5 Non-Dairy Milk Substitutes

A little over 2 years ago I was nursing my son and eating a LOT of ice cream at that time. I was drinking milk and eating cheese daily too so...needless to say we were both very gassy and bloated. I knew there had to be another option though because I LOVE milk and couldn't even think of giving it up. And thats when I decided to give almond milk a try. And interestingly enough all of our issues seemed to go away! I know that there are SO many people out there who can't drink dairy milk either because of an allergy, are lactose intolerant, or are not fans of how the daily industry treats their cows, so today I wanted to share a few other milk like alternatives that might help you too!

I want to share with you 5 of the most commonly found milk alternatives available to us, but I also want to show you just what you're giving up without dairy. A 1-cup serving of regular skim milk has 90 calories, 125 milligrams of sodium, 8 grams of protein, 30 percent of your recommended daily allowance (RDA) of calcium, 25 percent of your RDA of vitamin D, phosphorus, and riboflavin, and 16 percent of your RDA for vitamin B12. That same cup of skim milk also contains 12 grams of carbohydrates, 11 of which are sugar.

Now let's compare the rest. Keep in mind that these are all vegetarian/vegan-friendly, gluten-free alternatives.

Soy Milk. Soy milk is probably the best-known milk alternative. It's easy to find it in a variety of flavors and options at just about any local grocery store market. So how does soy milk stack up nutritionally compared to skim milk? A typical 1-cup serving has about 100 calories—slightly more than skim milk—with 7 grams of protein, 29 milligrams of sodium, 25 percent of your RDA of thiamin, 9 percent of your RDA of riboflavin, 8 percent of your RDA of iron, 15 percent of your RDA of copper, 20 percent of your RDA of manganese, and just about 35 percent of your RDA of calcium
 

Unfermented soy products like soy milk naturally contain what are known as phytoestrogens—chemicals that when introduced to the human body tend to act like estrogen. There are many studies on this subject, but unfortunately most of them tend to contradict each other: Do phytoestrogens cause or prevent cancer? Are there negative side effects to ingesting too much of the stuff if you're male? Should infants be given soy products at all? The best way to deal with the soy debate and its consequences, aside from doing a bunch of research yourself, is simply to remember the age-old adage, "All things in moderation." If you aren't going to be consuming gallons of soy milk per day, you should be just fine.
 

Bottom Line: You might want to explore other choices before settling for this somewhat controversial and over processed milk alternative. 

 Rice milk. If you've ever had the popular Mexican drink horchata, you've had rice milk. The popular commercial brands are enriched with calcium and other nutrients found in dairy milk, but they also (like commercial soy milk) have a variety of additives, sweeteners, and flavorings, many of which can't be considered either organic or natural. 

So how does rice milk add up nutritionally? A 1-cup serving has approximately 80 to 90 calories, but they come mostly from sugar, which you probably already get plenty of, and which you're probably trying to avoid if you're trying to consume a healthy diet. If you're a rice milk or horchata fan, great—you can mix it with all kinds of things to make it a fun, refreshing treat. But realistically speaking, rice milk doesn't have much else going for it.  

Bottom Line: Although it's commonly used, I wouldn't wouldnt say rice milk is a truly complete and healthy alternative to regular milk, unless I was mixing it with Shakeology^®. Store-bought brands will be more nutritious, but will also contain a lot of sugar and for me that's not really an option. 

Coconut milk. Have you ever eaten Thai food? Or sipped on a tropical piña colada? If you're a fan of either, you've probably had your fair share of coconut milk. Now, keep in mind that coconut milk from the store is not the same as the watery liquid found in the center of the coconut, which is known as coconut water (this is what you hear sloshing around inside when you shake one). I'm referring to the rich, creamy stuff that's extracted from the white coconut flesh itself. You can probably find a DIY recipe on Pinterest but it's most likely going to take a LOT of work. 

Until recently, a cup of coconut milk contained at least 500 calories, most of which was saturated fat, but now low-calorie coconut milk has begun finding its way into our local market places. A typical 1-cup serving has about 150 calories, most of which is still saturated fat. It has 3 grams of protein, 45 milligrams of sodium, 50 percent of the RDA of vitamin B12, 30 percent of the RDA of vitamin D, and 10 percent of the RDA of calcium and magnesium. If you're a vegan looking to get more vitamin D in your diet, this stuff might help, but keep in mind that you won't be getting any protein from it and you'll be getting a lot of fat. 

Bottom Line: Regular coconut milk has traditionally been intended to be used in small amounts, mainly for cooking, not as a milk substitute for drinking a glass at a time. Although it's delicious and has lots of healthful benefits, it's way too rich to have as a drink by itself. And while light coconut milks may not pack the same caloric punch, they're still essentially just fat. 

Almond milk. This is the one that I call my personal favorite!! No it doesn't taste EXACTLY like cows milk, it's not FROM cows! But it its sweet and creamy and it does perfect in my Shakeology and loved by my son as well!

Nutritionally, a 1-cup serving will have anywhere from 50 to 80 calories, depending on how much water has been added. Although it has minimal protein, it does have 25 percent of the RDA of vitamin D, 50 percent of the RDA of vitamin E, and 150 milligrams of potassium, along with some manganese, selenium, and many other trace elements. 

There are a wide variety of fortified store-bought brands that all taste pretty darn good—sweetened, unflavored, or otherwise. Along with the more mainstream commercial brands, it's also easy to find almond milk products that are raw and organic. 

Although low in protein, this IS one that's fun to make from scratch. A 1-pound bag of raw almonds can get a little pricey at around $12.00, but the investment is worth it. Make your own—it's delicious! 

Hemp milk.  Now this one is not as common to find in your local grocery store but places like Trader Joe's or Whole Foods Market will carry Hemp Milk. There are a couple of different brands, again, all fortified and sweetened to taste more like regular milk. And no, it doesn't get you high. Interestingly though, the U.S. is pretty much the only country in the world that doesn't allow hempseed cultivation, even though there's no drug content in it. All hempseed in the U.S. is from Canada; it's guaranteed to be organic and pesticide-free. 

Hemp milk could be a real find. Hempseeds are pretty much considered a superfood, meaning that even in very small amounts, like an ounce or two, they pack a wallop nutritionally. A 1-cup serving of hemp milk has approximately 110 calories and has 24 percent of the RDA of iron, 72 percent of the RDA of magnesium and phosphorus, 35 percent of the RDA of zinc, plus 11 grams of omega-6 fatty acids, 4.5 grams of omega-3 fatty acids, and 16 grams of protein. Wow.

So I hope that I've helped to shed some light on your non-dairy milk alternatives. I know that growing up drinking regular cows milk, it was a bit of a process to change over but after doing some research on the process of dairy milk and the truth of what's really in that milk it was a no brainer...my whole family switched over immediately!!

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