One role of a nutrition professional is to provide consumers with science based resources where they can get nutrition information. A really great resource for this is Nutrition Action, a low cost newsletter created by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Nutrition Action updates the public on nutrition related news, as well as provides tips and strategies for healthy eating.
We highly suggest you make the investment and subscribe to the print newsletter! This month’s newsletter compared the nutrition of milk and popular non-dairy milk alternatives and prompted us to cover the topic.
What is the benefit of milk?
Low fat dairy can be an important part of a complete diet for the following reasons:
- Milk is an excellent source of calcium, providing 30% of the recommended daily intake. A product can be labeled as an excellent source of a nutrient if it contains 20% or more of the recommended daily intake for that nutrient. It can be labeled as a good source if it contains 10-19% of the recommended daily intake.
- It is fortified with vitamin A and vitamin D,
- It is also a good source of protein. One cup of milk contains 8 grams of protein.
However, many people have a dairy intolerance, and with calcium and other nutrient fortification, milk alternatives can provide similar nutrients as milk.
Soy and rice milks have been around for many years, and more recently, almond, coconut, and even cashew milks have become very popular. The problem arises when misinformed people start giving advice on which milk alternative is the “best.” In order to help you make the right choice, we wanted to provide you with the basics.
Soymilk
Soymilk contains about the same amount of protein as dairy milk (8g per cup). Soymilk has about the same amount of potassium and calcium as dairy milk. Soymilk is one of the best non-dairy milks when it comes to matching nutrient content.
Soymilk has recently been given a bad rap because of the use of GMOs (genetically modified organisms). Here are a few things to know about this concern:
- Though some people will tell you not to drink soymilk because it is made with GMOs, many popular brands, including Silk, are not made with GMO soybeans.
- Research has provided no evidence that GMOs are dangerous to one’s health. Read more about GMO foods: GMO Foods: Why You Should NOT Freak Out! andDon’t Freak Out About GMO Foods, Part 2!
- Any produce that is labeled organic is free of GMOs, therefore if you want to avoid GMO soybeans, you can consume organic soymilk.
Some suggest that those with breast cancer should not consume soy because of its phytoestrogen content. There is also insufficient evidence to support the exclusion of soy from ones diet and whole soy foods are considered safe for consumption by breast cancer survivors. In fact, more recent studies show that consuming soy foods may help increase length of life of breast cancer survivors!
Read more about soy and breast cancer from the American Institute for Cancer Research here: Soy is Safe for Breast Cancer Survivors
Almond Milk
With all the misinformation about soy, almond milk has become increasingly popular as a “healthier” or “safer” milk alternative. Many dairy and non-dairy drinkers have switched almond thinking they are making a healthier choice. But the truth is, nutritionally speaking, almond milk and coconut milk are not adequate replacements for milk.
One cup of almond milk only contains 1 gram of protein! This doesn’t come anywhere close to the protein content of milk. The only milk alternative that has similar protein content to milk is soymilk.
But you’re thinking almonds are an excellent source of protein, why isn’t almond milk? The reason is that there are only 4 almonds in 1 cup of almond milk. FOUR! So not only are you not getting any protein, you’re also paying $3-$4 on sugar water!
Coconut Milk
Another milk alternative that is quite popular right now is coconut milk. However, coconut milk has NO PROTEIN! In addition, it contains a significant amount of saturated fat.
Despite these facts, coconut milk is marketed as “healthier” because of all the unsubstantiated claims made recently about coconuts and health. We have already discussed this in two blog posts and there is no need to rehash this discussion!
- Q&A: Since coconut oil is high in saturated fat, should I just avoid it?
- Coconut Oil Part 2! Follow-up and more discussion.
Bottom Line:
Even though almond and coconut milks do not provide significant sources of protein, it doesn’t mean that they are bad for you and you shouldn’t drink them if you want. But you should view their consumption similar to drinking water that has calories. They should not be considered a milk alternative!
The bottom line is protein is filling. If you only have a bowl of cereal with almond milk for breakfast, you will be consuming very little protein, and it will be no surprise when you are hungry one to two hours later. If you tolerate cow’s milk, we would suggest you choose a 1% or skim version that you like. If you don’t tolerate it, or you prefer not to consume animal milk, soymilk would be your closest substitute from a nutritional standpoint.
Be informed!
– Lora & Julie
I was disappointed that rice milk and cashew milk were mentioned, then not assessed in this article. Also, I think that it would be useful to look at the sweetened vs. unsweetened versions of these milk alternatives. I personally don’t care about protein content – I am not a vegetarian and get plenty of protein. I am more concerned about calories and added sugars. I want one that tastes most like skim milk so I can enjoy the occasional bowl of cereal or hot cocoa.
I agree with you. I am a survivor of hormone sensitive breast cancer (6 years out, praise God!), and I am trying to avoid dairy now, finding that there are so many hormones. I love my morning coffee but I now mix trader joes coconut coffee creamer (green carton, small) and unsweetened almond milk. It’s pretty good and there is very little sugar added to the coconut milk, which you can purchase sugar free as well. As far as protein, I enjoy a serving of whole oats or steel cut, which yields about 5 servings of protein. I also munch on almonds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds raw with sea salt, and I rarely get hungry! P.S. I throw in about 3-5 raw, bitter apricot seeds every day for cancer prevention. I get them on amazon…..God bless you with his healing power and knowledge, In Jesus name!:)
And Q for mentioning the hormone cancer didn’t know there was such a thing I was just diagnosed with stage to its lesson 3 cm I know I was caught on time in the name of Jesus but I didn’t know there was such a thing as hormone sensitive cancer thanks for mentioning that I believe that that’s a 100% what I have on colleges didn’t even tell me that
Sorry am voice texting that’s why the words did not come spelled out correctly
I meant to say ; the oncologist never mentioned the word “hormonal sensitive cancer to me”
“Research has provided no evidence that GMOs are dangerous to one’s health.”
Other than Monsanto…who else did credible research?
@ JVRB – good questions! Sounds like we’ll be doing a follow up to address those. Thanks for the ideas!
@ yuri Center for Science in the Public Interest has a great resource on GMOs. Find it linke from my GMO articles. Also, the genetic literacy project has good info. Both are non profits with a mission to protect and educate consumers. I like these resources for their evidence based and peer reviewed information reflecting current science and not just one person’s (or company) opinion. I hope you take the time to review then, I found then very interesting!
Is almond milk and soy milk good for cancer patients?
Hi Krystyle, soymilk is perfectly fine for cancer patients. i would stay away from commercial almond milk. – Julie
Wow and I was consuming almond milk thinking it was good an that im getting enough protein hmmm I have Hodgkins Lymphoma, am I to switch to soymilk?
I would suggest soymilk or cow’s milk. If you’re lactose intolerant, you could use lactaid milk, or the drops. Or make your own almond milk! 🙂 Julie
I am a Stage 4, Triple Negative Breast Cancer patient. I am currently (to the surprise of my Oncologist and specialists) in remission. I have implemented a complete, radical change in diet eliminating all meat, sugar and dairy. I am also consuming minimum carbs. I realise this may not be seen by some as the best and healthiest way of life but having had a bad prognosis at this point have nothing else to loose. I feel better than I have in years and for the most part do not miss any of the ‘old’ foods I used to consume. However, it would be nice to partake in the occasional coffee when out. I feel alright about using organic Soymilk but is the usual Soymilk you would find in a café quite ok also? I’m very aware about sugar content and carb levels these days. I have an “all or nothing” attitude to all this so don’t want to cut corners here and there. Thank you for a very interesting and informative topic – Tiffany
PS. I am in Brisbane, Australia
I think you will be fine w soy milk organic or not. But if you’re not comfortable with it, you could drink it black. 🙂
I never saw your reply and only now have – two years later. Thank you
Which milk is good for estrogen positive, progesterone positive, her2 positive breast cancer?
@Riley – I rec cows milk (%fat depends on how much you drink, and use lactaid if needed), or soy milk. There aren’t concerns about soy and hormone positive cancer as long as you eat the food form of soy rather than any processed, powdered or pill form that gives concentrated isoflavones. – Julie
Do you eat fish or coffee? Does are 2 things I eat in daily basis.
Thanks
Hi Rosario. I have only just seen your comment. Apologies. I eat fish. One coffee each morning.
Tiffany Parker–Hi I pray you see thi reply and contact me. I just read your post. I am TNBC Stage 4 as well.
Please let me know if you see this post by replying
Not sure if I can leave my contact
Here in this post
Hi TNBC,
I am unsure how to contact you here, but I am on Facebook. Perhaps you can find me there. . I am in Brisbane.
Kind Regards,
Tiffany
What do you eat
Food. Lots of variety and it must be delicious!!
What are your thoughts on raw milk? I have read that raw, non-homogenized whole milk from grass-fed cows is the best choice of milk to consume.
I would not consume raw milk unless you own the cow yourself. Pasteurization is a pretty great technology that keeps milk safe without altering the nutrition content.
I worked in a dairy processing plant back when I was a teen. Believe me you would not drink raw milk if you saw what came out of it after it was run through a centrifuge. YUCK!
Totally agree with this article! I myself never understood why so many people resort to almond milk, particularly for protein shakes since they have very little of it. Also, I like how you pointed out that soy milk does not increase chances of getting estrogen related cancers and increasing those cancer cells if someone already has it. I have heard and read in some diet related studies, that women in China and Japan consume a great amount of soy milk throughout their life and are generally amoung one of the healthiest women when comparing their health to other women.
Yes you are absolutely correct!!
For anyone like me with acne problems.. stay away from Soy milk! Ever since I started drinking Almond milk my skin has been amazing. Also, the lack of protein in Almond milk should not be a problem, since I get my protein from meat, fish, tuna, bean, etc.. Conunut milk on the other hand is very fatty, so if you’re looking to gain some weight you should definitely check it out! (also they taste delicious)
Glad you found something you like. 🙂
I have stage 4 renal cell carcinoma, my husband changed our diet completely. We our now vegans. I have been hearing terrible things about almond milk. Do you feel I should go back to whole milk?
Hi Jacqueline, It’s good to hear you are eating more fruits and veggies! Plant foods are so nourishing and delicious! When it comes to almond milk, it mostly depends on how often you are drinking it. If you are drinking it as a protein source, you will need to switch to something else. If it’s just a creamer for your coffee, I wouldn’t worry about it. If you are vegan, you would not do cow’s milk, but you could use soy milk. If you are considering including some dairy into your diet, then I would suggest a 1% milk. Hope that helps!
I was just reading an article by the Organic Consumers Association that most Silk is not organic anymore and is now owned by Dean Foods and uses GMO soy flour and hexane extraction…
https://www.organicconsumers.org/news/why-oca-calling-boycott-silk-soymilk
THanks for your comment! We will check into it. Honestly, I think it’s fine if you want to choose organic, but not necessary for good health. So I’m fine with people drinking soymilk that is not organic. However, if you want to consume organic soymilk, this info is good to know. Also, in regards to GMO’s, I think that’s another issue that people get very emotional over, but I don’t see any strong concerns with it. A recent report from the National Academy of Sciences concluded that based on all the current data, GMOs have no evidence as being harmful. However, there is a lot of lives GMO crops are saving in other countries where malnutrition is a serious concern. 🙂 Julie
The problem with GMO crops is in what they spray the plants with. Many monocrop farms use pesticides and poisons to guard against pests. A good percentage of the crops that are grown, are also for meat. As a cancer patient with an already lower immune system, would not advise that they consume GMO food.
Shannon – do you have some evidence based articles you can point to on this? I think it’s a fine choice if you want to avoid them. However, I don’t know of any evidence based recommendations stating that it’s necessary to avoid GMOs in order to promote health. In fact, the National Academies of Sciences put out a report (found here: https://nas-sites.org/ge-crops/) that concluded: “Genetically engineered crops are safe for humans and animals to eat and have not caused increases in cancer, obesity, gastrointestinal illnesses, kidney disease, autism or allergies,”.
Julie .So your saying for cancer patients & survivor patients , stay away from commercial almond milk because of not having enough protein?
Or what is in it is bad ?
Yes that’s correct. Nothing it is is particularly bad. But why would you spend money on something that’s not actually providing you with something that’s particularly good? I can think of a lot of other things I’d rather spend that $4 on!! 😀
Hi, what are your thoughts on oat milk? I’m a survivor/thriver! of hormone based breast cancer. I stopped having most dairy as advised by integrative medical practitioner. I used to have soy milk before my diagnosis in drinks and on muslie/porridge, then my oncologist suggested I didn’t have soy products, though he did say the amount I was having was probably not a problem, but probably safer to not have it, so have been very wary ever since and a bit confused by it all, as I have read what seems to be latest research saying it is ok, as you said possibly even good. Still have soy when out and that is the only option, I like it! Tried all other milks and like oat the best, in tea and coffee and with cereal. White tea looks like white tea with cows milk! comforting! Anyway just wondering if you have any knowledge re oat milk, thanks!
I don’t have a lot of thoughts on that. Might be fine, but I cannot imagine it’s a good source of protein. I don’t know why you shouldn’t have dairy, but if you’re going to avoid it you need to make sure you are getting good quality protein from somewhere else. It’s up to you, but don’t expect oat milk to be a milk substitute in regards to protein.
My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and is wary of drinking real milk because of the naturally occuring hormones in the milk (she is estrogen positive CA). Do you think there is a danger in drinking real milk for such a patient? We’ve been drinking LOTS of almond milk but now feel like the additives may be unhealthy. Thank you!
There’s not risk to cow hormones for ER/PR positive breast cancer survivors. There’s no evidence to suggest that humans respond to cow hormones. I wouldn’t recommend consuming more than 3 dairy servings a day in general, just because I think variety is important. But having cows milk is fine. Or if you prefer to avoid milk, you can enjoy yogurt and cheese for dairy servings.
Highly recommend the book “The China Study” to readers interested in health and nutrition. It documents the findings of the most comprehensive nutritional study. ever done. It clearly addresses the link between cancer and the protein caaein, which is found in cows milk.
While interesting, The China Study really only looks at one study. I prefer to focus on evidence based reports that incorporate multiple well designed studies. You can be a vegan if you choose and have a healthy diet, but I don’t think evidence shows it’s absolutely necessary to restrict your eating to that extreme to have good health. There are other healthy plant based diet patterns that include some dairy and/or meat. The China Study was just one group’s conclusions, not a compilation of multiple studies.
I have been diagnosed with Livercancer staged 3and was told get your paperwork in order
Now we have seen a cancer survivor who was in a similar situation 6years ago he told me to take 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in 2 teaspoons of lemon juice 4 times a day to bring body ph to 8 in 7oz of water and to cut all cane sugar out of diet also all dairy products just use honey and maple syrup as sweetner do you think did sounds reasonable Piet Schurink
I’m newly diagnosed end stage multiple myeloma at a first come first serve appointments at a free clinic. I had labs July 2nd that indicated multiple myeloma but didn’t have an appointment until July 9 to tell me. At that appointment more extensive cts were ordered and a 747 protein. I did them over the next 12 hours. I haven’t seen a doctor since but did finally get a complete copy of my records. I tried to Google and take everything out of my diet that said was bad for MM on the net. I immediately felt mortally ill for a couple of days and started incorporating some of my nutrients back as I thought juice and salads alone were killing me faster. I’m attempting to find an option for someone with no insurance or money. I can’t take my wife and kids to ruin if I’m dying no matter so no 2nd mortgage, my wife is already burdened because I’m no longer able to work and a financial burden. At this point would mind knowing if any foods target the bone marrow blood plasma cancer or increase good immune cell strength becauseI think I’ve checked every possibility and want to do what I can without professional help from science that didn’t even know about the water conduit largest organ in our body until last year which likely means no holes through bone is needed for injectable therapies. I’m ready to pursue natural cures in absence of funds to buy empty promisesI can’t afford. AKBA, CBDs, Red onions, garlic, beets? Throw me anything you think, please and thank you. And anyone else finding walls that wants peace read the serenity prayer and think about what it really says “eliminating worry about what you can’t do and knowing what that is, is paramount to taking the stress out”. We all have a unique opportunity to assure our friends and loved ones it’s ok and start them through the grief process… that’s a selfless road and has a medicinal effect.
Not sure where you are getting idea that almond milk is high in carbs/sugars. Read labels from several manufacturers please.
I certainly haven’t said it’s high in carbs or sugar. What I’m focusing on is what it does not have, but should. 🙂
What about drinking almond milk and having some kind of estrogen that is within these chemicals. Is this true of almond milk? And since I have been drinking almond milk for several years (me being middle aged) noticed a severe drop in libido. Do you think almond milk played a role?
I want to clear that does almond milk cause cancer I have been drinking for 3 month..which plant milk is safe to drink