated the part about barley enzymes. They claim that their final product contains less than 20 ppm gluten, and therefore, they are legally allowed to claim that they are gluten-free on their label. (Gluten-free is currently defined as less than 20 ppm.)

20 ppm is enough to cause reactions in many, perhaps most celiacs.

So yes, you have been consuming gluten for the last year.

[jasonD2]

I just got this on the website and there is no mention anymore of using Barley enzymes on the product or on the website

Legally speaking the product must be 100% free of gluten in order for them to make this claim

The following products do not contain gluten:

Rice Dream Shelf Stable Non-Dairy Beverages

* All varieties

Rice Dream Refrigerated Non-Dairy Beverages

* All varieties

[jerseyangel]

Jason,

They don't have to mention it on the label since the concentration of gluten in the finished product is so low. Low--not non-existant.

I have spoken to the company myself--the Rice Dream is processed the exact same way it always has, with barley. It causes a reaction in many here.

I use Pacific Rice and Almond Milks--very good and safe.

[jasonD2]

I CANNOT believe this! Are you kidding me? After 1 year of hell trying to avoid gluten I have been consuming it anyway? WTF? OMG...I'm having a serious anxiety attack now

[jerseyangel]

I CANNOT believe this! Are you kidding me? After 1 year of hell trying to avoid gluten I have been consuming it anyway? WTF?

You poor thing I know what a difficult time you've had.

[jasonD2]

This is unbelievable! Now i have to go for blood workup to make sure im not gonna drop dead.

Aside from pacific rice milk, what other brands are safe? Pacific has caraggennan in it which i like to avoid.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Legally speaking the product must be 100% free of gluten in order for them to make this claim

Of course, that's what they WANT you to believe. But, legally speaking, they are allowed to call a product gluten-free if it has 20 parts per million gluten or less.

[jasonD2]

Has anyone tried to sue them? i am so shocked right now i cant even begin to tell you

[jasonD2]

Also- it used to say Barley on the enriched product but not the un-enriched products

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Trader Joe's is safe, but I don't know if it has carageenan.

Hemp milk is surprisingly good (but avoid Hemp Dream!)--I just tried it and I actually like it better than rice milk! I also really like almond milk. (I don't need to avoid dairy, but never liked the taste of milk unless it's full of chocolate--but I really like almond and hemp milks.)

A lot of people seem to like a potato-based milk called DariFree.

[jasonD2]

I am technically allergic to some nuts and seeds so almond milk probly wouldnt be a good idea

[jerseyangel]

Aside from pacific rice milk, what other brands are safe? Pacific has caraggennan in it which i like to avoid.

I've only used the Pacific, so I don't know what the others have in them.

[Juliebove]

Last time I looked at a carton, it did mention the barley and it does mention it on the website although it also claims it is gluten free.

"Is Rice Dream Beverage a gluten free product?

Yes. Although Rice Dream Beverage is processed using a barley enzyme, the barley enzyme is discarded after use. The final beverage might contain a minute residual amount (less than .002%) of barley protein. For a list of gluten free products click here "

Found on this page: Open Original Shared Link

Westsoy makes a rice milk, but I don't know offhand what's in it.

[jasonD2]

so am i gonna get cancer or some disease cause ive been consuming gluten all this time?

[Fiddle-Faddle]

so am i gonna get cancer or some disease cause ive been consuming gluten all this time?

I think it's pretty unlikely! Luckily, the gluten you've been consuming this last year is a VERY small amount--much, much less than you've consumed the rest of your life!

Stress, however, can be a huge factor in cancer. I suppose that, theoretically, you could be 100% gluten-free, but if you are totally stressed and obsessing about whether you're gonna get cancer, you might get it just from being stressed out, right?

Relax. Breathe. Know that you will not be consuming Rice Dream again!

Can you eat dark chocolate? Remember, in the Harry Potter books, chocolate is used as a medicine (to counter the effects of dementors).

If you can't have chocolate, at least have some nice herbal tea and RELAX.

[jerseyangel]

so am i gonna get cancer or some disease cause ive been consuming gluten all this time?

Jason, take a deep breath. Look at it this way....you've cut out all the gluten in your diet except the small amount here. My personal experience has been that my symptoms from accidently ingesting tiny amounts (such as in cross contamination) have absolutely no effect on my bloodwork.

Most, if not all, of us go through a period where we think we are gluten-free, but we're really not since we're still learning the ins and outs and making mistakes. Be glad you found this out and look ahead, not back--it's all going to be fine.