Nicole has already mentioned soy milk and whether it's good for children or not. If you decide that the Newsweek article speaks the truth, then read no further. 

However, if you're an adult and drink soy milk, or if you and your children will continue to drink soy and rice milks, then perhaps making it at home from soybeans yourself is a good way to go, and also to ensure the quality of the product. This is the SoyaJoy soy milk maker, which can also make rice milk, almond milk and milks with other nuts/seeds. Because tofu is made from soy milk, you can also make tofu at home if you have the SoyaJoy. (Not that you couldn't make either soy milk or tofu without the machine).

The SoyaJoy sells for $137 retail, but until tomorrow, can be ordered directly from the manufacturer for $89.95 (though I suspect that the incentive "sale" price might be in effect for whatever holiday is next, as well).

An article from Newsweek discusses the possibilty that soy and rice milks can actually harm kids, especially toddlers. There have been reports of vitamin and protein deficiencies - rickets and kwashiorkor , respectively - in very young children who were given rice or soy milk as a substitute for regular milk or baby formula. One would think that calcium deficiencies could be a problem, as well, but it was not reported in the article.

The problem is not the products themselves, but that parents don't necessarily know what they are giving to their children. Rice and soy milks can be very healthy, low in fat and cholesterol, and are great choices in adult diets. Some people believe that this directly translates for their children, failing to take into consideration that adults and children often have different nutritional needs. In reality, these products are not milk substitutes, but milk alternatives. Adults have much more varied diets than children and can get any nutrients that they may be missing from other sources, so when parents see these alternative "milks" as direct substitutes for dairy milks, their kids can miss out, even if adults don't. If proper nutrition is provided to the kids, any problems that could be associated with a lack of dairy can be avoided entirely and non-dairy milks can be a great addition to kids' diets.

I was pretty excited yesterday when I saw a carton of Rice Dream Horchata among all the other non-dairy products at my supermarket. Apparently the stuff was released last spring. It's no surprise that it's finally filtered down into the markets here in Florida. Now, I normally don't get excited over dairy substitutes, but I like horchata, and since the real stuff is often made with rice, I figured Rice Dream had a fair shot at making a good version. Really though, it just tastes like Rice Dream with cinnamon. Not that that's a bad thing. If you don't have a Hispanic market in your area and you're dyin' for some horchata, this will definitely suffice.

[Photo Nick Vagnoni]