Cow's Milk Substitutes: Truly Healthy or Just Plain Trendy? | September 19, 2012

While cow’s milk has been a staple of the American diet since at least the invention of the chocolate chip cookie, there are now many alternatives to milk, most of which are made from plant based sources such as soybeans, almonds, rice and coconuts.  For those who are intolerant or allergic to dairy, or avoiding if for philosophical reasons, these milk substitutes create great alternatives to cow’s milk, but with so many options, it’s easy to get confused on which one to choose.  Here’s a cheat sheet to help you pick the best moo-juice for you:

Soy Milk:  Made from soybeans, soy milk is the milk alternative with the highest amount of protein, and with options that are fortified with calcium and vitamin D, it is most similar nutritionally to cow’s milk.  Soy milk is a great choice if you are avoiding dairy and need an alternative with protein.

Almond Milk:  It’s made from almonds, so it must be packed with protein, right?  Wrong.  Almond milk actually contains little to no protein, with only about 1 gram of protein in each 8-ounce serving.  And, unless you get the unsweetened kind, it usually has lots of added sugar (disguised on the label as “evaporated cane juice”).  Choose this one if you are avoiding dairy or soy, and don’t need the protein that is usually in these other varieties.

Rice Milk:  Made from brown rice syrup and water soaked in brown rice, rice milk is a watery, sweet alternative to other available milks.  Most of its calories come from sugar, and it contains almost no protein or fats.  Unless it’s fortified, rice milk usually doesn’t have a lot of vitamins or minerals in it, either.  So, unless you happen to like the taste, or have allergies to the other alternatives, this may be on the bottom of your list of choices.

Coconut Milk:  With the current dietary trends of coconut oil and coconut water, it is no surprise that coconut milk is the latest “it” beverage.  A creamy, rich liquid, coconut milk is a desert-like option, with more than half of its calories coming from fat, and most of the rest from sugar.  The fat in coconut milk is the artery clogging, saturated kind, and it’s still not known whether saturated fats from plant sources are any less harmful than those from animal sources.

Cow’s Milk is still the expert’s top pick for a few reasons:  It is packed with calcium, vitamin D and protein that is most usable to your body (1 cup has more than an egg!).  Along with these nutritional benefits, cow’s milk is also produced without any added sugars or oils.  As a general rule, stick with milk that is 1 percent milk fat or lower, in order to avoid the extra calories and saturated fats which comes from higher fat varieties.