7 Alternatives to Conventional Milk

By Matthew Kadey, Experience Life

Whether you are allergic to milk, lactose intolerant, vegan, or simply in search of a nondairy option, you’re in luck. Alternatives to cow’s milk have never been more numerous, or more popular. Last year, U.S. retail sales of plant-based nondairy beverages, such as soy, almond, rice, coconut and hemp milk, reached a whopping $1.3 billion, and in less than five years, annual sales are expected to top $1.7 billion.

The growing popularity of milk alternatives comes directly at the expense of cow’s milk consumption, which declined to a decade low of 20.6 gallons per person in 2009. Americans are opting for milk alternatives because of their perceived nutritional benefits, but those benefits come with some caveats, says Kathie Madonna Swift, MS, RD, an integrative nutritionist and coauthor of The Inside Tract: Your Good Gut Guide to Great Digestive Health (Rodale, 2011).

Many nondairy drinks are fortified to resemble conventional milk’s nutritional profile, but Swift notes that the bioavailability of these nutrients, such as calcium, is highly dependent on many factors, including an individual’s digestive function and integrity. And many of these beverages contain added sugars and oils as well as additives such as guar gum and carrageenan.

Swift also points out that milk alternatives are not replacements for whole foods. “I prefer that the mainstay of one’s diet be true whole foods with only 10 to 20 percent made up of more processed items, such as nondairy alternatives,” she says. “After all, almond milk is not a whole food like actual almonds, nor is rice milk a whole food like brown rice.”

Still, each of these beverages offers some benefits, ranging from high levels of protein and essential vitamins to healthy fats and antioxidants. And for millions of people whose digestive systems can’t tolerate cow’s milk, they can be a lifesaver. Read on to learn which of these milk alternatives might be right for you.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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Winn A.

1:05PM PST on Mar 8, 2013

Thanks

March 8
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Melania P.

1:44PM PST on Feb 11, 2013

Thanks for posting!

February 11
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Nimue P.

7:16PM PST on Jan 20, 2013

They all tastes bad to me, and practically every alternative to milk has sunflower oil in it (at least in Australia they do) I drink water, juice and herbal tea, skip the milk alternatives altogether. Would be interested in trying hemp milk though, if I could find it. Thanks.

January 20
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Laurel B.

7:12PM PST on Jan 20, 2013

Great article

Rosette R.

11:34PM PDT on Sep 16, 2012

soy milk seems nice until i read this article about cons. I guess I will have to try other alternatives..

September 16
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Susan A.

11:24PM PDT on Sep 16, 2012

Thanks for such detailed info on the pros and cons of different dairy milk substitutes...I learned a lot!

John B.

5:47PM PDT on Sep 15, 2012

Thanks Molly for Mr. Kadey's alternative suggestions. I've tried all but two of them but I always go back to raw goat's milk.

September 15
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Joe R.

5:40PM PDT on Sep 15, 2012

Several here I've never tried. Will make it a point to do so. Thanks.

heather g.

1:17AM PDT on Sep 3, 2012

I truly appreciate these comparisons. I don't buy milk anymore because the message that only babies are meant to drink milk, finally got through to me - especially knowing how factory-farming dairies operate. I love cows, and I don't like the way they're treated ...

I haven't seen Hemp Milk for sale in our small community however have tried Soy, Coconut, Almond and Rice milk. Some certainly don't blend well with coffee. The problem doesn't arise with tea because I've been drinking it black for years. Instead of setting myself up for a moral dilemma, I need to speak to myself very assertively and drink black coffee !!