Dairy, lactose-free, soy, almond, rice, coconut…all of these milk and milk alternatives line grocery shelves these days. How do you choose when you’re deciding to go dairy-free? Here’s a little bit of a low down for you…
The word dairy refers to milk-based products, derivatives and processes, and the animals and workers involved in their production. Drinking cow’s milk does not only add extra fat calories not needed for your diet, it also increases your carbon footprint. Without even going through the audacities that dairy farms put their cows through, this beverage should be taken out of your diet stat.
The Ecologist goes through a good listing of cows’ milk alternatives, but I’m going to try to go in a little bit deeper.
Soy milk is probably the most popular alternative to cow’s milk. Made out of soybeans with no casein (cow’s milk protein) and lactose, those with a milk allergy or are lactose intolerant can safely drink this alternative. For every 1 cup serving, soy milk ranges in calories from 80-140 calories and 1-5 g fat, depending on regular or light soy milk. One benefit of soy milk is that it has less saturated fat than whole milk. In addition, soy contains isoflavones that may be beneficial in preventing heart disease. Soy is very high in protein and may be a good substitute in replacing animal protein. Soy milk naturally contains isoflavones. Isoflavones act in a manner similar to the hormone estrogen (but are not actually estrogen). They are phytoestrogens, or plant-derived compounds with ‘estrogenic activity.’ Some studies have linked high consumption of these compounds with reduced or increased chances of breast cancer, but there is no conclusive evidence either way. The consumption of abnormally high levels of isoflavones is questionable, but regular consumption of soy milk and other sources of isoflavones is considered to be healthy. One of the main drawbacks of soy milk as a milk replacement is its lower level of calcium. Unfortified soy milk contains about one-fourth the amount of calcium in milk. Fortified soy milk is often comparable to cow’s milk in its calcium levels, but some studies show that fortified calcium may not be as healthful as naturally occurring calcium.
For vegans and people who are lactose intolerant, the issue of calcium should be addressed through a more comprehensive dietary plan involving alternate sources of calcium (such as almonds, beans, leafy greens and, for people who are not vegan, sardines). For people who use soy milk as a healthy source of isoflavones but who do not object to dairy in their diets, calcium is also available from cheese, yogurt and other dairy products. For more information, read Non-Dairy Sources of Calcium and Tips for Getting Enough Calcium.
Almond milk contains ground almonds and water. It’s a healthy alternative to cow’s milk, and contains more vitamins and minerals than soy and rice milks. Many people who’ve tried almond milk prefer the flavor of almond milk to that of soy and rice milk.
Soy milk contains a lot of protein, but doesn’t contain the high levels of vitamins and minerals found in almond milk, so it’s often fortified with calcium and vitamin D to bring is nutritional quality more on a level with fortified cow’s milk. Rice milk doesn’t contain much nutrition at all, so it’s usually also fortified with vitamin D, calcium and other nutrients. Both rice and soy milk are good milk alternatives for those who have milk allergies or are lactose intolerant, but you should buy manufactured rice and soy milk to insure that they’re properly fortified with the vitamins and minerals you need.
Because almonds are naturally very nutritious, almond milk doesn’t need to be fortified. You can make almond milk yourself at home, and it will have the same nutritional value as the almond milk available commercially.
I’m allergic to almonds, so I’m not going to go any further on this topic. I have a lot of friends that LOVE their almond milk and if I wasn’t allergic, I probably would too.
Coconut milk contains water, coconut cream and several gums, including xanthan and guar gum. It has become quite popular in the past few years with the emergence of the Paleo diet. There are many other health benefits of coconut milk including that it tastes great, is not gritty and acts very similarly to dairy milk in cooking. It’s also my choice of milk alternative, so I’m a little biased. Coconut milk is still relatively new to the market and there is not many studies that have been done.
Coconuts are seen by some as a miracle food, helping protect and cure the body of internal and external ailments. Coconut milk has many uses, most of which build up the immune system and the body’s defenses. You can find coconut milk in the ethnic foods section of a local grocery store or make it at home.
Read more: Coconut Milk Health Benefits | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_4744724_coconut-milk-health-benefits.html#ixzz2Dy8IVYB9
But any milk alternative that you choose, make sure it still doesn’t have any added sugars in it and that it’s what you LIKE to drink, not just what you think you should. Make every day fantastic!
coreelynn 