Soy, Rice, or Almond Milk: Which is the Best Alternative?

jkhirst · August 2012

Since I'm allergic to dairy, have been all my life, I have tried out all of these milks and find each are more suitable for different uses.

Personally, I like to use soy milk in my hot drinks or cereal. Silk would be my top choice and then So Good following that. For the controversy surrounding this, I would just say that it would depend on how much other soy products you are digesting. Since I consume a lot of non-dairy products of which use soy, I tend to stay away from soy milk just so I'm not consuming too much of it. The studies seem to go back and forth on this product.

I find coconut milk works good in curries and in rich desserts that need a thicker milk consistency. It also makes amazing ice cream. I just buy the one in the red can, I can't remember the name.

Rice milk makes a great substitute in any baking or cooking where you need a milk consistency, but don't want the flavour to affect the recipe. For example, pumpkin pie with rice milk is delicious. Almost anytime you see evaporated milk, rice milk can be the substitute. I'm not picky with the brand, as I'm using it in baking and such, I normally go for the unsweetened no-name brands.

And finally almond milk. The best tasting alternative in my opinion. I love the Vanilla Almond Breeze. This alternative is the closest I think to real milk texture and the best to drink on it's own or in a smoothie/protein shake.

xxvogue · August 2012

I eat a lot of soy products so I avoid drinking it (too much soy isn't great, blah blah estrogen).

I use plain, unsweetend almond milk, but really the only reasons why I need milk are in my morning smoothies and for baking. I dislike the taste of almond milk plain.

jjefferies7 · August 2012

having soy is perfectly fine for men.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20378106

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12094627?dopt=Abstract

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11880595?dopt=Abstract

AmyP619 · August 2012

I love unsweetened almond milk..the vanilla!! I mix it with my protein shakes for lunch!

yum

caribougal · August 2012

I drank lots of milk as a kid, then very little when I went off to college, and as a result, became lactose intolerant. Or so I thought.

I can eat plenty of cheese, cream, and butter, but an 8 oz glass of milk or milk-based protein drink (or milkshake!) will turn my gut inside out within 20 minutes.

I tried switching to organic milk. No good.

I tried switching to organic goat's milk. No good.

Then, when I stopped nursing my oldest son, I started to order milk from the local dairy which is delivered each week in glass bottles. Amazingly... I can drink that!

At first I thought that I maybe I was reacting to the plastics or lining in store-bought milks. But I don't have any reaction to OJ that comes in those same containers. So now I think the difference is that my dairy only pasteurizes the milk, but doesn't ultra-pasteurize it, and also it's delivered within 24 hours of milking. Not sure, but I'm happy. Plus, glass bottles are just fun and of course, are returned each week. The only downside is that delivery happens at 1:30am, and I always wake up to the clanking of glass bottles going in the cooler at my front door in the middle of the night once a week.

I choose to give my boys pasteurized milk because I don't believe the benefits of raw milk outweigh the risks. There are a LOT of people in my area who buy raw milk shares for their families, and we've also seen some severe hospitalizations in our town from raw milk consumption. We're talking serious kidney failure from bacterial infections. I personally choose not to take the risk, and would rather boost my boys' immune systems by eating other healthy foods. And like many toddlers, mine seem to eat only one decent meal a day. If they eat a big lunch, they pick at dinner, or vice versa. So I know at least they're getting some extra nutrition through their milk at those light meals.

That said, I would happily convert them to coconut or almond milk if they liked it, but they turn up their nose. I personally drink coconut milk and think it's delicious. But I still prefer half and half from our dairy for my coffee. I may even try their whipping cream in my coffee next.

My ideal would be to find local milk delivered from cows that are grass-fed. But so far, I haven't found that. Last night at 11pm, I found myself googling for local grass-fed beef since I want to order 1/4 cow. Somehow, I ended up looking at a website for a Yak rancher nearby. Why was I looking at a Yak website at 11pm? Because I'm weird. I started thinking... maybe I could quit my corporate job, buy some land, and raise Yaks! They're adorable. This ranch sells Yak cheese, fiber, coats, the meat is twice the price of grass-fed beef, and they sell breeding stock. Talk about major premium product! Oh, but minor detail. I know nothing about ranching. Or yaks.

What was this post about? Am I the first person to post about yaks on MFP?