Milk Alternatives: Soy, coconut, and more lactose-free milks
6 Milk Alternatives for Dairy-Free Families
Soy, coconut, and more lactose-free milks
“Do you drink cow’s milk?” my 4-year-old nephew asked.
“I do,” I said. “Do you?”
“I do,” he declared proudly, but added, “Beckett [his 3-year-old brother] drinks rice milk.”
Many Becketts and Charlottes (not to mention the mothers and fathers of the Becketts and Charlottes) have turned to alternative milks, or alt milks as I call them, due to lactose intolerance or the desire to avoid dairy.
To see just how big the trend is, I went to my local Whole Foods with a measuring tape (as one does). The amount of shelf space allocated to dairy milk was 20 square feet; alternative milks, 80. Granted this was a highly unscientific study, but still – that’s a big difference!
If you’ve decided that non-dairy milk is right for you, then the question is, “Which one?” Here’s a closer look at the six most common alternatives.
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ALMOND
What Is It? A “milk” made by soaking almonds and mixing with water
Nutritional Benefits:
- Low in fat, comparable to rice milk at 2.5 grams per cup (though low fat should not be the driving factor if being fed to children)
- Very low in carbohydrates, with zero sugar in the unsweetened version
- Almonds are naturally high in calcium but additional calcium is usually added along with Vitamin D to aid in absorption
- High in Vitamin E
Drawbacks:
- Low in protein (only 1 gram per cup)
- All have thickeners such as starch or “xanthan gum,” which are man-made and may contain wheat
- Unsafe for those with nut allergies
Cost:
- Found at most health-oriented stores for $1.50 – $3.00/quart
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COCONUT
What Is It? A “milk” made by pressing the coconut flesh and adding water
Nutritional Benefits:
- High in healthy saturated fat (5 grams per cup). The fat from coconuts is rich in lauric acid, which is also in breast milk
- Very low in carbs and sugar
Drawbacks:
- Low in protein
- Unsafe for those with nut allergies
Cost:
- Found at most health oriented stores for $2.50/quart
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HEMP
What Is It? A “milk” made by soaking hemp seeds with water
Nutritional Benefits:
- High in Omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids (5 grams of fat per cup)
- Very low in carbs and sugar
- Moderate protein (2 grams per cup)
Drawbacks:
- All brands are made with thickeners such as “gum acacia”
- Unsafe for children with nut and seed allergies
- More expensive than other alt milks
Cost:
- Found at most health-oriented stores for $4.00/quart
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OATS
What Is It? A “milk” made of oats and water
Nutritional Benefits:
- Some fiber (about 2 grams per cup)
- Moderate amount of protein (4 grams per cup)
- Recommended for those with sensitivities to soy, nuts, and/or seeds
Drawbacks:
- Some of the oat’s valuable saturated fiber is lost when making the milk
- It’s very high in carbs (24 grams per cup, with 19 of those in the form of sugar)
- All brands are made with thickeners such as “guar gum”
- Unhealthy for those who are gluten-intolerant
Cost:
- Found at most health-oriented stores for $3.00/quart
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RICE
What Is It? A “milk” made by boiling rice with water and extracting the liquid
Nutritional Benefits:
- While this isn’t necessarily a benefit for children, it’s low in fat (2.5 grams per cup)
- Safest option for those with soy or nut allergies
Drawbacks:
- Very few natural nutrients; usually enriched
- High in carbs (24 grams per cup) and sugar (11 grams per cup)
- Rice is naturally high in sugar, so there is no “unsweetened” version (don’t be fooled by the fact that sugar is not listed in the ingredients)
- Low in protein
- All brands have thickeners as well as oil added for texture and taste
Cost:
- Found at most health-oriented stores for $2.00 – $3.00/quart
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SOY
What Is It? A “milk” made by soaking soybeans and adding water
Nutritional Benefits:
- High in protein (8 grams per cup)
- Very low in carbs if unsweetened (2 grams per cup)
- Moderate level of fat (4 grams per cup)
- The only alt milk that is available in its purest form: water and soybeans with nothing else added
Drawbacks:
- Soy is a common food allergen
- Most soy is GMO, so buy organic, which is not allowed to contain GMO ingredients, and look for “Non GMO” on the label
- Most soybeans are processed using the toxic petroleum derivative hexane
- Soy contains isoflavones (that can mimic estrogen) so large quantities of soy in the diet should be avoided
- Some brands use soy protein isolate rather than the whole soybeans
- Some of the lower-priced brands have artificial and natural flavors
- The most pure soy milk (simply soy beans and water) has a chalky taste
Cost:
- Found almost anywhere, though the higher quality brands are only available at health-oriented stores. Prices range from $1.50 – $3.00/quart.
Though there are lots to choose from, alt milks are not generally nutritional powerhouses – they’re mostly water mixed with flavoring (from their food source), thickeners (to make the texture more like cow’s milk), sugars (unless unsweetened), and added vitamins to make them more robust. Be especially aware of the sugar, particularly in vanilla and chocolate flavors. But if you do abandon the cow, consider these four things when shopping: allergies, sugar level, protein, and taste. It all comes down to what works best for you and your family.
Learn more food facts at Michelle’s blog The Sweet Beet.
great article. we drink them all and feel much better than when drinking cow milk!
Shame that there is a Huggies ad right in the middle of your sentence explaining how much shelf space alternative products take up. “Dairy milk 20 square feet; alternative milks 80. G”, and then the ad followed by: “That’s a big difference”. There is no way to close the ad and if you cursor over it, it gets larger with a video. The rest of the article is very informative and I thank you.
What type of organic soy do you rec in order to avoid hexane and the protein only issues? My daughter, 12, is lactose intolerant and soy is the only alt milk she likes.
Hey Sara! Without question the best soymilk is EDENSOY. They are organic, no GMO, no hexane, great commitment to their customers and the environment. They also have a totally pure version with nothing but the whole soybeans (filtered) and water. That’s it! You can find it at WHOLEFOODS.
Hi Jacki! Perhaps in one version of the Huggies ad it was cut off but it’s now readable …. I think the line you could not read was “Granted this was a highly unscientific study, but still thats a big difference!” Glad you found the rest of the piece useful!
To the Anonymous cow-milk drinker: I am a cow milk drinker too and feel fortunate that I have no lactose problems – the protein and calcium and even the fat that I get from cows milk, seem to work well for my body. I have to admit though I love almond milk – making your own is a simple as soaking the nuts over night,blending with water and straining to remove the fibrous “skin”. Yum.
Hey Anonymous, I misread your comment! You feel better when you’re NOT drinking cows milk – got it.The key is to get to know what your body wants and what it wants to avoid. Thank goodness we found a way to “milk” seeds
I believe coconut is considered part of the palm family and not part of the tree nut family. My daughter has tree nut and peanut allergies (in addition to soy, dairy, and egg), and is fine with coconut milk as she does not have a coconut allergy. I may be wrong, but this was the info we got from her allergist.
@MomofBeans: I think it’s a case by case thing – a good friend of mine is allergic to nuts and ALSO to coconut..Glad you found one that works for you!
For me, the best alt-milk solution is mixing-and-matching! (it works in your wardrobe, why shouldn’t it work in your diet)
I have soy, almont and rice milk in the fridge, and I alternate to get the benefits of them all. I prefer soy, but I’m conscious of not having too much.
Another great piece Michelle! I particularly like how you organize the pros and cons and the layout – definitely helps navigate the ever widening shelf space of alt “milk”s. With a focus on the cons, I posted a piece on soy milk a little while back: http://planithealthier.wordpress.com/2010/09/22/important-information-for-soy-milk-drinkers/ highlighting research from The Cornucopia Institute. After a phase as a devoted alt milk drinker, I’ve returned to the cow, feeling very fortunate to live close to a small organic dairy farm where I can buy it straight from the cow (a option that works well for many lactose intolerant folks…but that’s a different article).
Hey Deirde- You raise a great point, which is that often the problem with dairy milk is the lactose. When milk is pasteurized almost all the lactase (the enyme that digests the lactose) is killed, which then makes it hard for some of us to digest.
If someone wants to drink cows milk (or wants their children to), they might first see if they can get raw milk (not easy in some states), which has the lactase still intact. Many “lactose intolerant” people tolerate raw milk without a problem.
Dear Anonymous Mixer-Matcher: I have definitely heard of people mixing their breakfast cereals, but this is a first with the milks. Buy, hey why not let your milks mingle!
I just want mention it is very easy to make your own milk from almonds or cashews, eliminating the concern about thickeners. All that is needed is a blender and strainer. Look at elenaspantry.com for recipes.
Hey Mizd360! Agree! Almond milk is super easy to make at home. I actually have a “how to” on my site as well. Here…http://bit.ly/gTrVeT
Can you explain why some consider cow’s milk bad? I get it if the issue is lactose intolerance but is that the only issue? Thanks
Hey Pamela: You’re talking to someone who drinks cows milk, so I have def thought through this! Granted I drink raw cows milk so that does change a few things, but I drank pasteurized for yrs before raw.
The probs that some have w cows milks are…
1) The lactose. Pasteurization kills most of the enyyme lactase that helps digest the lactose. Without it many people find lactose hard to digest. For this reason many lactose intolerant people CAN tolerate raw milk since the lactase is intact.
2) Some find the idea of drinking another mammals milk gross. So is it also gross to eat the cheese that comes from it? And the yogurt? And the ice cream? I have no problem drinking another mammals milk but some do.
3) The antibiotics and hormones in milk. To get around this organic is widely available.
I think those are the main reasons. Anyone else who’s a non-dairy drinker want to chime in with their personal reason for choosing alt-milks?
You can make your own dairy-milk alternatives. Hazelnut milk is one of the quickest ones to make.
I don’t drink cow’s milk because I think it’s gross, and yet, I happily consume large amounts of cheese and ice cream. Go figure. I’m just weird that way. Never did like drinking milk. I use soy on my cereal because I like the vanilla flavor and it makes any cereal even that much more awesome. : )
Recently tried Coconut milk and OMG YUMMMMMMM. If you like coconut, that is, which I do.
My toddler drinks cows milk, but I’d like to replace it with an alt milk, I just don’t like that none of them are comparable in protein, except for soy, which I don’t want to give him since the jury is out on estrogenic effects of soy. sigh.
BION I’m imrpeessd! Cool post!
I haven’t drank cow’s milk for years, opting usually for soy milk instead. I’m a vegetarian, but I do eat some other dairy products from time to time. I started drinking soy milk because I was sharing food with a vegan, but even when that was no longer a concern, I continued because I could no longer tolerate the taste of milk. It tastes really fatty to me in comparison to alt-milks. Also, because I’m not used to drinking milk anymore, when I do occasionally have it because I forget to order properly at a cafe, I feel sick depending on how much I consumed. I guess the intervening years make me a little (but not completely) lactose intolerant.
What about Lactaid? (The drink, not the pill). No idea if it’s okay for kids, but it’s milk without the lactose, right?
I have always been lactose intolerant and found it very difficult as a child, now with so many wonderful products available it is easy to avoid foods that aggravate the stomach or are against principles or lifestyle. I have found that Goats Milk is a wonderful alternative and with yoghurt, cheese and ice-cream also readily available here in the Uk I am spoilt for choice.