Cows milk vs almond milk

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  • SymphonynSonata
    SymphonynSonata Posts: 533 Member
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    Hemp milk! It's SO good, but it's pretty pricey and (from what I've experienced) you have to make yourself with the hulls from a health food store. So, I guess it's not really a viable long term alternative - so given your two options I'd go for the almond milk, purely personal preference only. I get this 'thick coating' feeling in my mouth when I drink cow's milk with a strange after taste, I just don't really enjoy it. But sometimes cow's milk is way better, recipe/meal depending, so if you aren't too concerned with the calories it may add I'd opt for what's going to taste best to you to each specific meal. Oh! Banana milk is amazing, I don't know how it'd taste on oatmeal though, probably too thick (Imo, it's not really 'milk', more of a good gooooooood smoothie).
  • toscarthearmada
    toscarthearmada Posts: 382 Member
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    I drink almond and love it! I don't miss cow milk at all.

    There were a few reasons why I changed to almond milk.
    - Less Fat
    - Less Calories
    - Less Gross (Really, we are the only mammals that continue to drink milk after being weened)
    - Less Sugar
    - Less Carbs
    - Gives everything a little almond flavor

    Don't go into it thinking it's going to be exactly like milk, it's not.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    I have been on other communities that are very supportive, and this board in general has a very hateful tone to it (again, not saying your posts specifically).

    What? Hateful?

    Where? When? I think this is your own perception. I've been here since July 2012, have thousands of posts, read thousands of posts, and I've seen hateful comments maybe a half a dozen times. I have those folks on ignore.
  • tators19
    tators19 Posts: 18 Member
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    There is no propaganda about cow's milk. No animal other than humans consume milk after infancy. It's not supposed to be in our diet at all.

    Almond milk All The Way - also, it takes 683 gallons of water to produce ONE GALLON of milk versus the 23 gallons it takes to produce one gallon of almond milk. Which do you think is more ecologically responsible?

    There are cheaper/more sustainable ways of gaining animal proteins. Read the Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan or Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, or even The Jungle by Upton Sinclair - learn how your food is made.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    There is no propaganda about cow's milk. No animal other than humans consume milk after infancy. It's not supposed to be in our diet at all.

    Almond milk All The Way - also, it takes 683 gallons of water to produce ONE GALLON of milk versus the 23 gallons it takes to produce one gallon of almond milk. Which do you think is more ecologically responsible?

    There are cheaper/more sustainable ways of gaining animal proteins. Read the Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan or Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, or even The Jungle by Upton Sinclair - learn how your food is made.

    So glad I have free will.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    Animal sources of protein, like cow's milk, have a much better amino acid profile, specifically branched chain amino acids which your body cannot produce and must be consumed, than non animal sources of protein. Branched chained amino acids make up 60% of your skeletal muscle tissue, so it's very important. I get almost all of my protein from animal sources, so I'll go with cow's milk every time.

    Valine isoleucine and leucine make up 60% of skeletal muscle? Call me skeptical. Can you find a source for that that isn't a bodybuilding blog or website or BCAA marketer?

    Yeah, looked it up. BCAA or branched chain amino acids are Isoleucine, leucine and valine. The natural abundance of these amino acids in the body breaks down like this: Valine 6.8%, Isoleucine 3.8%, Leucine 7.6%. So BCAA abundance 18.2%.

    Citation:

    http://www.tiem.utk.edu/~gross/bioed/webmodules/aminoacid.htm

    Skeletal muscle and all muscle is primarily composed of two proteins, actin and myosin. Here are the primary amino acid sequences for those proteins in homo sapiens


    Here is the amino acid sequence for actin:
    MDDDIAALVVDNGSGMCKAGFAGDDAPRAVFPSIVGRPRHQGVMVGMGQKDSYVGDEAQSKRGILTLKYP
    IEHGIVTNWDDMEKIWHHTFYNELRVAPEEHPVLLTEAPLNPKANREKMTQIMFETFNTPAMYVAIQAVL
    SLYASGRTTGIVMDSGDGVTHTVPIYEGYALPHAILRLDLAGRDLTDYLMKILTERGYSFTTTAEREIVR
    DIKEKLCYVALDFEQEMATAASSSSLEKSYELPDGQVITIGNERFRCPEALFQPSFLGMESCGIHETTFN
    SIMKCDVDIRKDLYANTVLSGGTTMYPGIADRMQKEITALAPSTMKIKIIAPPERKYSVWIGGSILASLS
    TFQQMWISKQEYDESGPSIVHRKCF

    375 amino acids. 22 valine, 32 isoleucine, 29 leucine. 22% BCA
    Here is the amino acid sequence for myosin:
    MSASSDAEMAVFGERAPYLRKSEKERIEAQNKPFDAKTSVFVAEPKESYVKSTIQSKEGGKVTVKTEGGA
    TLTVREDQVFPMNPPKYDKIEDMAMMTHLHEPGVLYNLKERYAAWMIYTYSGLFCVTVNPYKWLPVYKPE
    VVAAYRGKKRQEAPPHIFSISDNAYQFMLTDRENQSILITGESGAGKTVNTKRVIQYFATIAVTGEKKKD
    ESGKMQGTLEDQIISANPLLEAFGNAKTVRNDNSSRFGKFIRIHFGTTGKLASADIETYLLEKSRVTFQL
    KAERSYHIFYQITSNKKPDLIEMLLITTNPYDYAFVSQGEITVPSIDDQEELMATDSAIDILGFTPEEKV
    SIYKLTGAVMHYGNMKFKQKQREEQAEPDGTEVADKAAYLQSLNSADLLKALCYPRVKVGNEYVTKGQTV
    QQVYNAVGALAKAVYEKMFLWMVTRINQQLDTKQPRQYFIGVLDIAGFEIFDFNSLEQLCINFTNEKLQQ
    FFNHHMFVLEQEEYKKEGIEWTFIDFGMDLAACIELIEKPLGIFSILEEECMFPKATDTSFKNKLYDQHL
    GKSANFQKPKVVKGKAEAHFSLIHYAGTVDYNITGWLDKNKDPLNDTVVGLYQKSAMKTLASLFSTYASA
    EADSSAKKGAKKKGSSFQTVSALFRENLNKLMTNLRSTHPHFVRCIIPNETKTPGAMEHELVLHQLRCNG
    VLEGIRICRKGFPSRILYGDFKQRYKVLNASAIPEGQFIDSKKASEKLLASIDIDHTQYKFGHTKVFFKA
    GLLGLLEEMRDEKLAQIITRTQAVCRGFLMRVEYQKMLQRREALFCIQYNVRAFMNVKHWPWMKLFFKIK
    PLLKSAETEKEMATMKEEFQKTKDELAKSEAKRKELEEKMVTLLKEKNDLQLQVQSEADSLADAEERCEQ
    LIKNKIQLEAKIKEVTERAEEEEEINAELTAKKRKLEDECSELKKDIDDLELTLAKVEKEKHATENKVKN
    LTEEMAGLDETIAKLSKEKKALQETHQQTLDDLQAEEDKVNILTKAKTKLEQQVDDLEGSLEQEKKLRMD
    LERAKRKLEGDLKLAQESTMDMENDKQQLDEKLEKKEFEISNLISKIEDEQAVEIQLQKKIKELQARIEE
    LGEEIEAERASRAKAEKQRSDLSRELEEISERLEEAGGATSAQVELNKKREAEFQKLRRDLEEATLQHEA
    MVAALRKKHADSMAELGEQIDNLQRVKQKLEKEKSELKMETDDLSSNAEAISKAKGNLEKMCRSLEDQVS
    ELKTKEEEQQRLINDLTAQRARLQTEAGEYSRQLDEKDALVSQLSRSKQASTQQIEELKHQLEEETKAKN
    ALAHALQSSRHDCDLLREQYEEEQEGKAELQRALSKANSEVAQWRTKYETDAIQRTEELEEAKKKLAQRL
    QEAEEHVEAVNAKCASLEKTKQRLQNEVEDLMLDVERSNAACAALDKKQRNFDKVLSEWKQKYEETQAEL
    EASQKESRSLSTELFKVKNVYEESLDQLETLRRENKNLQQEISDLTEQIAEGGKQIHELEKIKKQVEQEK
    CEIQAALEEAEASLEHEEGKILRIQLELNQVKSEVDRKIAEKDEEIDQLKRNHTRVVETMQSTLDAEIRS
    RNDALRVKKKMEGDLNEMEIQLNHANRLAAESLRNYRNTQGILKETQLHLDDALRGQEDLKEQLAIVERR
    ANLLQAEIEELWATLEQTERSRKIAEQELLDASERVQLLHTQNTSLINTKKKLENDVSQLQSEVEEVIQE
    SRNAEEKAKKAITDAAMMAEELKKEQDTSAHLERMKKNLEQTVKDLQHRLDEAEQLALKGGKKQIQKLEA
    RVRELEGEVENEQKRNAEAVKGLRKHERRVKELTYQTEEDRKNVLRLQDLVDKLQAKVKSYKRQAEEAEE
    QSNANLSKFRKLQHELEEAEERAHIAESQVNKLRVKSREVHTKISAE

    1937aa. 92 valine, 91 I, 202 L. 19.9% BCAA

    Citation:
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/protein/CAA86293.1
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/protein/NP_001092.1

    So the %BCAA composition of these proteins is pretty close to the normal abundance in all proteins, there is no enrichment in the primary proteins that comprise skeletal muscle.

    So yeah I call bro-science on 60% of skeletal muscle is BCAA. Sounds like something that a BCAA marketer probably made up and got perpetuated on bodybuilding forums.
  • em_b2002
    em_b2002 Posts: 16
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    Why does nearly every thread I read on this site digress into snarkiness by the time all is said and done?

    because there are a lot of hungry overweight people on this site?

    Lol! :)
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    There is no propaganda about cow's milk. No animal other than humans consume milk after infancy. It's not supposed to be in our diet at all.

    Almond milk All The Way - also, it takes 683 gallons of water to produce ONE GALLON of milk versus the 23 gallons it takes to produce one gallon of almond milk. Which do you think is more ecologically responsible?

    There are cheaper/more sustainable ways of gaining animal proteins. Read the Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan or Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, or even The Jungle by Upton Sinclair - learn how your food is made.

    There's plenty of propaganda. I deal with it every day.

    But do you mean to tell me you don't ever eat:
    cheese
    ice cream
    corn bread
    yogurt
    pudding
    biscuits
    hash
    gravy
    waffles
    souffle
    chocolate candy
    oatmeal
    bread
    butter

    As for your second point, I think the cow is going to drink all that water regardless of whether it's producing milk or not.

    And The Jungle? Sure, reference a book written in the early 20th century about the food industry. Totally relevant to this discussion.

    ETA: I totally realize that some people like vegans have no problem cutting out dairy, but I think a lot of people fail to realize the whole "humans aren't meant to drink milk past infancy" argument takes a whole lot of other foods out of the game, too.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    There is no propaganda about cow's milk. No animal other than humans consume milk after infancy. It's not supposed to be in our diet at all.

    Almond milk All The Way - also, it takes 683 gallons of water to produce ONE GALLON of milk versus the 23 gallons it takes to produce one gallon of almond milk. Which do you think is more ecologically responsible?

    There are cheaper/more sustainable ways of gaining animal proteins. Read the Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan or Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, or even The Jungle by Upton Sinclair - learn how your food is made.

    The majority of humans have a mutation that allows them to digest lactose. You are correct that the majority of animals do not have this mutation but there is no "supposed to" do this or "supposed to" do that in nature, there just is what is. If you have the lactose mutation you may as well drink up, nothing wrong with dairy.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    No animal other than humans consume milk after infancy. It's not supposed to be in our diet at all.

    With respect to the third sentence, who said? Who determines what is "supposed to be" in a human diet, especially when we are talking about foods that plenty of humans enjoy, can digest, and which provide calories and nutrients?

    With respect to the second sentence, I am currently reading this while eating lunch and am munching on, among other things, some lovely roasted asparagus cooked with a bit of olive oil. Do other animals eat that precise dish? If not, does that make it unnatural and something I am not supposed to eat? I'd get really bored of raw meat, fruit, and vegetables all the time, even apart from the other problems with such a diet from my perspective.
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
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    There is no propaganda about cow's milk. No animal other than humans consume milk after infancy. It's not supposed to be in our diet at all.

    Almond milk All The Way - also, it takes 683 gallons of water to produce ONE GALLON of milk versus the 23 gallons it takes to produce one gallon of almond milk. Which do you think is more ecologically responsible?

    There are cheaper/more sustainable ways of gaining animal proteins. Read the Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan or Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, or even The Jungle by Upton Sinclair - learn how your food is made.

    The reason that milk is in our diets and not other animals' is because no other animal has developed a way to reliably procure milk. But I can tell you, if given the chance, my dog, cat, and rat will all happily slurp milk. Several years ago in England milk customers were complaining that the cream had been removed from their delivered milk. When the dairy investigated, they found that some crows had learned how to pop the paper tops out of the milk bottles so they could drink the cream. Who would have thought that BIRDS would make cows' milk part of their diet?

    I like the fact that you say "it's not supposed to be in our diets." And the processed juice obtained from macerating nuts is? Who says almonds are "supposed" to be in our diets anyway? Were we designed to specifically consume almond milk?
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
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    I drink almond and love it! I don't miss cow milk at all.

    There were a few reasons why I changed to almond milk.
    - Less Fat
    - Less Calories
    - Less Gross (Really, we are the only mammals that continue to drink milk after being weened)
    - Less Sugar
    - Less Carbs
    - Gives everything a little almond flavor

    Don't go into it thinking it's going to be exactly like milk, it's not.


    ^^^^^ this for sure, I get the unsweetened vanilla, so good!!
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    But I can tell you, if given the chance, my dog, cat, and rat will all happily slurp milk.

    Oh they will slurp it up, but if they are adult in age then they will have digestive issues with it and will probably be gassy, bloated or vomit. She is right that adult animals other than humans are lactose intolerant. Lactose tolerance in humans is due to a mutation.

    I agree however that the idea that certain things are "supposed to be" in our diet as if nature has some sort of value judgement on our diet is wrong-headed. If you have the mutation that makes you lactose tolerant there is nothing wrong with consuming dairy.
  • melissa_tn
    melissa_tn Posts: 37
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    I have been on other communities that are very supportive, and this board in general has a very hateful tone to it (again, not saying your posts specifically).

    What? Hateful?

    Where? When? I think this is your own perception. I've been here since July 2012, have thousands of posts, read thousands of posts, and I've seen hateful comments maybe a half a dozen times. I have those folks on ignore.

    I've seen more than half a dozen in just a handful of threads, but I'm happy to learn there is an option to ignore.. thanks!
  • melissa_tn
    melissa_tn Posts: 37
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    Why does nearly every thread I read on this site digress into snarkiness by the time all is said and done?

    because there are a lot of hungry overweight people on this site?

    This puts everything into perspective! :tongue:
  • melissa_tn
    melissa_tn Posts: 37
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    I drink almond and love it! I don't miss cow milk at all.

    There were a few reasons why I changed to almond milk.
    - Less Fat
    - Less Calories
    - Less Gross (Really, we are the only mammals that continue to drink milk after being weened)
    - Less Sugar
    - Less Carbs
    - Gives everything a little almond flavor

    Don't go into it thinking it's going to be exactly like milk, it's not.


    ^^^^^ this for sure, I get the unsweetened vanilla, so good!!

    Ditto for me as well. Although, I do still have yogurt. I haven't found an alternative that I like, but try to keep my intake to a minimum and am able to get my fats and protein elsewhere.
  • HornedFrogPride
    HornedFrogPride Posts: 283 Member
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    Almond milk & coconut milk are way healthier than cow's milk (less fat, calories, GMOs, etc). Plus, you can even make your own almond milk! How awesome is that? I learned I was lactose intolerant, gave up cow's milk, switching to almond/coconut milk, and lost a lot of weight, partly by giving up dairy. :bigsmile: Plus, if you're drinking coconut milk and you close your eyes, you feel like you're on a tropical island. I'm not kidding! Try it! :wink:
  • Beckylynn380
    Beckylynn380 Posts: 13 Member
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    Not sure which is "healthier", but I prefer nut milks. I make my own to avoid all the highly processed ingredients, and it's super easy! My favorite is hazelnut milk, but I love almond milk too. :)
  • aliakynes
    aliakynes Posts: 352 Member
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    For my chocolate milk recovery drink, cow milk is the only one that gives me enough protein to hit the 4:1 ratio (and honestly the only way I can stand cow's milk unless I'm using it to cook some kind of dairy meal). I prefer almond or coconut milk to flavor my matcha green tea as it tastes better. I also keep kosher so I try not to cook with cow's milk in general.

    So if you're not lactose intolerant, the question is: what do you need when it comes to milk? What health needs are you trying to fulfill? Do you need extra calories and you like having milk around? Do you need less calories but you can't give up milk? Do you need more protein/calories than almond milk? Do you need less protein/calories than cow's milk? Do you just like the taste of one over the other? Sometimes I just grab one over the other because there's a big sale.

    In the grand scheme of things, it's not like the majority of your calories are going to be comprised of any kind of milk. However little you have it each day likely equates to how important which one you drink is (hopefully not much).
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,642 Member
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    Almond milk & coconut milk are way healthier than cow's milk (less fat, calories, GMOs, etc). Plus, you can even make your own almond milk! How awesome is that? I learned I was lactose intolerant, gave up cow's milk, switching to almond/coconut milk, and lost a lot of weight, partly by giving up dairy. :bigsmile: Plus, if you're drinking coconut milk and you close your eyes, you feel like you're on a tropical island. I'm not kidding! Try it! :wink:

    unsweetened coconut milk kinda tastes ike creamy snot to me, but cows milk kinda does too. At least if you're going to avoid cows milk, coconut milk gives you the creaminess, especially if you bake with it instead of real milk.

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