Who Says These Have to Be For Kids?

These sipping straws are genius. My kids devoured the Cookies-and-Cream and Strawberry versions, my sister-in-law left town with every single one of the Banana ones she could find, and the Chocolate ones, they just... um... disappeared. Yeah, they disappeared. Into my iced coffee.

They're called Sipahhs, and if you shudder at the idea of dumping extra sugar, fat, and calories into your kids' milk just to get them to drink it, you should really lay in a store of these. At $2 for a pack of 10, they're a bargain. They're perfect for the lunchbox because they're pre-measured to flavor an 8-ounce cup of cold milk (or milk alternative -- they're great with rice, almond, or soy beverages, too), and the Chocolate and Cookies-and-Cream versions are wheat- and gluten-free, so kids who have celiac or are on a GFCF diet can still enjoy the treat.

This appeared in today's Boston Globe Food Section:

November 28, 2007
Short Orders

The last straws
Lylah M. Alphonse

Many kids prefer their milk spiked with chocolate. But what if you don't want to up their sugar intake at the same time? Sipahhs may be the solution. Unlike a generous squeeze of chocolate syrup (or a few heaping spoonfuls of strawberry-flavored powder), which can add 60 or more calories to an 8-ounce glass of milk, a Sipahh brings just half a teaspoon of sugar and about 15 calories to the party. Made by the Jel Sert Co. - they're the people behind the Wyler's and Royal brands - the straws are filled with flavor-infused beads that dissolve in cold milk. Individually wrapped straws come in boxes of 10 (about $2) in strawberry, cookies and cream, banana, and chocolate. There's no mixing or measuring involved, so there's no mess. Come to think of it, who says these have to be for kids? My iced coffee could use a little boost of chocolate. Available at many Walgreens stores, walgreens.com, or mybrandsinc.com. [More]