Rice milk, oat milk or spelled milk
Cafe latte or oatmeal porridge? You can now also make this with vegetable-based drinks. And then there is more choice than soy milk. Because you can also make the tastiest drinks from grains.
First of all: rice milk or oat milk is popularly spoken of, but officially that is not allowed. The term ‘milk’ is protected and may only be used if milk comes from an animal (usually cow or goat). That is why the packs always say something like ‘drink’. However, in this article we will mainly talk about milk.
Grains are less protein-rich than, for example, soybeans or nuts, which are also used in drinks. The cereal drinks therefore contain less protein and slightly more carbohydrates than soy drinks or nut drinks such as almond drink and hazelnut drink.
rice milk
Rice is the staple food for many people in the world. That’s probably why Asians will look a bit strange if they know that a drink is made of this. Rice milk is a basic recipe of water and rice extract. Sunflower oil, sugars, excipients, calcium and vitamins are sometimes added to this.
Rice milk has a nice white color and has a fairly neutral, fresh taste. Remarkable: vitamin B2 is added to many plant-based drinks, because that vitamin also occurs naturally in milk. But not rice drink! Vitamin B2 gives the drink a yellowish color, which is not appreciated by the consumer. Rice milk is available in most supermarkets and health food stores.
oat milk
You can also find oat milk in the same stores. Now oatmeal has a good health image, so this drink is also becoming increasingly popular. Oats are naturally gluten-free, but often come into contact with other grains such as wheat during transport and processing. A gluten-free guarantee can hardly be given for oats and that is why it is not mentioned on most packages. The taste is quite neutral, which is why an aroma is often added.
spelled milk
Now that spelled is more popular than ever, it is inevitable: the spelled drink or spelled milk. Made from water, spelt, some sunflower oil and a pinch of sea salt. Spelled is a variant of wheat, which contains less gluten and is often better tolerated by people with irritable bowel syndrome. Very suitable for baking pancakes and smoothies.
Many variants
Choose the drink that suits you, because there is plenty of choice. Do you really want a pure taste, or do you prefer a little sweet? Do you like neutral or can there be a light vanilla or coconut aroma in the milk, for example? Or should the drink preferably taste like chocolate? You can also buy drinks in the (health food) store with a mix of ingredients, such as almond rice, coconut rice or grains-soy. It is a matter of trying and tasting before you have the drink that best suits your taste.
Nutritional value per glass of 150 ml
(Double click on the image for a larger size)
(Source: Eetmeter, Alpro soya, Provamel and Lima)
