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Check out the dairy case and you'll notice there's a lot more to choose from than cow's milk.

Milk alternatives -- nondairy milks made from soybeans, rice, almonds and grains -- are proliferating. You can buy them plain or flavoured with vanilla, chocolate, carob and strawberry. Calorie-conscious shoppers can choose fat-free and light versions. Many are fortified with vitamins and minerals, and some have a boost of omega-3 fats from flax oil.

Even the newly revised Canada's Food Guide recognizes that cow's milk is not for everyone. The food group Milk and Alternatives, formerly called Milk Products, includes fortified soy beverages among its dairy foods (rice and almond beverages are not included).

Many people consume these so-called new milks instead of dairy milk. Others use them in addition to cow's milk, as another beverage option.

But, depending on which milk alternative you choose, you could be missing out nutritionally. You need to read labels to know which nutrients you're getting and which you aren't.

Milk alternatives appeal to people for different reasons. Some people just don't like the taste of milk. Vegetarians opt for them because they come from plants, not animals.

Others prefer milk alternatives because they're cholesterol-free and lower in artery-clogging saturated fat than cow's milk (with the exception of skim milk). Unlike cow's milk, plant-based beverages derive most of their fat from the unsaturated kind.

People who can't properly digest lactose (lactose intolerance), the natural sugar in cow's milk, choose milk alternatives because they are lactose-free. In lactose intolerance, the body does not produce enough lactase, the enzyme that's needed to break down lactose.

Milk alternatives are also consumed by kids with milk allergy. In milk allergy, the body's immune system has an abnormal response to proteins in milk, which may be life-threatening.

(If you're unsure whether your child has milk allergy or lactose intolerance, consult an allergist.)

Because plant-based beverages can be nutritionally incomplete, they are not a suitable substitute for breast milk, formula or cow's milk in children under the age of two.

For infants unable to drink cow's milk products for health or cultural reasons, the Canadian Pediatric Society advises using commercial soy formula until two years of age.

Milk alternatives are a convenient way to replace dairy on cereal, in smoothies, in coffee, and in cooking and baking.

But they're not all created equal -- here's what you need to know:

Vitamins and minerals

Whether you choose a milk alternative made from soybeans, brown rice or almonds, buy one that's fortified with vitamins and minerals. Since November, 1997, Health Canada has allowed manufacturers to voluntarily fortify plant-based beverages. If a manufacturer chooses to do this, vitamin A, vitamin D, riboflavin, vitamin B12, calcium and zinc must be added.

Some experts contend that the calcium and vitamin D added to plant-based beverages are less "bioavailable" than the same nutrients in milk. Bioavailability refers to the amount of nutrient that is absorbed and gets into the bloodstream. Take vitamin D, for example. Milk is fortified with vitamin D3, the form made in the skin. Milk alternatives are fortified with vitamin D2, a synthetic form that has been shown to be less effective in raising and maintaining blood vitamin D levels.

Research also suggests that the type of calcium added to many soy beverages, tricalcium phosphate, does not remain suspended in the beverage. In other words, some of it may end up in the residue at the bottom of the carton. Hint: Shake your carton of milk alternative before pouring to get more calcium.

Despite this, fortified milk alternatives are more nutritious than unfortified products. Read the Nutrition Facts box to know what you're buying. Choose a product that provides 25 to 30 per cent Daily Value (DV) for calcium and 45 per cent DV for vitamin D. This means you're getting 275 to 330 milligrams of calcium and 100 IU of vitamin D per 250 ml serving (the same amount in one serving of milk).

Soy beverages

Whether soy helps prevent heart disease or guards against cancer remains to be proven. But this popular milk alternative, made from whole soybeans or soy protein concentrate, is considered a nutritionally adequate alternative to cow's milk thanks to its protein content. A 250 ml serving of soy beverages supplies six to nine grams of protein, depending on the brand (250 ml of milk provides 8.5 grams of protein).

Choose a soy beverage with at least eight grams of protein per serving.

Many flavoured soy beverages have protein numbers at the lower end of the range since adding sugar -- evaporated cane juice, corn syrup, maltodextrin, et cetera -- dilutes the protein content.

More sugar also means more calories.

If instead you choose the chocolate-flavoured version, you'll consume 160 calories and 24 grams (six teaspoons) of sugar.

Soy beverages labelled "original" or "plain" aren't sugar-free; they contain five to 10 grams of sugar per 250 ml serving. Unsweetened soy beverages contain no added sugars.

Rice beverages

Fortified rice beverages have a slightly sweet taste and are largely a source of carbohydrates.

They're made from filtered water, brown rice and sunflower oil and are typically fortified with vitamins and minerals. Rice beverages are low in protein so they aren't a nutritional replacement for milk. If you use rice beverages as a substitute for dairy, be sure to get protein from a wide variety of other foods.

Almond beverages

Almonds are a good source of magnesium, vitamin E and monounsaturated fats -- all of which may benefit the heart.

But the actual amount of almonds used in almond-based beverages is small.

Don't expect to lower your blood cholesterol by drinking this milk alternative.

Most brands supply two grams of protein per serving, so be sure to get it from other foods.

Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based dietitian at the Medcan Clinic, is on CTV's Canada AM every Wednesday. Visit her website at lesliebeck.com.

Fortified milk alternatives - how they compare*

Per 250 ml serving

	Calories	Protein (g)	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)
Cow's milk, skim	88	8.7	0.2	0.3
Cow's milk, 2%	129	8.5	5.1	3.0
Soy, plain, fat free	100	9	0.25	0.2
Soy, plain	140	9	5	0.8
Soy, chocolate	160	7	6	0.5
Soy, unsweetened	80	9	2.5	0.8
Rice, plain	130	1	2	0
Rice, chocolate	140	4	3	0.4
Almond, plain	63	1	2.6	0
Almond, vanilla	94	2.6	2.6	0

*Nutritional information will vary slightly by brand.

SOURCE: MANUFACTURERS AND CANADIAN NUTRIENT FILE, 2005.