Answer: It depends.
Are you looking for vegan cereals? Or maybe you are looking at whether your cereal contains animal products. Many people who want to go vegan end up eating animal products accidentally.
Rice Chex is among the first-ever gluten-free and dairy-free cereals produced in America. But is Rice Chex vegan?
Cereals are classified as vegan when they don’t contain any common animal products generally found in breakfast food items. Let’s discuss Rice Chex in more detail and its vegan alternatives.
Table of Contents
Ingredients Included in Rice Chex
Is Rice Check vegan? The straightforward answer is Rice Chex is considered vegan but contains vitamin D3 and sugar. These are the gray areas that vegans generally avoid in their food.
Below is the list of ingredients in Rice Chex cereal:
- Whole grain rice
- Sugar
- Rice
- Molasses
- Salt
- Vitamin E (for preserving freshness)
Vitamins and minerals included in Rice Chex cereal:
- Vitamin D3
- Vitamin B12
- Folic acid
- Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
- Vitamin A (palmitate)
- Vitamin B1 (thiamin mononitrate)
- Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride)
- A B Vitamin (niacinamide)
- Vitamin C (sodium ascorbate)
- Zinc and iron (mineral nutrients)
- Calcium carbonate
Nutritional Overview of Rice Chex
For whole-grain breakfast cereal, you need to consider the calories and nutrients present in Rice Chex.
A single serving of Rice Chex contains no cholesterol or fat but 100 calories. As per the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service guidelines for diet in 2005, high-sodium diets can result in stroke and high blood pressure.
For the 2,000-calorie diet, Rice Chex has a 10% daily value of sodium. It also has 23g of total carbohydrates and 2g of protein, including 2g of sugars and 1g of dietary fiber from sugar and molasses.
Minerals
Pregnant women and children suffer from iron deficiency due to insufficient iron consumption. Rice Chex offers 50% of the daily value of iron.
Furthermore, it contains a 10% value of calcium required for strong bones.
The cereal has a 2% daily value for magnesium, 4% for phosphorus, and 25% for zinc.
Vitamins
Vitamin A is essential for a strong immune system and healthy vision. Rice Chex has about 10% of the daily value for vitamin A. It also contains vitamin B6, niacin, riboflavin, and thiamine for good metabolism and energy.
Folic acid and vitamin B12 are essential as they produce healthy red blood cells. Red Chex has about 50% for folic acid and 25% of the daily value for vitamin B12. Besides, it contains 10% of vitamin D and C to enhance the body’s calcium absorption ability from food.
Gluten-Free
Gluten can give rise to inflammation in the small intestines. So, people who have celiac disease must avoid eating gluten. If you want a gluten-free diet, incorporate buckwheat, rice, quinoa, and corn into your food.
Rice Chex is purely gluten-free, meaning you can eat it without any problem.
Whole Grains
In another 2005 dietary guideline, whole grains are said to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Whole grains fulfill the human body’s requirements of phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
Whole grains include endosperm, bran, and germ components of kernel grain. Rice Chex has the main ingredient as whole-grain rice.
Animal Products Generally Found in Cereals
Chex Cereal, including Rice Chex, includes the four ingredients vegans avoid.
Sugar
It is the most debated ingredient among vegans whether or not sugar is included in vegan food. The non-organic cane sugar is made whiter by filtering it with animal bone char. You cannot determine after reading the label if they have used char bone or not.
That’s why some vegans avoid sugar while others do not worry about sugar in their diet.
Natural Flavor
You can never be sure if the food containing natural flavors is vegan.
Natural flavors have animal ingredients. As far as Chex is concerned, they do not use animal ingredients in their cereals.
Vitamin D3
Rice Chex’s vegan status becomes questionable as it contains vitamin D3 in small amounts. Lanolin comes from the wool of sheep. It is a type of grease and an animal ingredient. However, it is used in minimum quantities in most food items, such as Chex cereals.
Like sugar, some vegan avoids it while others do not mind eating such food items.
Honey
Honey is, undoubtedly, an animal product. But, it is a question of what level bees feel pain or experience consciousness. Some vegans even find it normal to have honey in their food.
Strict vegans will avoid all four ingredients and would conclude Rice Chex is not vegan. Even if you want to avoid vitamin D3 and sugar, it will make all the Chex flavors, including Rice Chex, non-vegan.
Those who do not mind adding a small amount of vitamin D3 and sugar to their food can eat Rice Chex, which offers healthy nutritional value. Also, cereals like Rice Chex do not contain lactose, butter, milk, or any daily ingredient.
Alternative Vegan Cereal Options
If you are concerned about whether Rice Chex is totally vegan or not, you can look at the below-mentioned pure vegan cereal options. You will find the cereals categorized into different types with similar properties.
Healthy Cereals
You can enjoy healthy cereals from the box as they come with a rich taste. The taste does not compromise the nutritional value.
Ezekial Golden Flax Seed Sprouted Grain Cereal
The cereal contains no added sugar, and it tastes fantastic. The sprouted grain offers a deep crunch and taste that you cannot compare with any other healthy cereal. Also, it is purely organic cereal.
Familia Swiss Muesli Cereal
In the 1990s, Museli is known as mash-up, a breakfast food dating. In short, Museli is a mix of different oats, nuts, and grains. It contains the minimum amount of sugar for added taste.
Uncle Sam’s Whole Wheat Berries And Flax Seed
Alternative to Ezekial, Uncle Sam is an excellent option. Like Ezekial, it does not contain sugar and is made from whole-plant food ingredients. Moreover, it is affordable compared to Ezkial Cereal.
O-Shaped Cereals
People love to eat O-shaped cereal as you get a perfect balance of cereal and nut milk in a single bite. For vegans, O-shaped cereals have numerous options.
Apple Cinnamon Cheerios
The cereal has apple cinnamon-flavored sweetened Cheerios. It makes an excellent source of calcium and iron. Moreover, it is gluten-free and contains no artificial colors or flavors.
Nature’s Path Whole O’s
Nature’s Path Whole O’s combines corn and white grain rice with a crunchy texture. Furthermore, it contains lightly-sweetened pomegranate juice, which gives a touch of sweetness.
It is free from preservatives, gluten, and artificial coloring or flavors. Also, it is non-GMO verified and contains only simple whole-food ingredients.
Multi-Grain Cheerios
Multi Grain Cheerios comprises five whole grains and contains nine minerals and vitamins, providing 100% daily value. The cereal is low in fat and contains no cholesterol or saturated fat; thus, it lowers heart disease risk.
Single-Ingredient Cereals
Single ingredients cereals offer nutrient-dense, delicious and satisfying options. Some of them are given below:
Arrowhead Mills Puffed Wheat
Wheat is a nutrient-dense ingredient when you eat it in its original and whole form. The cereal contains 2g fiber/60 calories and sufficient micronutrients. It does not include any salt or sugar and is non-GMO verified.
Arrowhead Mills Puffed Rice Cereal
Have you tried Rice Crispies? If yes, then you would enjoy the puffed rice cereal. You can either eat the cereal plain or add almond milk for a delicious taste. Moreover, you can make vegan rice crispy treats that go well with vegan marshmallows.
Corn-Based Cereals
If you love crunch in your cereal, you should choose corn-based cereals. They contain some earthiness and crush, distinguishing them from rice and wheat-based cereals.
Kellog’s Corn Flakes
Kellogg’s cereals boast vegetarianism. The golden and crispy flakes have a hint of sweetness in the corn. Also, the cereal is made with ten essential minerals and vitamins. It does not contain any fat or cholesterol.
Back To The Roots Organic Stoneground Flakes
Made from three ingredients, the Back to the Roots Organic Stoneground Flakes do not contain any artificial colors. The cereal was originally available in purple color as it is made from purple corn.
Final Thoughts
Is Rice Chex vegan or not depends on various factors. There is no harm in eating Rice Chex because of the amount of nutritional value it provides. However, it might become a problem for strict vegans. For that, you have alternative vegan cereal options.