They have a new Original drink labled "Now Organic" which doesn't include the barley. If you want a gluten-free Rice drink, buy the organic one.Check Rice Dream Drink Ingredients
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Check Rice Dream Drink Ingredients
I believe Rice Dream has recently changed its ingredients for the Original flavor. The new list of ingredients includes a barley ingredient. They have a new Original drink labled "Now Organic" which doesn't include the barley. If you want a gluten-free Rice drink, buy the organic one.
They have a new Original drink labled "Now Organic" which doesn't include the barley. If you want a gluten-free Rice drink, buy the organic one.You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
Hi Gloria,
Actually, they didn't change their ingredients - they just changed the label. Rice dream is made from rice, of course, but the rice has to be malted, and in order to initiate the malting process, (for the rice), a small amount of barley malt is used. (As far as I am aware, unless someone has recently discovered an alternative way to initiate the malting process, barley is the only grain which has the capability of "self-starting" the malting process).
This "malt starter" is supposedly removed, during subsequent processing, and so for many years, they simply left it off the label, assuming that it was too small an amount to be concerned with, (If I remember correctly, it is less than one/one-hundredth of one percent of the total weight of the finished product, but please don't quote me on that, as my memory could be off). Apparently, enough celiacs protested the label discrepancy, that Imagine Foods decided to revise the label.
I wasn't aware that they are making a true GF version, now. Thanks for the information. Years ago, I drank a lot of Rice Dream, before I found out about the barley malt starter. I had suspected for a long time, that it might be making me sick, but I never could catch it red-handed, so to speak. When I found out about the malt, I stopped using it.
I thought the flavor of the original version was pretty good. Is the new Organic version as good?
Tex
Actually, they didn't change their ingredients - they just changed the label. Rice dream is made from rice, of course, but the rice has to be malted, and in order to initiate the malting process, (for the rice), a small amount of barley malt is used. (As far as I am aware, unless someone has recently discovered an alternative way to initiate the malting process, barley is the only grain which has the capability of "self-starting" the malting process).
This "malt starter" is supposedly removed, during subsequent processing, and so for many years, they simply left it off the label, assuming that it was too small an amount to be concerned with, (If I remember correctly, it is less than one/one-hundredth of one percent of the total weight of the finished product, but please don't quote me on that, as my memory could be off). Apparently, enough celiacs protested the label discrepancy, that Imagine Foods decided to revise the label.
I wasn't aware that they are making a true GF version, now. Thanks for the information. Years ago, I drank a lot of Rice Dream, before I found out about the barley malt starter. I had suspected for a long time, that it might be making me sick, but I never could catch it red-handed, so to speak. When I found out about the malt, I stopped using it.
I thought the flavor of the original version was pretty good. Is the new Organic version as good?
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Thank you both for the feedback. It goes to show that we can't take anything for granted.
The Organic tastes the same as the Original and they are both very good. It's one of the foods that keeps me from complete despair as I follow my restricted diet. I noticed the change after I purchased a "Fresh" carton in the dairy section of the chain grocer here. It was cheaper than the shelf version, so I was pretty happy. But I started to regress last week while drinking it and couldn't figure out why. Then I noticed the barley in the ingredients. Now that I'm drinking the Organic, I'm back on track and continuing to improve. I'm assuming that the Organic doesn't have any traces of the barley.
Tex, how is it that barley is required for the processing by the manufacturer, but not when it's made at home? Note that I still haven't successfully made any at home, so I don't know the difference.
The Organic tastes the same as the Original and they are both very good. It's one of the foods that keeps me from complete despair as I follow my restricted diet. I noticed the change after I purchased a "Fresh" carton in the dairy section of the chain grocer here. It was cheaper than the shelf version, so I was pretty happy. But I started to regress last week while drinking it and couldn't figure out why. Then I noticed the barley in the ingredients. Now that I'm drinking the Organic, I'm back on track and continuing to improve. I'm assuming that the Organic doesn't have any traces of the barley.
Tex, how is it that barley is required for the processing by the manufacturer, but not when it's made at home? Note that I still haven't successfully made any at home, so I don't know the difference.
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
Home-made non-dairy "milks", are really just liquefied forms of the "feedstock" upon which they are based - no significant chemical transformation takes place during the processing. IOW, home-made rice milk, is really just flavored, liquefied rice. By contrast, the malting process used by the commercial manufacturers, enhances the finished product by improving the flavor and digestability, increasing homogeneity, and greatly increasing the shelf life.
When malting takes place, the grain, (barley), is allowed to germinate under carefully controlled conditions, and it is allowed to develop a root, without actually sprouting. Two major chemical changes occur: First, enzymes are developed, which break down the cell walls, (which are made up of gum substances that are insoluble in water), and the action of these enzymes results in freely available starch. The second change involves the development of other enzymes, which break down proteins. If the malt is to be used by the brewing industry, additional enzymes are developed, which will convert the starch into fermentable sugars in the mash, during the brewing process.
IOW, for commercial manufacturers of non-dairy milks, the malting process confers highly desirable qualities to the product, by creating the enzymes necessary to initiate chemical changes which sort of predigest the product. It would be impractical to attempt to do that at home, which is why none of the home recipes mention a malting process.
Tex
When malting takes place, the grain, (barley), is allowed to germinate under carefully controlled conditions, and it is allowed to develop a root, without actually sprouting. Two major chemical changes occur: First, enzymes are developed, which break down the cell walls, (which are made up of gum substances that are insoluble in water), and the action of these enzymes results in freely available starch. The second change involves the development of other enzymes, which break down proteins. If the malt is to be used by the brewing industry, additional enzymes are developed, which will convert the starch into fermentable sugars in the mash, during the brewing process.
IOW, for commercial manufacturers of non-dairy milks, the malting process confers highly desirable qualities to the product, by creating the enzymes necessary to initiate chemical changes which sort of predigest the product. It would be impractical to attempt to do that at home, which is why none of the home recipes mention a malting process.
Tex
Here it is, scroll to the bottom:
http://www.pacificfoods.com/products-nut-grain.php
http://www.pacificfoods.com/products-nut-grain.php
Mike,
I have no idea how those are made, but I have a hunch they are made with enzymes that are the result of a malting process, somewhere back up the line. They may feel that they have a better system of excluding the malt from the final product.
I note that they say gluten free and wheat free, they do not say barley free, or malt free. The equivalent of gluten in barley, is hordein, (technically, not gluten, though the FDA might frown on that, if they are using that little play on words to get around the labeling requirement). For all I know they are probably safe, but I know nothing about their particular manufacturing process.
Tex
I have no idea how those are made, but I have a hunch they are made with enzymes that are the result of a malting process, somewhere back up the line. They may feel that they have a better system of excluding the malt from the final product.
I note that they say gluten free and wheat free, they do not say barley free, or malt free. The equivalent of gluten in barley, is hordein, (technically, not gluten, though the FDA might frown on that, if they are using that little play on words to get around the labeling requirement). For all I know they are probably safe, but I know nothing about their particular manufacturing process.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
If you look at their definition of Gluten Free they mention barley, rye and oats in that category. They seem to be pretty clear in a lot of places indicating in varios FAQs how they keep glutenous grains out of their products.
Guess I'll have to ask how they manufacture it without using barley.
Thanks Tex.
Mike
Guess I'll have to ask how they manufacture it without using barley.
Thanks Tex.
Mike
Tex, you're a walking encyclopedia. I don't know how you've learned all these things.
Here a couple of links about Rice Dream:
http://surefoodsliving.com/2007/08/25/r ... uten-free/
http://www.tastethedream.com/health/glutenfree.php
I'm not sure what to believe.
Here a couple of links about Rice Dream:
http://surefoodsliving.com/2007/08/25/r ... uten-free/
http://www.tastethedream.com/health/glutenfree.php
I'm not sure what to believe.
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
Gloria,
Thanks for those links. The first one confirms what I have said all along, (assuming the author is correct). They have not changed their basic manufacturing method, (though they may have fine-tuned it a bit), nor have they changed their ingredients, but apparently they have flip-flopped, (again), on their opinion of whether or not their product is gluten free.
For years, Europe has used the gluten free definition of the Codex Alimentarius, (a Geneva-based international group), but the United States has not had a practical, legal definition of gluten free. Apparently, the FDA has now adopted the gluten free standards of the Codex Alimentarius, and the legal threshold for a claim of gluten free in this country is now 20 parts per million. (The Codex Alimentarius standard is 20 mg per 100 g, but this is the same as 20 ppm). Here are a couple of references on that:
http://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=209
http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/0 ... pr0001.pdf
Note that the Codex standard is based on a dry matter basis, which makes calculations a little murky for liquids.
Obviously, the makers of Rice Dream are now claiming that their product contains less than 20 ppm of gluten, which makes it "legally" gluten free, (but not necessarily physically gluten free).
Mike, I would assume that this is how Pacific Foods is producing gluten free milk substitutes, also. They are gluten free by the "legal" definition, (only).
There is currently a big push by medical "experts", to convince celiacs, (and anyone else who is gluten sensitive), that 100% abstention is not absolutely necessary for good health, (IOW, a little bit of poison each day is OK, as long as you do not get too much at one time). I would also like to point out that these same "experts" now claim that most celiacs can eat pure oats without adverse consequences. I did an extended test of that "theory" on myself, back in late January thru late March of this year, (written up in several posts in the "Treatment Discussions" forum), and I found that yes, I could eat it for a while, without problems, but eventually, it gave me D, and then recovery took a while, (about six weeks, as I recall). YMMV.
Tex
Thanks for those links. The first one confirms what I have said all along, (assuming the author is correct). They have not changed their basic manufacturing method, (though they may have fine-tuned it a bit), nor have they changed their ingredients, but apparently they have flip-flopped, (again), on their opinion of whether or not their product is gluten free.
For years, Europe has used the gluten free definition of the Codex Alimentarius, (a Geneva-based international group), but the United States has not had a practical, legal definition of gluten free. Apparently, the FDA has now adopted the gluten free standards of the Codex Alimentarius, and the legal threshold for a claim of gluten free in this country is now 20 parts per million. (The Codex Alimentarius standard is 20 mg per 100 g, but this is the same as 20 ppm). Here are a couple of references on that:
http://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=209
http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/0 ... pr0001.pdf
Note that the Codex standard is based on a dry matter basis, which makes calculations a little murky for liquids.
Obviously, the makers of Rice Dream are now claiming that their product contains less than 20 ppm of gluten, which makes it "legally" gluten free, (but not necessarily physically gluten free).
Mike, I would assume that this is how Pacific Foods is producing gluten free milk substitutes, also. They are gluten free by the "legal" definition, (only).
There is currently a big push by medical "experts", to convince celiacs, (and anyone else who is gluten sensitive), that 100% abstention is not absolutely necessary for good health, (IOW, a little bit of poison each day is OK, as long as you do not get too much at one time). I would also like to point out that these same "experts" now claim that most celiacs can eat pure oats without adverse consequences. I did an extended test of that "theory" on myself, back in late January thru late March of this year, (written up in several posts in the "Treatment Discussions" forum), and I found that yes, I could eat it for a while, without problems, but eventually, it gave me D, and then recovery took a while, (about six weeks, as I recall). YMMV.
Tex