What kind of milk to drink?

edfuentes

So about two years ago I switched to drinking skim milk and the change was perfectly fine. However since tracking nutrients in myfitnesspal, I can't believe how much sugar is in a serving of milk! 12 grams! If I do not exercise in a day, that means I'm only allowed 36 grams of sugar per day. A glass of milk and one piece of fruit and I've pretty much met that requirement. So my question is, what different kinds of milk do people drink and what are the said advantages/disadvantages of each and how do you personally feel after the change? (soy, almond, coconut, lactaid, etc.)

I recently bought soy milk, which has almost half the sugar, and close to the same amount of protein. But I've been told before that soy can raise your estrogen levels and as a 30 year old man trying to put lean muscle on, I'm not sure switching to soy in the long run is a good choice.

Thanks in advance!

-Dwin

moreORless50

i have recently started using almond milk and i love it :happy:

ewies84

My son and I are both dairy intolerant, so we mainly use almond milk. Unsweetenend Vanilla Almond Breeze is our favorite!! We also use rice or coconut milk on occasion.

amez1974

We used to drink skim milk, but it adversely effects part of the household. We didn't want to go with a soy product, so we switched to Almond Milk. We buy unsweetened, plain and no on has complained. I accidentally bought sweetened vanilla a few weeks ago and the kids complained it was too sweet. The Almond Milk I buy is high in calcium, but barely has any protein. We eat a pretty balanced diet, so I'm not concerned about the protein or lack of in the milk. Sometimes for a treat I will buy some chocolate almond milk and the kids say it's good too--I don't think I've ever tried it though.

KS_4691

Almond or coconut with no added sweeteners. Not dairy milk, skim or otherwise.

PicklePlum

I used to drink so much 2% cow milk. I switched to almond milk and love it. I buy vanilla flavor and "dilute" it with the unsweetened almond milk (about 1:1) or add some ovaltine to unsweetened.

Lalouse

I switched from skim milk to almond milk about 6 months ago, and I'm very happy with it.

There are many different kinds of almond milk, and I drink the Silk Unsweetened Original, which is 30 calories per cup with no sugar. I started by drinking the Original (sweetened, 60 cals/cup), which probably has much sugar as regular milk. Other options include vanilla (90 cals/cup) and chocolate, but I'm not one for flavors.

I think the almond milk grew on me quickly. It didn't take long for me to switch to the unsweetened version. I will say that it has a slight almond-y taste that might bother some people, and it probably took me a little while to get used to it, but now I won't drink anything else. I don't find that the almond taste comes out when I mix milk with things (cereal, oatmeal), but you will probably taste it if you drink a glass of milk or if you add it to your tea (which I do sometimes). Another downside is that almond milk will not have as much protein as cow's milk.

I didn't switch to Soy because I'm a woman and I heard about the hormone issues and just didn't want to risk it. I don't know how those issues affect men, but my understanding is that you have to consume large amounts of soy for it to really affect you. I drink milk every day, and occasionally eat other soy products like tofu, so I didn't want to drink soy milk regularly. I do order Soy if I'm getting milk/tea when I'm out, because most places don't have almond milk.

mdb543

almond milk is great!! I mix it in my protein shakes!! Unsweetened though is the way to go!! I also love the coconut milk and chocolate milk they make!!

fldiver97

try almond milk or my recent favorite Blue Diamond Almond/coconut milk.....45 cal per serving and tasgted light and a bit 'coconutty' (is that a real word??????)

kkr1010

I have read that the maximum recommended sugar intake in general refers to added sugar rather than sugar naturally found in fruit or other foods. I don't generally use sugar, but I also don't keep track of the grams of sugar from milk, fruit, etc. Is that a bad idea?

WendyTerry420

I drink 2% milk as well as hemp milk, chocolate hemp milk, and coconut milk.

Drink whatever milk you enjoy the best. I never drink soy because it tastes gross to me. I drink chocolate flavored sometimes because I don't worry about sugar the way some people do. There is no "right milk" or "wrong milk." Drink what you like!

deniseblossoms

coconutty works for me. I've been noticing that flavor in a few of my friends journals, think I'm going to pick up some this week at the store. I noticed that my protein shake put me over my sugar limit for the day before i added all the exercise in.

WendyTerry420

I have read that the maximum recommended sugar intake in general refers to added sugar rather than sugar naturally found in fruit or other foods. I don't generally use sugar, but I also don't keep track of the grams of sugar from milk, fruit, etc. Is that a bad idea?

Unless you are diabetic or have some other medical condition, there is absolutely no sound reason to worry about sugar, other than the fact that pure sugar is higher in calories.

baptiste565

y r u concerned about sugar. r u diabetic?

Inforthelonghaul

So about two years ago I switched to drinking skim milk and the change was perfectly fine. However since tracking nutrients in myfitnesspal, I can't believe how much sugar is in a serving of milk! 12 grams! If I do not exercise in a day, that means I'm only allowed 36 grams of sugar per day. A glass of milk and one piece of fruit and I've pretty much met that requirement. So my question is, what different kinds of milk do people drink and what are the said advantages/disadvantages of each and how do you personally feel after the change? (soy, almond, coconut, lactaid, etc.)

I recently bought soy milk, which has almost half the sugar, and close to the same amount of protein. But I've been told before that soy can raise your estrogen levels and as a 30 year old man trying to put lean muscle on, I'm not sure switching to soy in the long run is a good choice.

Thanks in advance!

-Dwin

Don't know what you mean by a serving but the sugar content you quote seems excessively high. Whole milk, that is about 4g per 100g fat, has about 4.8g per 100g sugar or more correctly Lactose.
This makes full fat milk a much healthier option than many many other foods/drinks, it's natural and it's cheap.

maryd523

Milk is for baby cows. Not adult humans.

I use unsweetened almond milk. 35 calories per cup and it's delicious!

Halleeon

I've changed from whole milk, all the way down to nonfat milk, then switched to soy (then learned what you learned) then moved to almond milk and am now on am almond milk/coconut blend with the intention of transitioning to coconut at some point. Baby steps work best for me when making changes...and I think coconut is the healthiest option of the milks.

Inforthelonghaul

Milk is for baby cows. Not adult humans.

I use unsweetened almond milk. 35 calories per cup and it's delicious!

Or more correctly, baby mammals!

cmriverside

Nonfat milk is a nutritional bargain. It's loaded with amino acids not available in vegetable milks. Lots of Protein, Potassium, Calcium, and Vitamin D (which is not supplemented in vegetable milks - and is often under-consumed in the diet, leading to deficiency.)

The other "processed" milks made from soy and almonds and hemp and rice etc, have carrageenen (sp?) used for texture - which is also not that good.

I think nonfat milk is one of the best things in my diet for 80 calories and no fat.

To each their own. The "sugars" in milk (lactose) - don't worry about them. Just worry about added sugars. Myfitnesspal just doesn't differentiate between them. Unless you have insulin issues, or are intolerant, keep drinking it.

edfuentes

Don't know what you mean by a serving but the sugar content you quote seems excessively high. Whole milk, that is about 4g per 100g fat, has about 4.8g per 100g sugar or more correctly Lactose.
This makes full fat milk a much healthier option than many many other foods/drinks, it's natural and it's cheap.

I am not diabetic, but it does run in my family. Also, I'm trying to become as lean as possible, and I've read that monitoring your sugar intake is a major key for effective fat burn.

I don't really eat any soy products, so my soy intake is limited to this milk right now. I may switch to almond milk despite the lack of protein, strictly because I can supplement my protein in other ways.

Debbe2

Try almond milk