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When a DRIA test identifies an intolerance to rice, the first food that must be eliminated or rotated is rice in its natural form, regardless of type (common, semi-fine, fine, par-boiled, whole or wild). The same is true for rice flakes(Rice Crispies, for example) or puffed rice cakes, often used in place of bread in the case of Wheat intolerance.
In the food industry, however, rice flour and semolina are also used in many preparations where one wouldn’t expect to find rice. Rice derivatives can be found in the following products, and may not even be listed among the ingredients:
— Some types of bread: such as malt or whole wheat, where rice bran may be present.
— Many industrially-prepared sweets: particularly cookies, creams, puddings, desserts. Some types of ice creams may contain rice starch that is mixed with “thickening” products. The same is true of industrially-made drinks such as ready-made chocolate milk.
— Some packaged products: most of all gnocchi, semolina and some baby foods.
— Mixed bran and mixed whole meal preparations: rice bran is an important component in mixed bran (that is, a mixture of more than one grain); it’s also necessary to check the composition of all products with a mixed cereal base, such as some breakfast products (muesli, cereal flakes). Rice is also contained in “kokkoh” flour and “yannoh” (mixed cereal coffee).
— Many chinese dishes: numerous types of pasta or batter coating in Chinese, Japanese or Oriental cuisine in general, are based on rice flour or its derivatives.
— Rice milk
— Some industrial and macrobiotic sauces: various sauces, béchamel, gelatines, miso. You must also be careful with products that contain unspecified ‘thickeners’ that might contain rice starch.
— Some products containing “vegetable or cellulose thickeners”: all products bearing this description, for example medicine tablets or “natural” vitamin preparations.
— Some fermented beverages: some beers contain rice malt and sake surely does (sake is an Oriental liqueur made from fermented rice).
Alternatives
It’s not very difficult to eliminate rice and its derivatives from one’s diet. Usually, most of the products that contain rice can be identified by simply reading the ingredients label.
As far as other foods are concerned, it‘s probably a good idea to replace industrially-prepared foods with homemade ones, whose ingredients are certain.
When buying bread, it’s always best to ask your baker for a type that is sure to be rice-free. If this cannot be guaranteed, it’s a good idea to shop elsewhere. In Italy, for example, malt is often used even in regular bread even though it shouldn’t contain it.
Many alternative recipes can be found, together with instructions for rotational diets, in the books by Dr Attilio Speciani “Le allergie: cause, diagnosi, terapie” [Allergies: Causes, diagnosis, therapies] (with Marina Speciani Necchi), “Resistere all’inquinamento” [Surviving pollution] and “Superare le intolleranze alimentari” [Overcoming food intolerances] (with Francesca Speciani), all published by Tecniche Nuove, Milan.
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© This food profile is copyright of SMA Srl Servizi Medici Associati, Via Ariosto 28, 20145 Milan,
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. Health director: Dr Attilio Speciani, M.D., Clinical allergist and immunologist. This material may not be used or reproduced without the publisher’s permission.
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