If you ever wondered why I'm so concerned about the health dangers tied to the rampant use of soy products -- especially in processed foods -- this kind of incident is exactly the reason. In my view there just simply isn't any justification to ever use soy formula or worse, soy milk, in infants.

This isn't the first time soy milk has been investigated for its toxic side effects. Separate incidents in California and Arkansas prompted the FDA to issue a 1990 warning against using soy milk as a formula substitute. Most brands have followed the tougher FDA labeling guidelines, except EdenSoy, says Dr. Kaayla T. Daniel, author of The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food.

In fact, the deaths of three infants prompted the Israeli Health Ministry to issue a health advisory earlier this year, recommending babies not be fed soy formula -- except as a last resort -- and severely limiting a child's intake of soy products.

Without question the best food you can give your infant is breast milk and this should be your primary choice if at all possible, as it is the healthiest source of milk you can give to your infant. I believe very strongly all soy formula should be avoided and is not fit for human consumption.

If breastfeeding is not an option, the best article I ever read on the topic is one published in a recent edition of the Weston Price ogranization. I am on their board and was able to obtain reprint rights for their article on healthy alternatives to breast milk and commercial formula from Sally Fallon to run it in our newsletter. I would strongly encourage you to review this multi-part series in this issue if you are unable to breastfeed.

When making the alterntaive to breast milk described in the article, ideally, it would be best to use raw milk as the base (other ingredients to add are described in the article). The best way to get it is to find a local dairy farmer in your area through your local health food store or the Real Milk Web site. Raw milk is a safer and far healthier alternative to pasteurized milk.