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Can’t drink dairy milk? What is your best substitute?
The alternative dairy market has really grown lately as roughly 65 percent of people cannot drink cow's milk without getting an upset stomach and many more have dietary restrictions that keep them from drinking it. Now the experts have weighed in the pros and cons of soy, almond, rice and green pea “mylk”?
What we get from a glass of two percent milk:
8g of protein, 293 g of calcium, 342 mg of potassium and 120 IU of vitamin D,
Compare that with:
Soy Milk
It is as close to cow's milk as you're going to get in terms of protein, vitamin C and calcium. But comes up a bit shy on Vitamin D and potassium. However check the label as often flavored soy milk has lots of sugar. There are also concerns that soy may have issues because of estrogen levels and other dietary issues…
Almond milk
This is becoming one of our country’s favorites but it is nutrient-poor and bad for the planet. It only has 1g of protein and the amount of water needed to produce even a small amount of it is just too much as the almond tree grows in normally drought stricken areas.
Cashew Milk
Taste and texture puts this one on point. However like almond milk this one just doesn’t measure up for nutrients. The nut facture once again can create a dietary issue for many as well.
Rice Milk
This sugary alternative is very low in nutrient value unless vitamins and calcium are added to it and it contains almost no protein. But it is the least likely to trigger allergies.
Pea Milk—The Winner!
Aside from the name being a tad wonky this new alternative to milk is probably the best. The brand Ripple fortifies theirs with B12 and it naturally contains 8g of protein, only 70 calories, and actually beats out dairy milk for calcium, with a whopping 451 mg per serving - as compared to just 293 in cow's milk.