Nutrition In Milk And Milk Substitutes
About a year ago, Silk Soymilk ran an ad campaign featuring cows talking about the health benefits they get from drinking Silk instead of milk. Here is one example:
Clever, eh? But really, how true is it? Is a product like Silk better than milk, whether that’s pasteurized/homogenized milk or raw milk? Today, let’s look at milk and compare it to all of the various other “milks” people use to replace real dairy in their diet.
The Nutrition Facts Of Milk And Milk Substitutes
There are any number of reasons why people choose not to include milk in their diets. For those of us that adhere to a Primal or Paleo lifestyle, milk doesn’t fit. Vegans and some vegetarians don’t include milk because it’s of animal origin. And then there are those that are lactose intolerant. Finally, there are the people that have been convinced by slick marketing that non-milks are better options than the real deal.
So I suppose the starting point is to look at the nutrition facts of the main “milks” that people drink. I’m going to focus on plain ol’ “moo juice,” soy milk, almond milk, rice milk, and coconut milk. Note that there are other, lesser known, milk substitutes out there like oat milk, peanut milk, hemp milk, and milk made from other grains. Without further ado, the nutrition labels of the Big Five:
| Grams Per 8oz | Milk (Whole) | Soy | Almond | Rice | Coconut |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 146 | 105 | 60 | 120 | 552 |
| Total Fat | 8 | 4 | 2.5 | 2 | 57 |
| Sat. Fat | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 51 |
| Chol. | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sodium | 98 | 114 | 150 | 86 | 36 |
| Total CHO | 13 | 12 | 8 | 25 | 13 |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 | 0 | <1 | 0 | 5 |
| Sugars | 13 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 8 |
| Protein | 8 | 6 | 1 | 0.5 | 5 |
| Vitamin A | 5% | 9% | 10% | 0% | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 0% | 0% | 0% | 2% | 11% |
| Calcium | 28% | 30% | 20% | 2% | 4% |
| Iron | 0% | 6% | 2% | 1% | 22% |
You probably noticed that I have listed the fat content of whole milk. There are a couple big reasons for that. First, you all know my take on pasteurized milk vs. raw milk. But I can’t find a nutrition label for raw milk. As such, for comparison purposes, we need a standardized product and whole milk, at around 3.5%, fills the bill. Raw milk is typically 4-8%, depending on the time of year, so the calorie and fat information would be a bit different. I didn’t pick skim or low-fat milk for another very big reason. Milk is not naturally low in fat, nor should it be turned into that.
Brand Names Of Milk Substitutes
As a brief aside, I just want to touch on some of the various brand names for these milk substitutes.
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Protein Quality Of Milk Vs. Soy Milk, Etc
The total amount of protein in a food is important, but how well that protein is absorbed (known as the biological value) is even more important. Soy protein comes in with a low biological value of 74/100, while cow’s milk is a 90/100. But here’s something I just found that everyone should take note of, especially vegetarians searching for quality protein sources:
In other words the rats grew more rapidly than when given cheese, meat, eggs, milk or any other high-protein food. McCandish and Weaver have also found that the protein of coconuts is superior to that of other foods and claim that coconut meal is of greater value than soybean meal. As the soybean is equal in biological value to any of the animal proteins, this would mean that the coconut protein is in a class by itself and is perhaps the finest protein known.
I don’t know how well coconut meal translates to the protein in coconut milk, but it seems promising to me. And no I don’t think you should give up your meat in favor of coconut. I didn’t come across any good information on almond or rice protein, but the link above regarding coconut protein noted that coconut was found to be better than any other seed. As for rice, we already know that vegetable proteins are on the whole are of lower value than animal proteins.
Anti-Nutrient Content
Soy
Mike and I have touched several times on the very high levels of anti-nutrients in soy foods. Rather than recreating the wheel, I’ll just quote a couple of our other posts:Why Soy Is Not A Health Food
High levels of phytic acid in soy reduce assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. Phytic acid in soy is not neutralized by ordinary preparation methods such as soaking, sprouting and long, slow cooking. High phytate diets have caused growth problems in children.
Reasons Why Soy Isn’t Good For You
So what’s so bad about soy? How about goitrogens, protease inhibitors, phytoestrogens (hooray for emasculation!), and too much aluminum and manganese?
Note that all of these risks refer to unfermented soy products, of which soy milk is one, not traditional soy products like miso, natto, and tempeh.
Almonds
While almonds aren’t nearly as high on the anti-nutrient scale as soy beans, they do have a few risks in raw form, such as phytates. As far as I know, they just take a 24-hour soak to get them to “activate” and reduce their phytate and inhibitor levels.
Cow’s Milk, Coconut Milk, and Rice Milk
I can’t find any references to measurable anti-nutrient levels in these other three milk options.
My Recommendation
Looking at the nutrition information from the standpoint of the general “common wisdom” about nutrition, soymilk still wouldn’t be the winner. I’d guess almond milk would be the one that would make most nutritionists salivate. It’s the lowest in calories, very low in total fat, has no saturated fat or cholesterol, and is also lowest in carbohydrates and sugar, though also has little protein. It’s even competitive across the board in vitamins.But for those of us that don’t discount cow’s milk and coconut milk outright for the sins of being of animal origin and being high in saturated fat, respectively, what do I recommend? Here you go:
- Coconut Milk
- Raw Milk
- Almond Milk
- Whole (Organic, Unhomogenized) Milk
- Rice Milk
And Why?
Coconut milk is tolerated well by pretty much everyone and is loaded with healthy medium-chain saturated fats. It also has a nice vitamin and mineral profile, while being middle of the pack in protein and carbohydrates. As for milk, while some are pretty dogmatically opposed to milk of any type, including raw milk, I recognize that many cultures have thrived while including raw dairy. So I place it second on my list. You can also be positive that these two have no added sugar. Once you get into dealing with soy, almond, rice, and other fake milks, you often run into added sugars, along with other unknowns.
Third, I guess would be almond milk, though placing the last three is really up for debate. Almond milk seems pretty harmless to me though if you get unsweetened varieties. Next up would be organic (non-rBGH/rBST), unhomogenized whole milk. I’m not a big fan of the pasteurization process, but if you can’t get raw milk in your area, whole milk is likely a pretty safe bet if you want to include dairy.
I only placed rice milk at the bottom of the list because it’s a grain and I don’t know much about it. I’m rather ambivalent about where to place it in relation to pasteurized milk.
You probably noticed I left one off. Here’s a statement to ruffle some feathers: Do not drink soy milk. If you want to know why, go back to the anti-nutrient section. Add to that very high levels of omega-6 fatty acids in soy fat. It’s really not good for you.
How To Make Your Own Almond Milk At Home
Any of these milk substitutes can be made at home. Coconut milk is rather labor intensive though as cutting through coconuts and getting the meat out is work. So I’ll just be real…there’s no way I’m doing it myself when I can buy good stuff in a can. For those that want to go the almond milk route though, it looks rather easy to make at home.
Here’s a quick recipe from Dr. Ben Kim:
1 1/2 cups of raw almonds, soaked in water overnight4 cups of filtered or spring water3-5 dates (optional)Blend 1 ½ cups of raw almonds that have been soaked overnight in 4 cups of water. Blend with dates if you like your milk with a hint of sweetness. Strain once to remove almond granules.
About Scott
Scott Kustes loves to cook and loves to eat. He started Real Food University to help you get maximum enjoyment out of the meals that you eat. To find out more about how he has rebelled against the fast food culture and counting calories or carbs, join the Real Food Revolution.
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Coconut milk is great. There is a coconut milk kefir I drink every once in a while.I happened to have just written an in depth report report on milk (health and tolerance issues, processing, etc), as well as one on soy, that some of you may be interested in. http://newfoodview.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/dairy-an-in-depth-and-comprehensive-guide/Sam
Coconut milk seems great, but not very “efficient” – meaning you have to consume many more calories to get the same amount of protein, calcium, and vitamin A that you get in whole milk or almond milk. It’s harder to eat a balanced diet (assuming 2,500 calories/day) when over 20% of your calories are coming from 8 oz of coconut milk.
Excellent article! The other thing to note with soymilk is that unless the company is forthright in telling you so, hexane (a TOXIN) is used in most soymilk extraction processes. I believe Edensoy is the only company on your list that does not use hexane. I personally cannot eat soy any longer because I get an allergic reaction to it, and I would not recommend to anyone else either (especially for the disruption of the thyroid)!I love coconut milk for cooking, ice cream, etc. I don’t think I could drink a cup of it all at once. It’s a little too rich for me. But what a great dairy-free, primal option to have!
Pfft… I’d still limit cow’s milk and stick to almond. Cow’s milk It’s one of the biggest causes of mucus in humans because it contains casein… which is an ingredient used in some of the strongest woodworking glues. Hmm, mucus… sticky-glue-like properties? That should make you think.The amount of casein in cow’s milk is designed to be digested by the 4 stomach system of a COW, not a human. Obviously then nutritional benefits cannot be ignored, so if milk still tickles your fancy, I’d take it on an empty stomach.
Great post!I’ve noticed some discomfort with “normal” milk and have switched to Rice and Almond as alternatives. Looks like I’ll be on the lookout for Cocunut milk the next time. Thanks for sharing…Mike
Great article! But I’m surprised you didn’t even mention So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverages. Made from coconut milk, but very much like cow’s milk in terms of consistency, and with a very subtle coconutty taste. An 8 oz. serving of the original flavor is only 80 calories, total fat grams 5 gm (65% medium-chain fatty acids), 0 gm cholesterol, 15 mg sodium, 0 gm fiber, 6 gm sugar, (they have an unsweetened variety, too), 1 gm protein, 10% Vit A, 30% Vit D, 50% Vit B12, 10% Calcium, and 10% Magnesium, AND the best part is, it tastes great! I’ve been using it with my morning cereal and coffee, and my wife has been baking and cooking with it. You really gotta try this stuff. It’s seriously the best milk alternative in terms of both taste and nutrition.
I use skim milk. I know the argument in favor of raw, but just can’t get past the pasteurization thing. Tried rice and almond. Quite frankly I don’t think the cost is worth the benefit. I’d avoid soy due to the phytoestrogens.
I have been drinking this stuff of latehttp://www.purelydecadent.com/products/Coconut_Bev_Unsweetened.htmlIt is heavenly, creams up my coffee perfectly (without separating), is low in carbs…and while it is more processed than the others, I don’t see much that is too unbelievably horrendous to consume. Better than soy in my book.
I used to drink raw cows milk, but when I found out about all the casein, I ditched it for… raw goat milk! Very little, if any casien and very good for you. I beleive it;s the closest thing to human mothers milk… coming from well cared for, grass fed goats, it tastes great. I can’t tell the difference. Makes great ice cream too (sweetend with Stevia of course!)
My vote is for 100% raw grass pastured milk, (unless of course your lactose intolerant). There are plenty of good fats, let’s not forget CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), and natural vitamin D. In a Swedish study involving 15,000 people, those who drank raw milk growing up were found to be protected from some common diseases. Always make sure it is grass fed milk though, as the grain fed is not so good.Much love for coconut milk too. So delicious!
Nice article, I’m Chicago’s Dairy-free examiner by the way. I did a great series on protein shakes with non-dairy milks as well.http://www.examiner.com/x-8953-Chicago-DairyFree-Food-Examiner
Sam, how do you make or where do you get your coconut milk kefir? Do you use kefir grains? Nice write-up.Hortense and RealFood, very good point. I was pointing that out more for vegetarians looking for more good protein foods. I couldn’t drink 8oz of coconut milk period…it’s too filling.Fit Jerk, I know I have mucus issues from pasteurized milk, but what about raw milk? I don’t drink it, but do people that do have mucus issues?Chandler and Marissa, I didn’t mention it because I’d never heard of it. It seems a decent alternative.Dave, not even sure if I can get goat’s milk in these parts. I suppose I could since I can get goat cheese, if I desired.Greg, why skim milk instead of something more natural like whole? I can somewhat understand your aversion to no pasteurization, though if you know the cow and the farmer, it seems perfectly safe given that people have been drinking it for thousands of years, far longer than pasteurized milk. But why remove all the fat?CheersScott
My personal story with milk (pasteurized and mostly skim)….drank a ton as a kid….always had a layer of fat (not really overweight…just more “less defined”)….pretty much drank even into college….had severe skin issues…tons of mucus…and trouble breathing through my nose (sinusitis)…….No more milk drinking for me….skin got better, mucus went away, breathing through nose easy……wish I knew all this when I was a kid!! Now if I have a glass of milk….mucus starts…..but interesting enough, drinking kefir does not bother me (even though it has milk in it).
Nice work guys, always my first website each day.Jay
Here’s the info from the label on the bottle of Organic Pastures Raw Whole Milk (only available in California) in my fridge:Serving size 1 cup (8 fl oz/240mL)Calories per serving 160Calories from fat 80Total Fat 9g (14% daily value)Saturate Fat 6g (30% daily value)Trans Fat 0g (0% daily value)Cholesterol 35 mg (12% daily value)Sodium 120 mg (5% daily value)Total Carbohydrate 12 g (4% daily value)Dietary fiber 0g (0% daily value)Sugars 12 g (no daily value listed)Protein 9 g (16% daily value)Vitamin A 6%Vitamin C 0%Calcium 30%Iron 0%* percent daily value based on 2000-calorie diet
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Mike OD, It’s too bad that in America growing up, our only options were grain fed, antibiotic, and steroid induced cows. Naturally, if you ate a diet high in grains, and administered yourself daily antibiotics and steroids you might feel unhealthy. Add to that pus, and liquid that is barely passable for milk, and then boil away any enzymes left (you have to with conventional milk, the filthy conditions and bacteria would probably kill small children and elderly), and its easy to understand why you’d develop those problems. Milk in its natural state is wholesome enough to survive on! Read up on the Masai Tribe who lived solely on cow’s milk and blood (of all things). Too bad it’s so difficult to get our hands on Raw, grass fed milk…
MikeOD, what kind of skin problems did you have from drinking milk? I’ve been drinking more and more of it and I have a skin condition that is getting worse.
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@Chris – I had really bad acne in high school and college….was on meds for it. Also noticed in college and years after I had a rash on my foot that broke out. I drank a ton of milk….but for the rash I also had a diet heavy in fungus growing foods like cheese, yeast (from beer), coffee, sugar and very little fruits and veggies. I never saw improvement until I took out all those things for a while and got more alkaline based foods (veggies). If you have skin problems, an elimination diet of the usual suspects may be needed inorder to really know what the foods are doing to you. My foot rash came back when I went back to more beer/coffee…..so I had to remove them again….I also added in some Apple Cider Vinegar (anti-fungal) in water and that seemed to help clear it up as well.
@ Mike – I wish I did have access (and the knowledge about it) to raw milk as a kid….I am sure I would have seen different results (better ones)
Anna, you’re alive! Thanks for the info!CheersScott
What a great blog!!! I have been in the debate of various milks for a couple years now with various friends, colleagues, and family. I have seen books on the danger of milk and the danger of soy…etc It is such a mix of opinions and I guess you just get to be smart about it. I think this articles gives nice un biased opinions and options. Thanks.This is what the specific chiropractic center uses to educate patients and other doctors. Thanks you.
What’s your take on the “So Delicious” brand of coconut milk that’s recently become widely available? Two of their flavors have added sugar, but one doesn’t. It does have some other additives (thickeners and vitamins, I think). Seems to have a very different nutritional profile from the coconut milk you listed.
I don’t buy the calorie-counting thing…or the low-fat, low-cholesterol thing. My first choice is raw, grass-fed cow’s milk, next would be coconut milk *if* I lived in Indonesia or somewhere where I could get fresh coconut milk. I use it occasionally for sweets or ice cream, but worry about the potential for bisphenol-A in the cans. I did a little research & Native Forest was the only company who claimed not to use BPA in their can linings (& this is also the tastiest coconut milk, IMO.)
I’m curious about your opinion on So Delicious brand coconut milk as well…. how do you think it compares??
Dana, I don’t see anything too bad about any of them. I would opt for unsweetened, untampered coconut milk, but if you picked one of those, it’s probably not a big deal.Meta, I don’t buy the calorie counting or low-fat thing either. Thanks for the info on Native Forest. Now where to find it?CheersScott
Aside from some elements in soymilk that block the absorption of certain minerals, are there any advantages/disadvantages to getting minerals (especially calcium) from milk substitutes?
Stephen, probably no particular advantages. Calcium isn’t a particularly good reason to consume milk though, actually. I wrote about that here: Milk and Calcium. Raw milk isn’t a negative dietary addition, but not necessarily for it’s calcium content.CheersScott
hello, i totally agree milk is a great source of nutrition for body builders. however, the way its drunk in the west causes most of the problems many people have with it.per the indian science of ayurveda,milk has to be drunk heated up, never cold, (and some say bring to a light boil to increase digestability, though just heating it up seems to do just fine for me)and it has to be non homogenized, as the homoginization process makes it hard to digest and toxic to the body.then, it can to be raw if taken straight from the cow, or pasturized, but never UHT, which completely destroys all the enzymes in the milk, and we need those enzymes as out bodies cannot produce them.then spices should be added, in small amounts, to aid digestion and remove any clogging effects, such as turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg. i myself add a pinch of all of them.and ideally organic.(now about the raw thing: if drunk after a while has passed since coming out of the cow, too many bacteria are present, and kefir cultures for example, will not likely be able to thrive. in UHT they die all together, while they can thrive in pasturized milk. (i know, i tried it). all this is a measure of ensuring that the milk enzymes in the milk stay alive as we ourselves cannot produce them in our bodies. so for raw milk, bring to light boil to kill malefic bacteria before drinking. this should not kill all the enzymes. )
Well, after reading and comparing, I went out and bought So Delicious Coconut milk; unsweetened. Ugh. It tastes like milky water. When I read the ingredients, it has water. I guess I will try the vanilla flavored next time, but I was very disappointed at the taste. No wonder it’s only 50 calories.
My 6 year old daughter was breaking out in an awful rash that covered almost her whole body for over a year. We took her to many doctors and skin specialists and all they ever did was give her a different medicine to try and treat it. She itched so bad that she even scratched all night and would wake up with bloody sheets from the scratching. I started researching the medicines and realized I did not like what they were. As a last resort, I took her to a holistic doctor and she told us my daughter was alergic to milk. I took her off regular store bought milk and she started to clear up. I then began to research the food we eat and eliminated MSG, artificial sweetners and nitrites. I can’t even tell you how much we all started to feel better. Then I started letting my daughter have soy milk. After a few months I researched that and found out that was no good either. Then I found out about raw milk. I searched until I found an organic farm I was happy with and we now have a grass fed cow share so we can drink the milk. My daughter has not had any problems with the raw milk. Her skin is very clear now and itch free. She is so happy she has her milk back as she just loved milk! I am so glad I took it upon myself to research our food and not leave it to the doctors as they did not try to find the cause, only treated the symptoms. (I am not against doctors, they just didin’t work in this case). Thanks for this great website!
NOT SURE WHY EVERYONE SAYS COCONUT MILK IS SO FILLING AND FATTENING?? I BUY MINE IN A CARTON AND ITS ONLY 50 CALORIES??? MUCH LESS THEN COWS MILK AND SO MUCH MORE BENEFITS. OUR BODIES WERE NOT DESIGNED TO DRINK MILK OF ANOTHER MAMMAL.
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I love coconut milk too.
Should we drink more milk or soy milk?
@Pat – the unsweetened version is nasty! I drink the original and buy the vanilla every now and then to add to my Vega smoothies. Yummy!
@FarBurning – Regular Milk & Soy Milks are a BIG FAT “no, no”!!read above
The casein in cow’s milk is designed to be digested by the CALF. Calves do not operate as four stomached ruminants until they are several months old. They have to be five months old before their rumen is fully functioning. In a commercial dairy situation, the fastest they can be weaned off milk entirely is 7 weeks, and at that point they MUST have a high grain based carbohydrate diet to keep growing until their rumen fully kicks into gear because the milk has been taken away and their rumen is not working yet. In a natural setting, they would not be weaned until late summer/fall when they were born in the spring.So in effect, cow’s milk is made for single stomached animals, like calves, humans, hogs, etc. The one thing it is NOT made for is a fully functioning four stomached adult ruminant.If you have an allergy to latex you might not be able to eat almonds. It would be ridiculous of me to suggest that your body would produce rubber by eating almonds. The remark about casein and glue is tired and overworked. If you don’t want to drink milk, that’s no problem, but why put down a product in a nonsensical way that can be fine for others?Remember the old joke? Man walks into the restaurant and asks the waitress what the special of the day is and she says “Tongue.” “Oh, I don’t want anything that comes out of a cow’s mouth,” the guy says, “I”ll have an egg.”
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What is phytoestrogen? That sounds like something that a plant grows.
Sarah, phytoestrogens are plant estogens that can mimic the actions of estrogen in the human body.CheersScott
You can enjoy Raw Whole Cow’s milk as kefir (simple to do at home) and have the casein partially predigested (and the lactose mostly consumed). This solves most issues with dairy (with the exception of those severely allergic).I won’t even go into the fact that our society readily accepts that it is OK (great even) to feed human infants cow based or soy based commercial formulas.
my children are both deathly allergic to milk and all of its derivatives and they are allergic to nuts. When I tried them on Soy milk they both got very very sick and it last for months of giving it to them so finally I switched them to Rice milk and we have not had any problems. They both enjoy it and seem to like it more then any other milk we had tried.
Why my child and I drink raw, unpasteurized cow milk.I think alot of people confuse a healthy eating lifestyle with a weight-loss/low fat diet. Healthy, clean living means restricting processed food, artificial ingredients, and chemicals as much as you can in today’s world! My food comes from the produce section, meat section, and rice/beans/lentils. My milk comes from a cow and has not been tampered with to kill the probiotic properties, enzymes, and vitamins that make it good for the body. **Raw milk does not cause the allergic reactions the processed milk does.** And there is just one ingredient on the label: milk.Read the label of the processed other “milks.” What are all those weird chemical ingredients? Yes they’re low-calorie, but they are not good for our body. If you’re trying to lose weight, that’s one thing. But for a healthy body and lifestyle, eat clean, natural, and as much raw as you can! I wish I could post a photo so I could prove how vibrant my skin and hair is, not to mention my weight of 115 pounds eating anything I want regardless of fat and calories.
For those who are looking for a source of raw milk or raw goat milk go to realmilk.com
Not to take anything away from your excellent article, but…. You said, “As for rice, we already know that vegetable proteins are on the whole are of lower [biological] value than animal proteins.”As you know, rice is a grain, not a vegetable. And this site ( http://eatingoffthefoodgrid.blogspot.com/2010/07/toxic-proteins.html ) says, “[Rice protein] has a ‘biological value’ of 83, which is comparable to beef which is at 80.”
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