Milking Your Options

Cows, goat, almond, oat, rice, soy... Take one guess what I'm talking about...

 

 

There are so many different varieties of milk on the supermarket shelves. Thanks to my friend for suggesting this blog with the question "is almond milk healthy?" in mind.

One of the most important nutrients in milk is calcium. Fortunately, a lot of milk substitutes are fortified with calcium. Check the label and choose a milk with at least 120mg calcium per 100ml. This  ensures about 300mg per serve (standard serve is 250ml).

 

Milk is also a good source of protein, with regular cow's milk providing about 8g per serve. Almond, soy, rice and oat milks are lower in protein, but protein enriched varieties are available.

 

Almond, soy, rice and oat milks are all naturally lower in fat and calories than regular cows milk, but reduced fat varieties are available if you are watching your weight.

Dietitians Pick for Milk Substitutes:

 

Almond milk

 

A few brands, such as Australia's Own and Sanitarium do not specify the calcium content in the nutrition information panel.

• Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Original Unsweetened
• Silk Pure Almond 

Soy milk

• Vitasoy Lite Soy

• Sanitarium So Good Lite Soy

Oat milk

• Vitasoy Original Oat Milk

Rice milk

• Vitasoy Protein Enriched Rice Milk

 

Almond, soy, oat and rice milk are all great substitutes for cow's milk, particularly if you suffer from lactose intolerance. Just be sure to check the information panel and choose the brand with the most calcium and protein per 100ml, and the least energy/ kilojoules per 100ml.