Rice Milk & Almond Milk

You can get rice or almond milk just about any store that has a health food section (and most do these days).

What is it?

Rice Milk: It is a grain milk, processed from brown rice.

• Ingredients (from the Trader Joe's brand): Filtered water, organic brown rice (partially milled), organic expeller pressed safflower oil and/or sunflower oil and/or canola oil, tricalcium phosphate, sea salt, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, vitamin B12.
• Low sodium, gluten free, vegan, soy free, lactose and dairy free, 99% fat free, cholesterol free.

Almond Milk: Made from ground almonds.

• Ingredients (from Almond Breeze brand): purified water, almonds, tapioca starch, calcium carbonate, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan, soy lecithin, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, d-alpha-tocopherol (natural vitamin E).
• Gluten, lactose, and cholesterol free.
  

While they are lower in calcium, protein, and Vitamin D, most are fortified with these. You should be getting these nutrients from other food sources anyway! I use it in place of milk for everything, including cooking. You can find it in a few flavors as well, such as vanilla and chocolate.

$$$ TIP $$$
Trader Joe's sells their brand of rice milk for $1.69 for a 32 oz box. By way of comparison, Basha's sells Rice Dream for $3.29 a box.

What about soy?
First, I don't like it. Second, there is a LOT of added soy in a LOT of the food we eat anyway (it's cheap to use and it's in almost everything!!!) And, there has been a lot of information put out there lately that supports the idea that we are getting way too much. *Just because the ingredient list doesn't say "soy", that doesn't mean it isn't in there!*

There is also an enormous amount of information to be found on the dangers of soy, and the controversy surrounding it - and frankly, I don't want to make this post about that. Do your research if you are a big fan of soy.