Minus the cow: dairy-free milk alternatives
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I love milk. I love a tall cold glass with a bowl of hot chili or for a bedtime snack to help me doze off. I love it on my oatmeal and poured over my Grapenuts. I'm lucky enough not to have an allergy or to have any digestive issues when I drink it, but I know that many people do. Actually, there are a lot of reasons people pass up a cold glass of milk -- some believe dairy is bad for humans in general, others choose a vegan diet.Whatever your reason for avoiding cow's milk, there are substitutes out there. Soy, rice, and nut milks come immediately to mind. As this article points out, however, milk alternatives are not, in fact, milk. You need to choose carefully to make sure you're getting a full serving of good nutrition in every glass.
The reason milk is so popular is because it's an excellent source of calcium, B12, riboflavin, and vitamin D. Milk alternatives won't automatically contain those ingredients, so be sure to look for a brand that comes fortified. As the article points out, the most efficient way to be sure you're getting a comparable glass of milk is to put the food labels side by side and compare.
Milk alternatives are better in one aspect -- because they're not animal products they're low in saturated fats. However, you can achieve the same low fat status by switching your whole milk to skim. And while milk alternatives are double or higher the price of cow's milk, they rival the current prices of organic milk on the cooler shelves today.
Got milk? What kind? Let me know what you're drinking and why you chose it!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-22-2007 @ 2:00PM
Kristina said...
I have a comment here. It is NOT TRUE that milk is needed for healthy bones or anything! In fact, it is probably detrimental to our health!
I've been dairy free...or a rare, rare dairy eater for 20 plus years. I just had toe surgery. My doctor said "My! Your bones are SO HARD"! He commented on it twice. He said a lot of his clients have bones that are easy to saw thru...mine were HARD! And I do not eat any dairy...just the RARE piece of cheese on special occasions but definitely NO MILK.
Do the research. Punch in "osteoporosis and Calcium" and you will find the research that says it's ANIMAL protein that causes Calcium drain on the bones, not lack of milk. Of course, there are other factors as well...like lack of exercise, vitamine D, but animal protein is the biggest drain of calcium from the bones. The countries with the highest dairy intake are the ones that have the highest rates of osteoporosis. Ask yourself why?
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1-26-2007 @ 8:55AM
ams said...
Hi Bethany,
I was born with an allergy to milk, and did not outgrow it. A blessing in disguise I think. The idea of sitting and drinking a thick glass of milk is actually quite unappealing to me, but I use milk alternatives for oatmeal, smoothies, and cooking. To be honest, I have only found a couple of brands that I really didn't like. The favorite in our house though is the Almond milk, regular and unsweetened.
I just wanted to comment so that there are no misconceptions. Cow's milk that we buy in the store does not automatically contain Vitamin D. It is removed in processing and added back in during fortification (just as milk alternatives are fortifed with Vitamin D). Though it is required by law for dairy farmers to fortify with the lost Vitamin A, it is not required that they fortify with Vitamin D. Most do, but there are no guarantees.
The sun is the best source of Vitamin D otherwise. For more information on getting dairy free calcium, here is a food chart - http://www.godairyfree.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=132.
Thank you for the post, I think it is great that you look at both sides of the issue!
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