Skim milk, soy milk, or almond milk?

24

Replies

  • srslybritt
    srslybritt Posts: 1,618 Member
    I grew up on Skim Milk based on the family having high cholesterol. Now I hardly ever drink milk, but it is either skim or Light Chocolate Soy milk. Love it!

    Light chocolate soy milk is the best thing ever, also.
  • ctpeace
    ctpeace Posts: 327 Member
    Mostly Skim, but I'm experimenting with almond milk and whole milk in my coffee. I'm not for or against any of it, factors that influence my decision are: taste, calories/fat, and price. I'd probably go mostly almond milk if I wasn't so cheap! If you're going for protien, stick with cow milk though.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    None of the above.

    Whole Raw Milk
  • imtrinat
    imtrinat Posts: 153 Member
    Soy milk is more closely matched to cow's milk as far as muscle building protein is concerned. Almond milk seems to have a better reputation for health and I believe you can get it protein enriched- although I'm not sure where that protein comes from. Soy is worrisome to many people because it often uses genetically modified soy beans and it has phytoestrogens. Cow's milk is more calorie dense and you can find any number of horror stories about what is in it. That stuff is something you will have to decide for yourself though. Both soy and almond milk are about half the calories of cow's milk and I personally think they both taste better.
  • Charlottesometimes23
    Charlottesometimes23 Posts: 687 Member
    Getting this out there before the milk alarmists contribute:

    http://www.simplyshredded.com/qa-with-nutrition-expert-alan-aragon-milk.html

    Nice article.

    I drink lactose free skim because I like the slightly sweet flavour
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
    My personal choice is Silk Light chocolate soymilk. 90 calories for 8 ounces and it's delicious. There is more protein and calcium than milk. Plus, there are no hormones or antibiotics that you may find in cow's milk. Organic would be even better.
  • TriShamelessly
    TriShamelessly Posts: 905 Member
    Skim to 2% cow's milk for me. Can't stand the taste of the others.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    I use whole milk when cooking recipes that call for milk because I find that milk "substitutes" don't come out right when used as an ingredient in cooking. For everything else, I use either almond or coconut. I avoid soy like the plague because of the reasons listed in imtrinat's answer and would rather deal with the mystery ingredients that go into cow's milk than phytoestrogens.
  • chatogal
    chatogal Posts: 436 Member
    just discovered almond milk for coffee...yum yum yum...but for tea, I can only have skimmed cows milk :-)
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
    I mix it up, a little of each, as there are so many food allergies in my family (esp dairy and soy) and I was sensitive as a child.

    other than that- if it fits your macro/calorie goal- it doesn't really matter. Almond Milk seems to fit my macros best, but sometimes I want 'real milk' and adjust my other food accordingly-as needed- for a bowl of cereal with 2% milk or homemade chai latte
  • sunshinestater
    sunshinestater Posts: 596 Member
    I tried almond milk because I'm not fond of soy milk and I'm moving toward a vegetarian diet. Granted, that doesn't exclude milk, but I found that I love the taste of the unsweetened almond milk so I used it for everything but coffee now. It's great in smoothies.
  • kamakazeekim
    kamakazeekim Posts: 1,183 Member
    I personally drink skim. My family dairy farms and if I lived closer to my parents I would drink raw milk (obviously with the cream skimmed off) Raw milk is SOOO much healthier for you than processed milk!

    I worked with a doctor during my internship who said that if men drink too much soy milk they would eventually start showing female characteristics ie larger breasts because soy milk is high in estrogen.
  • smn04nov07
    smn04nov07 Posts: 1
    I would base your decision on 2 things:

    1. Which one you think tastes best
    2. Which one has the nutrition you want.

    So I would do a taste test and compare the nutrition labels.

    Personally, I drink 1% cows milk, and I grew up on 2% cows milk. I don't believe in cutting ALL the fat out of food that naturally has fat in it.
  • sunshinestater
    sunshinestater Posts: 596 Member
    I personally drink skim. My family dairy farms and if I lived closer to my parents I would drink raw milk (obviously with the cream skimmed off) Raw milk is SOOO much healthier for you than processed milk!
    Amen! In my state, it's illegal to buy raw milk for human consumption, but you can buy it for your pets. Every now and then I buy some "for the cats," and it's not my fault if I accidentally grab the wrong bottle and drink some. I find it idiotic that you can legally buy cigarettes here, but not raw milk.
  • FuzzyDicePHL
    FuzzyDicePHL Posts: 51 Member
    I grew up on skim cow's milk and it's tasty and all, but I haven't bought it for ages since I began using almond milk. The flavor is better than soy milk (blech!) and it's much lower in calories. Protein content doesn't matter to me since I get that elsewhere.

    Half & half in my coffee though -- calorie-wise, the difference between this & whole milk is negligible.
  • debbieb1971
    debbieb1971 Posts: 29 Member
    I love full fat milk - and even then it's still not that high percentage wise. Unfortunately i'm lactose intolerant so i tend to use soya milk, soya yogurts and feta cheese. Never seen almond milk in the shops in the UK, but then again i've never looked for it, but i will be next time i go shopping x
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,207 Member
    2% organic goat.:happy:
  • cals83
    cals83 Posts: 131
    I use almond milk for my shakes or with muesli, love it! I have skimmed milk in my coffee.

    This is what I do as well. I like almond milk in smoothies and with cereal...it is thick and creamy without adding all of the calories of whole milk.

    If I do have coffee, I usually use skim or 2% milk. If I am going to be cooking something with milk, I buy 2% otherwise it is skim.
  • hauntao
    hauntao Posts: 130 Member
    Skim and almond for me.
  • Kellyanne822
    Kellyanne822 Posts: 38 Member
    Almond milk for me! I was never a huge fan of cow milk and now I will never go back to it. I love any kind of almond milk - sweetened, unsweetened, vanilla! All are great on their own or mixed in a smoothie or cereal. As a vegetarian, I try to stay away from soy milk as I get plenty of soy in my diet already. However, you can buy non-GMO soy milk which is a better option. I also love chocolate coconut milk in my smoothies.
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
    whole milk! i used to be a skim milk drinker, but i'm pretty much hooked on whole.
  • Shr3dded
    Shr3dded Posts: 232
    Almond or skim milk. Soy promotes estrogen production.
  • gr8xpectationz
    gr8xpectationz Posts: 161 Member
    Full fat raw milk.

    I LOVE raw milk. Unfortunately, we can't find it where I live, but every so often, we drive over to an Amish dairy farm in PA for several gallons (milk freezes well!) Bizarrely, I believe transporting raw milk across state lines constitutes a felony, so don't tell anybody :drinker:
  • Vehicon
    Vehicon Posts: 22
    I personally am in love with Blue Diamond Unsweetened Almond Breeze. I get the refrigerated kind and at 30 calories per cup, it's worth every single calorie in my opinion.

    I'm somewhat lactose intolerant and I don't miss milk that much now that I have discovered almond milk.
  • MizPassion
    MizPassion Posts: 245 Member
    I currently use skim and almond milk in cereal and smoothies.
  • rljohnsufl
    rljohnsufl Posts: 48
    Unsweetened soy milk. I'm lactose intolerant and I don't need or want the extra sugar in vanilla or regular soy milk.

    Though I do keep a stash of chocolate soy milk for post workout.

    I'll eat any kind of ice cream you want to give me! :tongue:
  • mycupyourcake
    mycupyourcake Posts: 279 Member
    I started drinking unsweetened almond milk (silk). I would like to start making my own to cut own all the crap they add to keep it from separating. I put it in my vegan green protein smoothie. I am not vegan but I have found that whey protein makes me gassy and lethargic. Vegan protein, strawberries, almond milk, ice and spinach make a kick butt morning smoothie.
  • Pinkylee77
    Pinkylee77 Posts: 432 Member
    I have drank skim milk for almost 40 years so it is my preferred drink. My daughter has milk issues so she is almond milk all the way. As for Raw Milk, it can be contaminated with tuberculosis and many children died prior to pasteurization. I do not claim to know if it is still an issue in raw milk only know the history.
  • mycupyourcake
    mycupyourcake Posts: 279 Member
    When I was in India I drank raw water buffalo milk. I suggest that if you can get your hands on it. I can't seem to find it in the US. :tongue:
  • Vehicon
    Vehicon Posts: 22
    I have drank skim milk for almost 40 years so it is my preferred drink. My daughter has milk issues so she is almond milk all the way. As for Raw Milk, it can be contaminated with tuberculosis and many children died prior to pasteurization. I do not claim to know if it is still an issue in raw milk only know the history.

    It's best to check online for recalls of any brands but know that buying raw milk always poses a risk, albeit not as significant as 50 years ago in Europe where the raw milk had to be boiled to kill the bacteria.

    For what it's worth, Whole Foods sold it for a short time but realized the financial risk was too big to keep selling it.

Categories