Rice Dream with Added Calcium

What is rice Dream ?
Rice dream is a vegetable drink that as the name states is made from rice. Low in fat and cholesterol it is aimed as a replacement to dairy milk. It is naturally low in calcium so this variety of rice dream has added calcium which is about equal to the amount you would get from milk. Rice dream which comes as ice cream as well as milk is usually organic, but the rice dream with added calcium is the only one that is not organic. Rice produces sugar so it has a natural sweetness so no sugar is added to the ingredients.

Price :~
The price is a bit steep at £1.79 and for me this would be a problem as I drink lots of dairy milk. Cravendale is my preferred choice as the semi-skimmed is quite creamy and to be honest I do prefer the full fat milk compared to the semi fat. As full fat is bad and I do try to be healthy Cravendale is a good option as a replacement. So how would the Rice dream compare in taste and the health benefits to Cravendale.

Packaging :~
The packaging is like other longlife milk containers. It is white and blue. Rice Dream is being poured into a glass that trys to make the consumer want to drink some Rice Dream straight away. Calcium is printed in a few places to make sure you do not miss the fact that it has added calcium. One thing that is not on the carton like the otherproducts from the Rice Dream range is organic. That is because this is the only one that is not organic which must havve something to do with the added calcium.

Benefits :~
Rice dream has no bad cholesterol so is 1 up on milk which has cholesterol due to it containing animal fat.
If your Lactose intolerant were you do not have the ability to break down the 2 sugars in dairy products due to the lack of Lactase enzyme which is produced by the small intestine you can use Rice Dream as it is lactose free. Same if you have an intolerance to milk where your body thinks the milk is a bacteria and attacks it this can cause diarrhea, rashes and other allergic reactions but you are safe to drink Rice Dream. Rice Dream is also lower in saturated fats than milk and Soya milk. Another good benefit is Rice Dream is made with brown rice so contains fibre. Is long life so does not have to be refrigerated until ready to be used so if your short on fridge space this is ideal.

Bad Points :~
Rice dream does not contain protein and Essential fatty acids were as milk does. Your body needs protean and Essential fatty acids for the growth of muscles and to keep your metabolising working. So you will need to get these from another source in your diet. Price at £1.79 a litre this is steep, compared to my Cravendale at £1.20 for 2 litres. Also it is not widely available tried all the local supermarkets in the area. Only found other makes of rice milk but not Rice Dream. Then at last I found it in a local health food shop down a back ally that did not even know existed. The shop owner said he had 1 carton left for 80p. thought that was cheap, he said it was reduced from £1.79 as the only customer who bought it was now buying another make from Asda for £1.20. Also the supplier he got it from had stopped stocking it so he was going to stop selling it anyway.

Smell :~
The only thing that comes to mind is a sweet smelling rice pudding. Not bad as for me that smells nice so it's looking good so far.

Looks :~
It looks similar to milk in texture more like full fat milk rather than skimmed which is a bit watery. The colour is a bit more of an off white not brown more like a creamy colour.

Taste :~
Milk is one of my favorite drinks as well as having it on my cereal. But drinking warm milk is a no no, horrid yuk yuk. So to take this straight from the cupboard to drink was not going to happen. So after it cooled in the freezer for quickness as I'm running out of time for this review.
Taking the first sip apprehensively expecting it to be repulsive like soya milk. It was actually nice, sweet was the first thought that came to mind. This did taste like milk full fat creamy milk with a strange flavour lingering in the background. Rice, it was rice that could be tasted but not strong just a hint not very noticeable at all. Once the milk was drunk there was no bad after taste left on the palate.
How would it taste on my cereal Crunchy Nut Cornflakes. Sweet very sweet with the honey and brown sugar from the cornflakes and the sweetness from Rice Dream this was to much. It would probably be better on unsweetened cereals like Weetabix or Shreddies.

Cooking :~
Rice Dream can be used for a substitute for milk also in cooking unlike someother non milk products like soya milk. It is also good for making milk based drinks like milk shakes.
400ml Rice Dream chilled,
Handful of strawberries chopped,
Blend until smooth and creamy. Add a vodka or 2 for the adult version.

Conclusion :~
If you cannot use dairy milk this is a close match to the taste of milk. It is overly sweet on already sweetened cereals. Price and availability is going to be a problem. Have found a supplier online at £1.49 but that's still more than you would pay for milk. For me it has to be Dairy milk but very good attempt.