Alternative to Almond Milk/Cows Milk

shewdog
shewdog Posts: 34
in Food and Nutrition
I have tried going off cows milk before by reading up online about the hormones and general nasties that end up in cows milk. The idea of ingesting it made my want to puke. I lasted a couple of weeks on Rice Milk, but I don't really like it that much.

I would love to try this Almond milk - but I am allergic to Almonds.

Any other substitutes? Preferably available in the UK and with a creamy texture :)
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Replies

  • phoenixgirl81
    phoenixgirl81 Posts: 309 Member
    I drink soy milk. There are good soy milks and bad soy milks.

    You could also try hazelnut milk (although it does have a chocolate-ly flavour).

    I hated rice milk.
  • Sailorwind
    Sailorwind Posts: 158 Member
    A lot of people seem to like coconut milk as well. Though soy is the easiest alternative. That sucks about the almonds, though. It's definitely my preference.
  • buckeye86
    buckeye86 Posts: 128 Member
    Rice milk is too thin. I'm not a huge fan of almond milk either. I like sunflower milk the best. I usually have to add a bit of sweetener, but it's definitely nice and thick and not at all watery. Doubt it's available in the UK. There's only one company here I've seen that makes it.
  • alane15
    alane15 Posts: 121 Member
    I know a lot of people who make cashew milk themselves at home. I hear it is pretty easy (but I think you need a food processor) it's on my list of things to try in the near future!
  • Seriousmom3
    Seriousmom3 Posts: 164
    The Coconut Milk is very good. I didn't much like the vanilla. I found it too sweet. The original was my favorite. I especially liked them in smoothies and over night oats. If you use it for cereal I recommend letting the milk get very cold first. I used mine in cereal right from the store (30 min drive) and it got too warm.
  • reyopo
    reyopo Posts: 210 Member
    Coconut! The "beverage" style is great as a milk substitute for cereal etc. Coconut Dream is my favorite brand. So Delicious is good too.

    Coconut cream from a can is great for coffee and tea.
  • LaurenLite
    LaurenLite Posts: 87
    I LOVE unsweetened flax milk. Very smooth, very good with cereal and alone. It's 25 cals for one cup of Good Karma's unsweetened flaxmilk- lactose and gluten free. I prefer unsweetened because sweetened ANYTHING is just a little too much for me.
  • Jester522
    Jester522 Posts: 392
    I drink soy milk. There are good soy milks and bad soy milks.

    You could also try hazelnut milk (although it does have a chocolate-ly flavour).

    I hated rice milk.

    All soy is bad soy. Hazelnut? Never heard of it but sounds tasty. Never heard of rice milk either but that sounds gross.
    With the exception of coconut milk (because I make it myself so I know what it is) I don't understand how these things come to be. Since when to almond trees and rice plants lactate? lol

    If it's the industry horrors that make you avoid it, which is a valid reason, why not look into organic/grassfed cow milk sources? Obviously more expensive but the best option.
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
    Are you sure you're getting factual information about hormones and antibiotics. From SueGremlin:

    "When you inject a cow with rBST, she will produce 11-16% more milk than they normally would. Not all cows are treated with rBST, either. Something like 20% of dairies use this hormone. t is impossible to detect the difference between cows that are treated with rBST and those who are not because there is no difference in the levels of this hormone from cows that are untreated, they produce their own naturally. Read labels. They are carefully worded and do not say "rBST-free milk" because that is not true.

    Cows that are treated with antibiotics for mastitis have ALL of their milk WITHHELD from consumption until there are no detectable levels of antibiotics in the milk. There is a positive correlation between cows that produce more milk and the incidence of mastitis, which is a bacterial infection in the udder. Most cows don't have this, and farmers do everything they can to keep the udders of their cows healthy. Farmers who violate this and let antibiotics into their bulk tanks would be penalized very very heavily for it, so they don't do it."
  • denezy
    denezy Posts: 573 Member
    Goat milk?
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    I love unsweetened coconut milk. But I mainly use it to make protein smoothies.
  • ShaneOSX
    ShaneOSX Posts: 198
    My milk progression:

    Whole->Skim->Skim Organic->Soy->Almond->Flax

    I haven't been using Flax Milk for long but I love it.

    I've never tried Coconut Milk or Rice Milk.
  • Lipstickcherry
    Lipstickcherry Posts: 122 Member
    I have lactose intolerance and only take in small amounts of milk, learning to live without it is fairly easy. I like soy milk the best.
    I eat a lot of soy cheeses too. Not only am I am able to digest it better, but my sinus issues got better. My nephew is allergic to milk so it may be genetic for me.

    Tesco carries soy milk (I remember them from when I lived in London, so I just googled them to see).

    Good luck!
  • shorty35565
    shorty35565 Posts: 1,425 Member
    I drink soy milk. There are good soy milks and bad soy milks.

    You could also try hazelnut milk (although it does have a chocolate-ly flavour).

    I hated rice milk.

    hazelnut milk sounds delish!
    OP, coconut milk is really good. I enjoy it :) I like coconut anything lol
  • Nerdy_Rose
    Nerdy_Rose Posts: 1,277 Member
    Coconut milk hands down. Love it. Original or Unsweetened So Delicious brand.
  • MrsAgi
    MrsAgi Posts: 338 Member
    The UK/EU has MUCH stricter laws about animal welfare/food contamination that the US - it is illegal to use any hormones here, and the milk of cows treated with antibiotics can not be sold in any form until the treatment is over. All UK cows eat actual grass and almost all (just one "super dairy" so far) get to see the outside and walk around!

    Cows milk gives you the best nutritional bang for your buck, as it were;)

    Having said that, we're currently doing a DF diet for daughter no.2 - she likes Almond milk on her cereal, Hazlenut milk to drink and coconut milk to cook with (works almost the same as dairy milks - oat or rice milk make everything too stodgy). She also uses the soya cream on desserts etc. It really is a matter of trying everything and seeing what works best for you.

    Make sure you buy the fortified "milks" - the current trend of calling any white liquid "milk" means that on the whole the have virtually no nutritional value, and vitamins/minerals have to be artificially added during production. Most "milks" are produced by soaking the item in water overnight and that liquid is the "milk". If you do it with, say, oranges, you get a weak orange juice and if you do it with almonds/rice/coconut etc you get a weak almond/rice/coconut juice which is white in colour - they often add in he pulp too, but even so, it is mostly water:wink:
  • jazee11
    jazee11 Posts: 321
    There is soy and hemp milk now. Keep trying different brands until you find one that you like cuz each brand tastes different. Same with the rice milks, though I don't care for the rice milks or yogurts. They are too sweet for me.


    I forgot about coconut milk. That is really good in hot chocolate or mocha.
  • Losing2Live69
    Losing2Live69 Posts: 743 Member
    Do you have organic cow's milk available where you live? It doesn't have any hormones or antibiotics in it. You could try soy milk.
  • miracle4me
    miracle4me Posts: 522 Member
    Coconut! The "beverage" style is great as a milk substitute for cereal etc. Coconut Dream is my favorite brand. So Delicious is good too.

    Coconut cream from a can is great for coffee and tea.


    This ^^^^^^^
    I live in Europe and have to buy online my Stores or health foods do not carry it. If anyone lives in Europe and knows where to buy this online accepts paypal please let me know. I LOVE anything with the word coconut in it.
  • DawnEH612
    DawnEH612 Posts: 574 Member
    I used to drink soy milk but I. Had been Tryng to reduce my consumption of soy lately for numerous reasons. I transitioned to So Delicious coconut beverage, which I think many people on here are calling coconut milk. Coconut beverage is NOT the same as coconut milk or coconut water for that matter. I hated the coconut beverage. It tasted liked thick water and I truly didn't care for it. I then tried almond milk... To me, the best is Blue Diamond regular flavor. Only 40 calories/cup.
    There is flax milk, that I am ow going to have to try due to some + reviews here... I have also seen hemp milk, goats milk, oat milk...
    Check out this link:
    http://www.active.com/women/articles/alternatives_to_milk.htm?page=2
  • Farburnfred
    Farburnfred Posts: 333 Member
    Have never seen coconut milk except in a tin in the uk. I drink some soya, some almond and some hemp :) the approach almond and hazelnut are quite sugar heavy but you can get unsweetened almond. Try a health food shop or a superstore Tescos for lotsofoptions. I have tried oat milk. Ut couldn't get used to that at all
  • MrsAgi
    MrsAgi Posts: 338 Member
    Tesco's sells Soya, rice, almond, hazlenut, oat and coconut milk definitely (my local is quite small and has all those)

    Asda definitely had Almond, oat and soya

    I haven't tried the others, but expect they are similar

    Sometimes it is on the "preserved milk" shelf with condensed milk etc, sometimes on the "free from" shelf and sometimes in the fridge - so look around:)

    Tesco and morrisons both do some fairly good "free from" foods too - nice choccy cake and yoghurt's etc

    Holland & Barrett often carry the "Cheesely" brand of soya cheese which is good (I make a mean carbonara from the parmesan style one), and if you're lucky they sometimes sell moo free chocolate too, which actually tastes like chocolate (the cheaper brands don't - but carob is nice too imo)

    If you want to go properly cows milk free, you'l have to read a lot of labels- it's in many things it shouldn't be. Daughter misses having wotsits LOL. Light mayo had cream powder added to it, some brands of full fat mayo are dairy free! If it says "lactose free" that doesn't mean milk free! If it says "suitable for vegans" that does:)
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    I drink soy milk. There are good soy milks and bad soy milks.

    You could also try hazelnut milk (although it does have a chocolate-ly flavour).

    I hated rice milk.

    All soy is bad soy. Hazelnut? Never heard of it but sounds tasty. Never heard of rice milk either but that sounds gross.
    With the exception of coconut milk (because I make it myself so I know what it is) I don't understand how these things come to be. Since when to almond trees and rice plants lactate? lol

    If it's the industry horrors that make you avoid it, which is a valid reason, why not look into organic/grassfed cow milk sources? Obviously more expensive but the best option.

    They don't lactate, ie why lactose intolerant people can still drink it.
    I get high fibre organic soy milk, it's delicious. It's either that or nothing so get over yourself.
  • shewdog
    shewdog Posts: 34
    Lots of interesting replies there thank you!

    Yes the milk I have been getting is organic, so I suppose that's good. But then we aren't baby cows . . . Same reason I don't drink goats milk, plus it's gross.

    Tried oat milk, it's quite dry though. Hazelnut milk, I think I have seen that in my local Asda. I will give it a go and I will look up the cashew nut milk recipe.
    Can't stand soy milk at all. Never heard of hemp or flax milk!!

    As for coconut milk, that sound like my dream! I use a lot of coconut oil for everything and have researched the health benefits.

    It's a shame though, I loved almonds, never had a problem with them until I ate some at my desk 2 months ago. Went into anaphylactic shock and got carted off in an ambulance. I am ok with all other tree nuts though . . .so far.
  • LottieLou13
    LottieLou13 Posts: 574 Member
    I don't drink cows milk because I'm not a calf. Also I don't eat veal therefore why would I drink milk?

    http://lottiescreations.wordpress.com/2012/06/01/scientia-potentia-est-knowledge-is-power/

    *gets off soapbox*

    I drink either Morrison's or Tesco's unsweetened soy milk. I get the UHT shelf version. I was drinking almond milk and hazelnut milk but I can't afford to buy it anymore because me and my housemate get through a far amount of it between cereals and protein shakes.
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
    I use unsweetened coconut milk.... BUT I'm in the us and I'm not sure it is available where you are.... I was shocked to read another thread of folks saying they can't find spaghetti squash in the UK.....
  • zoeluiisa
    zoeluiisa Posts: 392
    Almond is my favourite but I also drink soy, oat, and hazlenut milk. You can get them all in the supermarket or health food stores. I make sure they're unsweetened as the sweetened ones make me want to vom.

    Oh, steer clear of Alpro - the list of ingredients is ENORMOUS :grumble:
  • zoeluiisa
    zoeluiisa Posts: 392
    I use unsweetened coconut milk.... BUT I'm in the us and I'm not sure it is available where you are.... I was shocked to read another thread of folks saying they can't find spaghetti squash in the UK.....

    Hehe, that spaghetti squash thread was me.

    You can get coconut milk ANYWHERE here - it's a big ingredient in curries and we Brits love our curry... :bigsmile:
  • Cookiedough9
    Cookiedough9 Posts: 16
    Damn, I loved rice milk.

    Soya milk tasted rather beany

    I drink unsweetened almond milk, it's not so bad I guess.

    Hazlenut milk was awesome

    Even if i don't like it, i drink it anyway
  • zoeluiisa
    zoeluiisa Posts: 392
    Have never seen coconut milk except in a tin in the uk.

    You get it in cartons in the UHT milk section of the supermarket. But to be honest, it's pretty much the same stuff as the coconut milk in the tins in the Indian/Thai ingredients section. The tinned stuff works just as well, though you might want to water it down a bit if it's one of the thicker brands.

    To the OP - re the hormones and nasties in cow's milk, check whether the info you're reading refers to cows in the UK or in another country. The laws on milk production are quite strict in the UK so milk is a lot "safer" than in many other places.

    And if you are still worried, you can always buy organic milk.

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