Alternatives to cows milk

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

So you need some alternatives to cows milk?

Well, luckily there are plenty of alternatives to cows milk on the market so I’m sure you will be able to find one that suits your taste buds:-)

There are many reasons why people need alternatives to cows milk. For example they may be lactose intolerant, allergic, they may not like the taste or may be following a vegan diet.

So here are a few alternatives to cows milk….

Oat Milk –  A blend of cooked oats, water, and a touch of salt and sweetener. It has a mild, slightly sweet flavour. Fortified oat milk has a nutrient profile almost identical to rice milk, but with slightly more protein. It also has more carbohydrates and sugar than soy, almond, hemp, and goat’s milk, and more protein.

Rice Milk  – is a combination of brown rice, water, oil, salt, and sweetener. It is also thinner than other alternatives to cows milk. This light, sweet milk provides roughly the same amount of calories, calcium, vitamin D, and phosphorous as cows milk. It’s also lower in fat than other alternatives to cows milk. As a grain-based product, a single cup of rice milk can provide up to two servings of carbohydrates and up to 4 teaspoons of sugar and it is light on the protein.

Soy Milk – Is made by soaking, grinding, and straining soybeans. It is a popular alternative to cows milk and has a sweet, creamy nut flavour. A complete protein, soy milk offers all of the essential amino acids your body needs. It also has less calories and half the fat of cow’s milk. Soy milk is a good source of calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin B12, and contains antioxidants and phytochemicals such as isoflavones, saponins, and phytic acid. Drinking soy milk has been linked to a healthy heart, cholesterol reduction, and increased immune function.

Almond Milk – Is another popular one on any list of alternatives to cows milk. It is a blend of ground almonds and water combined with a touch of sugar and salt for added flavour. This nutty milk has fewer calories, 63 percent less fat (only 3 g per cup), and more calcium, vitamin E, and vitamin B12 than cow’s milk. Almond milk also has healthy amounts of riboflavin and Vitamin D. The only downside is that almond milk only has 1 g of protein per cup compared to 8 g per cup in cow’s milk.

There are a couple more alternatives to cows milk. Not quite as popular in Australia.

Goats Milk –  is not lactose free. It has more fat, calories, protein, and phosphorous than other cow’s milk alternatives, and it has a nutrition profile closer to whole milk.

Hemp Milk – has a nutty flavour and slightly gritty in texture. Unsweetened hemp has less calories than cow’s milk, but it’s one of the fattier alternatives with 6 g of fat per cup. Fortified hemp milk provides more vitamin B12 and magnesium and similar amounts of calcium, vitamin D, riboflavin, and phosphorous to cow’s milk.

Do you have any other favourites? Feel free to share in the comments section:-)

Kim

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