Almond Milk vs. Rice Milk: Which is Healthier?

The comparison of rice milk to almond milk almost serves as an unfair debate. Almond milk drastically outweighs the rice variety in nearly every category regarding health benefits. The milk derived from almonds naturally contains more nutrients in higher levels.

Nutritional Similarities

Almond milk and rice milk contain no soy or lactose. Both of these dairy and soy milk alternatives have no cholesterol, trans fats or saturated fats. These choices do have healthy fats and limited amounts of protein as well.
Rice milk and almond milk have low sodium.

Nutritional Differences

Almond milk has slightly less sugars than the rice alternative.  Each has a low amount of sodium, but almond milk has slightly more with 150 mg compared to 100 mg in rice milk.
Both almond and rice milk have iron, except almond milk has a 2% higher level at 4% of our recommended daily value.

The Big Differences

The following list shows all of the nutrients that almond milk has an abundance of, while rice milk has none of or a very limited amount.
Vitamin A
Vitamin E
Vitamin D
B Vitamins
Calcium
Phosphorus
Magnesium
Manganese
Potassium
This data alone shows why rice milk falls short as a dairy milk alternative.
Rice milk also contains double the calories of almond milk. One cup of the rice option has 120 calories compared to 60 provided by the almond choice.

Health Benefit Issues

Since rice milk lacks several key nutrients provided by nearly every other milk variety, we do not gain any significant positive health benefits from drinking the beverage.
One major benefit that rice milk does not provide involves bone and teeth formation and health. The calcium found in almond milk works in sync with Vitamin D and magnesium, in order to increase bone density and proper growth.
This benefit becomes especially important in young children, infants and the elderly who tend to encounter bone deterioration.

The Carbohydrate Difference

Since rice milk comes from a grain, the carbohydrate content of the beverage climbs far beyond that of the almond option. Almond milk has about 8 grams of carbs per serving with 1 coming from fiber. Rice milk, on the other hand, has nearly 25 grams of carbohydrates per serving.
Usually, people consume their beverage of choice to quench thirst and fight off hunger, not to gain weight. Drinking rice milk, which has a high calorie and carbohydrate content, generally causes more weight gain than almond milk.
Our bodies have the ability to store a certain amount of food energy. Consuming too many carbohydrates will result in an energy surplus, in which we store simple sugars as fat around the body. If you thought about adding rice milk to an already carbohydrate rich cereal, think again.
Since rice milk has such a high carbohydrate content, it becomes less practical for nearly every purpose. Adding rice milk to a hot or cold breakfast cereal will further increase your carb consumption. Drinking rice milk before bed will more than likely cause unwanted weight gain.
Almond milk provides a light drink or food additive during all times of the day because of its low calories and carbohydrate content.

Calcium in Milk vs. Soy Milk, Almond Milk and Rice Milk

Milk and dairy products are a major source of dietary calcium. You are required to take in at least 1000 milligrams of calcium per day though your diet, and having 2 to 3 servings of dairy everyday can help ensure proper body functions like cell metabolism, conduction of nerve impulses and healthy bone development. However, milk may not be suitable for everyone such as people with lactose intolerance or casein allergies. Fortunately, nondairy alternatives with a similar taste to milk can be made from soy, almond and rice. By nature, these products have quite different calcium contents, but through food fortification, the calcium deficits in various nondairy milk products are no longer an issue.
 
Natural Level of Calcium in Dairy and Nondairy Milk

In nature, it is without a doubt that cow milk holds the highest amount of calcium compared to other milk alternatives. Each 8 ounce serving of milk contains about 300 milligrams of calcium. Soy milk comes in second at approximately 50 milligrams. Because calcium in almonds and rice are significantly lower compared with the previous two, milk made from these ingredients have a much lower calcium content. There are only 2 milligrams of calcium in an 8 ounce cup of plain almond milk, and less than 1 milligram is found in rice milk. Therefore, homemade or unfortified almond and rice milk should not be used to replace cows milk as a source of calcium.
Calcium and Vitamin D Fortifications

Popular producers like Silk, Blue Diamond and Rice Dreams profoundly make up for the insufficiencies of natural nutrition in their product. In terms of meeting the dietary requirement of calcium, these companies usually partner the addition of calcium with vitamin D. This is because your body needs vitamin D in order to absorb calcium. Because cows milk is naturally high in calcium, it is only necessary to incorporate extra vitamin D during fortification. After the process, cow, soy, almond and rice milk are approximately equivalent in both calcium and vitamin D concentration. An average cup of fortified dairy and nondairy milk contribute to about 30% of your daily need for calcium and 25% to 45% of your need for vitamin D.
Calcium Absorption in Dairy and Nondairy Milk

A lot of people argue that calcium found in natural foods is better absorbed by the body than from fortified foods. Whether this argument is true really depends on a number of factors.
Stomach Acidity: Calcium is better absorbed in acidic conditions. In this regard, lactose found in dairy milk does accelerate your body’s calcium uptake.
Presence of phosphate: Phosphate can inhibit calcium absorption. Studies have shown that fortification of nondairy milk with tricalcium phosphate have 25% less absorption efficiency compared to cow milk. However, if fortification is done with tricalcium carbonate instead, this disadvantage in absorption no longer exists.   
Calcium Precipitation: Fortified calcium can precipitate to the bottom of the container which decreases the total availability of calcium in your milk. Shaking your cartons well before serving is crucial to avoiding this problem.
Estrogen: Soy milk contain plant estrogen that increases your body’s ability to absorb calcium.

Skim Milk vs. Rice Milk: Which is Healthier

Skim milk has far more nutrients when compared to rice milk. The fat free dairy milk contains essential vitamins and minerals that many other milk alternatives do not. Rice milk has a fraction of the calcium and iron provided by the dairy option, making it less beneficial to most consumers who choose the product.

Similarities – Skim and Rice Milk

Both skim and rice milk contain low cholesterol and low levels of sodium. Skim milk was produced in order to provide a fat free version of dairy milk, making it an acceptable choice by those on low fat diets.
Skim milk and rice milk contain less than 15 grams of sugars. Both choices have low levels of iron. The sugars in these milk options have low glycemic loads, meaning they have little effect on our blood sugar levels. This helps regulate metabolic function while limiting the chance of fat storage.
Skim milk and rice milk do not contain soy.

Minor Differences – Skim and Rice Milk

The skim choice has slightly higher levels of sodium per serving at 130 grams compared to 100 grams in rice milk. Skim milk has about 5 mg of cholesterol per every one cup serving, while rice milk has none.
The dairy option has no fat content while rice milk contains 2.5 grams of healthy fats.

Major Nutritional Discrepancies

Skim milk has a wide variety of vitamins, minerals and moderate levels of other key nutrients that help us achieve health benefits. Rice milk contains only traces of calcium and iron, two nutrients that carry high percentages in the skim option.
This list contains nutrients found in skim milk:
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Calcium
Thiamin
Riboflavin
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B12
Folate
Magnesium
Phosphorus
Iron
With the exception of calcium and iron, rice milk contains none of these nutrients. All of these vitamins and minerals work together to provide our bodies with the proper tools to build healthy tissue in bones, teeth, skin and muscles.

Health Benefit Differences

The B Vitamins provided by the protein in skim milk helps us grow, repair and maintain muscle fiber. We also benefit from the vitamin groups’ ability to metabolize food into energy, giving us the strength to carry out physical activity. Rice milk contains no more than 1 gram of protein per serving compared to skim milk’s 8 grams for every one cup.
Skim milk has beneficial properties that help us grow and develop bones. Calcium, along with magnesium, prevents bones from growing brittle throughout aging while helping young children develop a supportive frame.
Skim Milk and Rice Milk Cautions

Although skim milk serves as a much more nutritionally dense option, many people suffer from lactose intolerance. This limits their ability to enjoy the benefits of most dairy products. The sugars in milk come mostly from lactose.
If you do decide to choose rice milk instead of skim or any type of dairy choice, consume the beverage in moderation. Rice milk has a much higher carbohydrate content compared to most other milks since the liquid comes from a grain. Too many carbohydrates usually puts us in weight gain mode. Use moderation when adding rice milk to cereals and consuming the beverage during sedentary parts of your day.

Soy Milk vs. Rice Milk: Which is Healthier?

Soy milk contains far more nutrients than rice milk. However, a long standing debate continues to occur over whether or not soy acts as a safe product to consume (in excessive amounts). More research will need to take place in order for the Food and Drug Administration and other governing groups to come to definitive conclusions. Rice milk does not show any significant signs of causing health damages, but it lacks nutritional content.
Soy vs Rice – Similarities

Both soy milk and rice milk contain low amounts of fat and no cholesterol. Each has under 150 grams of sodium and under 15 grams of sugar for each one cup serving size.
Neither of the two contains Vitamin C, a nutrient not found in almond milk either; dairy milk does contain this nutrient.
Both soy milk and rice milk come in a variety of flavors and vitamin and nutrient-added versions. Since neither of the two precisely match up to some more nutritionally sound dairy milk varieties, a number of added nutrients helps make these options more desirable and beneficial.

Soy vs Rice – Minor Differences

Soy milk has 4 grams of fat, while rice milk contains about 2.5 grams. Soy milk also contains 1 gram of saturated fat while the rice option has none.
Rice milk has a slightly lower level of sodium than the soy product. The soy alternative has a higher level of iron than the rice beverage at 6% compared to 2%.

Major Health Differences

Rice milk does not deliver nearly close to the amount of health benefits as soy milk does because of its lack of vitamins and minerals. The only nutrients other than a limited amount of healthy fats and protein provided by rice milk include calcium and iron; a one cup serving size of rice milk gives us only 2% of our daily recommended intake of both.
Soy contains about 8 grams of protein per serving size while rice milk generally has less than 1 gram per equal serving size. Protein helps us feel fuller for longer periods of time. This macronutrient works in sync with B Vitamins, also found in soy milk, to provide several muscle functions.
Soy Milk contains high levels of Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B2 and calcium; rice milk contains none of these, and a very small amount of calcium. This drastically limits rice milk’s ability to deliver the nutrients that soy milk does.

Choosing Soy Milk with Caution

In short, soy milk has more beneficial nutrients than rice milk varieties. Soy milk serves us with a better choice that provides far more health benefits than rice milk. However, some studies have in fact shown that women have a greater chance of developing breast cancer from over-consuming soy products.
Other studies have shown that soy products disrupt hormone regularities in both men and women. Yet, other research tells us that these findings prove nothing, as similar tests show opposite results.
Some people suffer from soy allergies. Consulting with a medical professional before consuming products containing soy will help you identify any possible risks or future health related complications resulting from soy.