Which Milk is Best for You?
If you’ve spent any time staring into the dairy case lately, there are enough milk choices to make your head spin. No longer is the decision simply whether to buy regular, reduced fat, low fat or skim – we’ve got goat’s milk, and milks made from soybeans, almonds, rice, oats and even hemp. But making nutritional comparisons among all these choices is no easy task.
Cow’s milk and goat’s milk are great protein sources, but some people can’t tolerate their natural lactose. Almond milk is lowest in calories, but it contains very little protein – and some brands can have a fair amount of salt. Hemp milk, although it provides some healthy omega-3 fatty acids, doesn’t offer much protein, either. Neither do rice or oat milk, but at least they’re naturally mild in flavor – so some might prefer them over soy milk which can be a tad bitter. So how do you choose?
Get a boost of calcium and protein, with low fat or nonfat cow’s milk or low fat goat’s milk – or soy milk if you’re looking for a non-dairy alternative. The cow or goat milk will give you somewhere in the range of 7-10 grams of protein per cup, along with about a third of your daily calcium needs – all for 90-120 calories or so. Ditto for the soy milks, which are also naturally cholesterol-free, and don’t contain lactose (although lactose-free cow’s milk is fairly widely available, too).
Some people have trouble digesting some of soy’s natural carbohydrates – excess gas is not an uncommon complaint among soy milk drinkers. And, since plain soy milk may be an acquired taste, keep in mind that the flavored ones have added sugar – and more calories.
Almond milk, like soy, is plant-based, so it’s naturally cholesterol-free. It’s also lactose-free, and has the fewest calories – averaging about 60 per cup. But almond milk contains only a pinch of ground nuts – almonds are usually listed as an ingredient after water and sweeteners (although, to be fair, most soy milks list water and sweeteners first, too). Almond milk doesn’t offer much protein –only 1 gram per cup, but most are calcium-fortified, so this might be a good choice if you simply want something with very few calories to wet your whistle.
Like almond milk, the plusses of rice, oat and hemp milks are more about what they don’t contain – no lactose, no saturated fat, no cholesterol. Of the three, rice has the least protein (1 gram per cup, vs. about 4 for oat or hemp) and rice and oat milks have naturally mild, sweet flavors so they usually have less sugar. All are calcium-fortified, too, often to levels that come close to matching what’s found in cow’s milk. But they’ll cost you somewhere between 100 to 120 calories per cup.
Allergies to rice and hemp are rare – something for the allergy-prone to keep in mind. They’re also gluten-free – as are all milk and milk alternatives, with the exception of oat milk.
What’s next? Salty camel’s milk is set to hit Britain’s supermarket shelves later this year. Could the U.S. be far behind?
Written by Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD. Susan is a paid consultant for Herbalife.
Tags: calcium, cow milk, herbalife, lactose free milks, lactose intolerance, nutrition, nutrition facts about milk, oat milk, protein, rice milk, soy milk, types of milk
Great Article, My family has always been a mix of what they can drink, (8 children) some can drink milk, some can’t. Soy has been big in our house. We us it in our Herbalife shakes for the calcium. In a Herbalife shake,using the Lite soy, there is no bitter taste. We enjoy it with the Cookies and Cream shake, with a small slice of papaya or mango added.
This article was very helpful.
What about coconut milk
Hi- Thanks for your question.
Canned coconut milk is made from the meat of fresh coconut, and is used primarily as an ingredient in cooking – rather than a beverage – since it contains around 500 calories per cup. Canned light coconut milk has about 150 calories per cup. Both derive most of their calories from fat, and provide very little protein. There are refrigerated coconut milk beverages which are made from water, thickeners and coconut; these have about 50-80 calories per cup, 5 grams of fat, 1 gm of protein or less, and provide very little calcium. Coconut water is the liquid inside of a young coconut – it has about 45 calories per cup, no fat, less than 2 grams of protein and less than 10% of the Daily Value for calcium.
Great article! I just have one question… I’ve heard that dairy products, like cow’s milk or cheese, aren’t too healthy, and that its consumption is related to developing cancer. Is that true?
Thank you for your comment. In choosing dairy products, it’s best to use nonfat or lowfat versions of milk, yogurt and cheese in order to reduce saturated fat in the diet. With so many milk and milk alternatives to choose from, individuals should decide for themselves which product they believe best suits their personal dietary needs.
I am trying to find a good substitue to cows milk for my 13 month old daughter. She has been on soya infant formula since she was 4 months however, I am looking to add some other varieties into her diet, on cereal etc I have read Soya milk isn’t a good choice as it contains to much oestrogen? I have been trying to get some advice on Oat Milk. Awaiting an appointment with the dietician but ther is a 4 month wait! Help!
Hi Jennifer-
Thanks for visiting the blog. The various milks and milk substitutes have different nutritional profiles, so it is best that you discuss your daughter’s needs with your healthcare provider.
I had never even heard of all these different kinds of milk! I’ve been sticking to plain old 1%…maybe I should venture out…thanks for the informative post!