Cow’s milk can be considered one of the most nutritious beverages available due to its rich source of many nutrients, namely protein and calcium.
Whilst allergies and intolerances as well as ethical and/or environmental factors stop people from consuming cow’s milk, there is an abundance of alternatives derived from legumes such as soy, cereals such as rice or oat and nuts such as almond available. Let’s take a look at how they weigh up nutritionally…
Cow’s milk can be considered one of the most nutritious beverages available due to its rich source of many nutrients, namely protein and calcium.
Whilst allergies and intolerances as well as ethical and/or environmental factors stop people from consuming cow’s milk, there is an abundance of alternatives derived from legumes such as soy, cereals such as rice or oat and nuts such as almond available. Let’s take a look at how they weigh up nutritionally…
Cow’s milk – cow’s milk is known to be the best source of calcium among milk alternatives. Besides its great protein and calcium content, it’s a good source of many nutrients including iodine, vitamin A, vitamin D, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin B12 and zinc. As fat content varies, so does protein and calcium between products. Generally, skim milk contains 0.1% fat, low fat varieties contain 1-2% fat and full cream milk contains 3-4% fat. Per glass (250ml), full cream milk contains 8.5g protein, 8.5g fat (5.8g saturated) and 320mg calcium. Light milk varieties contain approximately 9.0g protein, 2.5g fat (1.5g saturated) and 315mg calcium.
Soy- Soy milk is the most popular alternative to dairy. As a result, they must contain at least 3% protein (similar level to milk) to be fortified with calcium and then considered as a complete milk replacement for all ages including children! 1 glass contains approximately 300mg calcium, 7.5g protein, 7.5g fat (1.0g saturated) and 1.5g dietary fibre.
Rice- Rice milk is another popular alternative, good for those who are avoiding soy products. Rice milk is naturally lower in protein and fat than other milk varieties. It is usually calcium fortified however read labels carefully if you are wanting to substitute cows milk with rice milk as you may need other sources of protein and calcium. Standard calcium fortified rice milk varieties generally contain 300mg calcium, 0.7g protein, 3.0g fat (0.2 saturated) and less than 1g dietary fibre per glass. Some varieties enriched with protein can contain around 3.7g protein per glass.
Oat- Oat milk has different benefits to most milk varieties. It contains beta glucan, a soluble dietary fibre which is important for heart health due to it’s cholesterol lowering properties. A 250ml glass of oat milk contains half the recommended daily intake of beta glucan. Similar to rice milk, oat milk is naturally lower in protein however is high in fibre. One glass of commercially available oat milk contains around 300mg calcium, 2.5g protein, 2.3g dietary fibre and 2.5g fat (0.5g saturated).
Almond- Almond milk is becoming increasingly popular as a milk alternative. Unfortunately, almond milk is not currently permitted to have vitamins or minerals added for nutritional purposes, meaning it is not a suitable replacement for dairy milk. Be aware of almond content when choosing products as some varieties contain as little as 2% almond (the rest being water!). Almond milk contains the least amount of protein and calcium when comparing other alternatives. One glass typicallycontains 188mg calcium, 1.3g protein, 3g fat (0.2g saturated) and 0.8g fibre.
Australian dietary guidelines recommend consuming two or three serves of milk, its products or alternatives each day.