Rice milk - what would you do?

[rubytwokids]

Hoping you can help. DD (6.5) and DS (3.5) are both dairy-intolerant, to different degrees. DD is definitely soya intolerant and we've been told by the GP that DS 'probably is too'. DS is also gluten-intolerant.

I've been limiting their rice milk intake, what with the concerns over arsenic levels. DS has recently discovered that he likes Ecomil, which is good but at £2.25 a carton it is very expensive. I tried him on Neocate Advance but it was vile and I could see why he gagged and then rejected it. (I tried some too. It was grim.)

What on earth else can I feed them as a dairy-substitute? Obviously soya milk and oat milk are out of the question. Neither of them appear to be able to eat cheese or yogurt, so I can't get the calcium in that way. I feed them lots of calcium-rich foods, which is easier with DD as she is not a fussy eater (unlike DS), but you can't pour broccoli on your coco pops!

It's a bit of a nightmare.

Hmm, could they have almond milk?

They could. Ds will drink it sometimes. DD seems to be able to sniff it out if I add even a small amount to her rice milk and does not like it at all. They are not keen and it is hideously expensive and not as widely available, but I'm looking into it.

The time I spend wondering if osteoporosis is better or worse than arsenic poisoning... it's not an easy choice!

!!!!! Arsenic poisoning from ricemilk???? Have you got any links to this?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/allergies/770412-Arsenic-in-Rice-Milk

Thankyou, i'll be off to buy some oatmilk tommorrow! I wonder what toxin they will discover in that..................

we use oat milk

kitkatqueen, rice has arsenic in it naturally. in general it's fine, but in a small child who drinks a lot of rice milk then it could cause problems.

I would of said Almond Milk too, but if thats no good then you can top up their calcium intake with other foods??, then you can avoid the expense & worry......

things such as carrot juice, green laefy veg, brocolli is apparently a good one, fish, especially the good oily stuff such as salmon & sardines, if you can get them to eat it, the tinned stuff with bones, nuts of course, Almonds especially, eggs I think too, theres loads, google calcium rich non diary food.

DD is dairy intolerant, milk mainly now, but everything when younger, so like you I was worried about this too, luckily I've a good friend who works in alternative health care, & she put my mind at rest over dairy being so important for calcium,...lots of other foods contain good amounts too, & you can always hide stuff if they are not keen

DD is now 7 1/2, very tall & strong for her age, & bar stress related health problems, very fit & healthy, so proves she got plenty calcium from other things

Hazelnut milk? If you look on the net, you can male your own which is cheaper and you could add a little bit of your own sweetener like maple syrup to make it more appealing on cereals?

Thanks everyone. Lovedogsandcats, I did think about getting one of those gadgets to make 'milk' but decided the breadmaker already took up all the room. Thanks for all the tips. Thankfully they both love eggs. DD will eat all the things on your list. DS much less likely too, but I will persevere. They love rice milk as a bedtime drink and on cereal, plus occasional hot choc/milkshake. About once a week/fortnight (max) they might have custard or rice pudding made with rice milk. I will try that with almond milk. They probably have a small serving 3-4 times a day. DD less so and for ds I am substituting some of these for Almond milk. Hopefully that will get us by!

rice pudding is delicious made with coconut milk

i usually use a tin of coconut milk and then make the rest up with oat milk, or whatever else you want to use. add some grated lemon rind and yum!

Oh, that's a genius idea! I love coconut milk and ds seems to like the taste too. I wonder if you can make custard with it...?

oooh i haven't tried custard.... hmmm that might be an experiment for tonight! lol

Ooh - I have discovered 'Vance's Darifree' from here. It is made from potatoes (mainly) and fortified with calcium. It is ludicrously expensive, but it tastes pretty good, makes delicious hot choc and rice pudding. Until that is also proved to be carcinogenic (how long shall we give it? Five years?) I think we'll go with that. And maybe a re-mortgage.