Alternatives to Cow Milk
Don’t like milk? Not a problem. There are many milk alternatives available these days — perfect for the lactose intolerant or folks looking to change it up. Here are some you might explore.
Soy Milk
This is the most common substitute. Products include soy milk, yogurt, butter, cream cheese, cheese, sour cream, and even ice cream (Tofutti Cuties are my childhood favorite!). Soy milk comes in several flavors, including plain, chocolate, cappuccino and vanilla. You can also get no-sugar-added varieties. Keep in mind that soy milk contains 100 calories and 4 grams of fat per cup. Choose a light soy milk if you’re trying to cut back calories.
Rice and Almond Milk
Similar to soy milk but not always as readily available, rice and almond milk are other options. Many of these milks are fortified with calcium (a natural nutrient in cow milk) — check food labels to make sure you receive around 30% of your daily needs per serving. Rice milk is made from brown rice and has a whitish color and mild flavor. Almond milk, made from ground almonds, has a sweeter flavor. Both almond and rice milk come in plain, chocolate and vanilla flavors.
Coconut Milk
Derived from the flesh of the coconut, coconut milk also has a slightly sweet flavor. You often find it in Thai, West African, Hawaiian and West Indian dishes. Unlike the other alternative milks, coconut milk contains a significant amount of saturated fat so use it in moderation. It also has a strong flavor so add less to dishes. Light coconut milk works well in recipes such as Chicken Mulligatawny and contains about half the calories and fat of the regular version.
Substitution Tips
Soy, rice and almond milk work best as milk substitutes in recipes. Just follow a one-to-one ratio and stick to a plain or vanilla flavor for the closest match. You can add them to cold and hot cereals, coffee or hot chocolate. Use rice or soy milk to create a dairy-free rice pudding or fruit smoothie. A simple glass of vanilla soy milk works well with a PB&J sandwich.
While it doesn’t taste exactly like the original, soy cheese actually melts well — try it in lasagnas, grilled “cheese” sandwiches or on a green salad. Unlike regular cow or goat cheese, soy cheese contains no cholesterol. My friend once substituted half the cheese in her lasagna for soy cheese, and her family couldn’t detect the difference.
I have recently heard of a link between soy milk and breast cancer. Is this true? Does too much soy milk increase the chances of breast cancer in women?
My holistic doctor thinks so. He told me that soy is not an alternative to cow's milk. Better to make your own almond milk or coconut milk.
Hi Meredith:
The link between soy and breast cancer is more for bulk soy products such as soy protein powders. They contain a much higher concentration of soy which has had some side effects, but it isn't definate that if you use these products you will get breast cancer. So enjoy an nice cold glass of soy milk
I love milk and drink quite a bit of it – maybe as much as two gallons of skim or 1% a week. Is there research that says cow's milk is bad for you?
I would think that you would have listed "goats milk". Which we think is a lot better for you than any of the above products. Its low in fat naturally, and is easy on the digestive tract.
And really taste great too. Its very healthy for you. Why do you think that they feed it to infants who can't digest cow milk. We just filter it after we milk and cool it down fast. Doesn't get any better than that.
I agree about the goats milk. When I was a child, the only milk that I could keep down was goats milk. I just wish that it was more readily available now.
There are many alternative medicine doctors that tell you to avoid all soy products, with good reason. Do your research befor recommending soy. I never eat it. Google the danger of soy and read about it for your self.
I have tried small amounts of cows milk, soy milk and rice milk and all of them cause me to have an over production of mucus. I tasted goats milk and did not care for the taste. I suppose I will try almond milk and see what happens. I just want to use it with cold cereal and maybe a few other things. I have not found a cheese that I can eat more than a piece or two without mucus problems.
What about the concern of soy and infertility? Some research shows there may be connection but not proven. Yet why is there such a great problem of infertility?
we like the sweetended version best…almost puked from unsweetned…lol
almond milk that is
What about straight from the cow – unpasturized? Supposedly you can drop botulism in it and the natural enzymes will kill it. My husband loves it and the skim tastes like whole milk.
I went to a nutrition class recently and the doctor told us to drink raw milk – unpasturized and unhomogenized. He also said we need some fat in our diet. Watch out for low fat products! They usually have a lot of high fructose corn syrup (much worse than regular sugar) and chemicals in them.
read "The China Study" for info about milk-scientific ,but easy to read.COW milk is not for humans.
Soy products of any kind are not recommended for people who take medication to regulate thyroid problems.
I keep hearing that you must be careful with your soy intake because it contains estragen and may have a part in breast cancer. I love the chocolate soy milk but I'm also worried. What's the truth.
Hi Diana –
This postabout soy may help answer some of your questions.
Hi Diana –
This post about soy may help answer some of your questions.
I also agree with goats milk. My son has severe allergies to cow's milk, soy milk, and almond milk. He has been drinking goat's milk since he was 6 months. I also became allergic to cow's milk last year and only drink goats milk. Now I am not a "drinker" of milk. I only use it in ceral and I do not taste any difference. Just my 2 cents.
please read information on soy here: westonaprice.org
i come from germany and we do not do soy in europe. not the way americans use it. when i read the information on that website i was shocked to find out what soy really is and does. i work in a health food store, the third one in the last 5 years and i can not find a person working in that business, that would eat or drink soy. we all check everything we eat to make sure no soy is in it. there are better substitues for milk, rice, almond, oat, goat, anything is better. check all your foods and if necessary call the manufacturer to make sure soy is not included in anything you eat or drink. it is that bad.
There is an article called "The Anti-Soy Madness" that explains that soy is good for you. All the soy-bashing could be caused by the Dairy industry trying to beat out their biggest competitor. I look at it this way – it's a legume so why are other legumes ok? It can be eaten minimally processed and organic much like other vegetables. Even broccoli has phytoestrogens. On the other hand, dairy comes from the insides of a cow and can be highly processed from a factory farm. Maybe we just need to stick with all things in moderation.
Isn't high fructose just another sugar, and the trouble with it is there is so much of it soft drinks and other very sweet things? Sugar is sugar, sucrose: fructose and all the other -oses. If you're diabetic they're bad for you, if you're not diabetic, too much justt makes you fat.
As a child I drank Grade A raw milk and thrived on it; didn't like the milk served at school because it was pasteurized and "tasted funny."
My hormone doctor says so. Soy increases estrogen and most of your estrogen is held in your breast tissue. High estrogen leads to breast cancer. FYI- so does non organic turkey and chicken breasts, due to all the chemicals pumped into the water they drink. My coworker used to distribute the pipes that insert the chemicals to their water. He said that from egg to plate is only 8 weeks, thats how fast they make them grow, and estrogen makes you fat. And now you cant even go onto a chicken farm becuase they are so stressed from the rapid growth that if you were to have a car back fire or gun go off, they will drop dead from the stress! Yikes
There is a new coconut milk from "So Delicious" that tastes just like regular milk. You can get it at Whole Foods
IS there a sound recommended hyperthyroid dietary recommendation that you know works?
It was not mentioned in the article at all so I thought I'd throw in my personal favorite: Hemp Milk. It works great for me and I prefer the taste to almond, rice, oat, and soy – although I stopped drinking soy years ago after I realized I was having mood swings and I was only in my 20's. The hemp milk contains Omega 3's & 6's and in addition to those, it's a natural source of protein too. Besides that, the brand I buy – Tempt – is enriched to contain 40% (!) of your RDA of calcium which we all need as women and don't usually get near enough of, especially if we are careful of the cow's milk products we eat – or more correctly, don't eat.
Where do you purchase Hemp Milk?
I know you can get it at Whole Foods. You might try Trader Joe's. If you have any other Natural/Health Food store in your area and you don't see it, ask them about it…mine (Sunflower Market) actually brought it in for me when I asked them to. The actual brand is Living Harvest but the packaging says "Tempt" on it really big. I have seen a couple of other brands out there too but have never looked at their nutritional info since I am so happy with the LH brand. They would be guaranteed to have the Omega 3 & 6 content as those are natural components of hemp but I'm not so sure on the calcuim, Vit D, Etc. I use the unsweetened now because I don't want the added sugar and everything I put it in will already have some sweetness; but the sweetened one (obiviously) tasted way better plain for just drinking. If I remember correctly, it added like 18g of sugar and the calories were like 130.
So you have it, here is the nutrutional info from my carton of Unsweetened Vanilla Hemp Milk…
Per 1 Cup serving:
Cal 60 Omega 3 1100mg Omega 6 3700mg
Total Fat 6g Sat Fat .5g Trans Fat 0g Polyunsat 4.5g Monounsat 1g
Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 25mg Carbs 1g Fiber 0g Sugar 0g
Protein 1g
Vit A 10% Vit C 0% Calcuim 40% Iron 6% Vit D 20% Vit E 8%
Zinc 4% Riboflavin 25% Folic Acid 2% Vit B12 20% Phosphorus 20%
Magnesium 10%
You should know. How much you weight?
Would you drink dog milk? I know your answer. Cow milk is for little cow that is why their are fat. muuuuuuuuhh
giovanna replied to your comment on Alternatives to Cow Milk / Healthy Eats:
You should know. How much you weight? Would you drink dog milk? I know your answer. Cow milk is for little cow that is why their are fat. muuuuuuuuhh
Jiovanna – first of all I weigh 130 and am very athletic. No I would not drink dog milk would you? If we were not meant to drink cows milk, then it would have never been made for us to drink. These topics are for discussion – not for people to make fun of others remarks. Grow up!
I am an older woman, 58, vegtar. 21yrs. I DO NOT WANT TO DRINK “COWS MILK” anymore, for health reasons, I have tried, almond, way, too salty, ricemilk do not like, soy, the more research, I do on it, it is def. not good for me, I only NEED MILK for my coffee, as I cannot stand black, coff. any suggestions, and coconut (too much sat fat.) PLEASE ANY SUGG. will be APPREC.
No way, allie. After been a cow's milk adictive I tried almond milk. It's the best one, and it's not salty as you say.
You can find a lot of info about the bad effects milk has on your body at http://www.notmilk.com – understand this is a site dedicated to proving the BAD effects, not much good is mentioned here. =) But most all of it is sound information.
Hi Allie, did you get any good advice on a really good alternative to drinking cows milk? I would like to give it up too but I don't know what to try. What do you use these days? Thanks, Don. Please email me at: dom2764@gmail.com.