Almond Milk vs. Dairy Milk

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willot0722
willot0722 Posts: 51 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I recently switched to almond milk because I've heard it is better for you than dairy milk. My problem is: almond milk has more fat and less protein than the dairy milk I had. Do you know what the health benefits are of switching if it's not on the nutrition label?

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  • frillypantz
    frillypantz Posts: 134
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    I use Alpro, it has less calories than in skimmed milk, tastes great and has added vits and mins so i can't see a reason not to switch tbh! I love it! :D
  • LucyFordxo
    LucyFordxo Posts: 62 Member
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    You also gain the benefit of not drinking a liquid that came from an animal pumped with hormones and antibiotics, it's "cleaner" for sure!
  • runnergrlfl
    runnergrlfl Posts: 82 Member
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    Cow's milk contains saturated fat and cholesterol; almond milk is free of both saturated fat and cholesterol. The only thing that cow's milk has more of than almond milk is protein.
  • lauren3382
    lauren3382 Posts: 372 Member
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    You also gain the benefit of not drinking a liquid that came from an animal pumped with hormones and antibiotics, it's "cleaner" for sure!

    This is my primary reason for switching. Plus it has fewer carbs and it works into my nutrition goals better.
  • kbbauchle
    kbbauchle Posts: 17 Member
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    Fat Free Skim Milk..........90 calories, O g fat, 13 g carbs, 12 g sugar, 8g protein, 30% calcium,
    Silk Pure Almond Milk.......35 calories, 2.5 fat, 1 g carb, 0 g sugar, 1 g protein, 45% calcium, 50% Vit. E, 50% B12

    Lower calories, sugar, and carbs with higher calcium, vitamin E and B12. The fat doesn't compete with the other benefits. And even tho almond milk has less protein, since I use it with protein powder in my smoothies, so not concerned about that either. JMO
  • micalgarcia
    micalgarcia Posts: 1 Member
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    Less calories and less sugar!
  • LilRedRooster
    LilRedRooster Posts: 1,421 Member
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    The fat that it has is different, though. Dairy fats are actually linked to cancer more often than fats that come from plants, especially unsaturated, because they contain more cholesterol and saturated fats, which are not as beneficial and tend to get stored as bad cholesterol within the body.

    Less protein can easily be made up elsewhere. If you're still eating dairy in general, you can easily get cheese or yogurt, especially from goats. Goat dairy is actually more easily digested in humans than cow's products.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Hemp milk FTW!!

    Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids, 5g fat, 1g fiber, 4g protein per serving. Plus it comes in chocolate. :happy:
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
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    They both have their place.


    The fats in almond milk are going to be "cleaner" fats.

    But I prefer the protein content of dairy so I stick with it.
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,738 Member
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    You also gain the benefit of not drinking a liquid that came from an animal pumped with hormones and antibiotics, it's "cleaner" for sure!

    Of course, you could drink organic milk, then the animal wouldn't be pumped with hormones or antibiotics.

    @OP I use both dairy for drinking, almond for cereal. It's really about a personal preference. One isn't necessarily better for you than the other. Almond milk is more processed and has more additives (the only reason it has more calcium than dairy milk is because calcium is added). However, it also tends to have less calories and less carbs.

    I think you should just stick with whichever you prefer.
  • jumatwins
    jumatwins Posts: 74
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    hmmmm... I wonder if I can use Almond milk to make my cappucino in the morning instead of skim milk... I think I will try this...!
  • jurdejong
    jurdejong Posts: 2 Member
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    I wouldn't be too concerned about the protein. As long as you get 10-15% of calories in the form of protein, you're fine. That shouldn't be a problem without milk. The default % in MFP is set high, 25% I believe, which is higher more than you need, depending on who you ask. I have been on a plant-based diet for a while and easily get ~12-15% without dairy, meat or powders.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    The amount of protein in dairy milk is so small I wouldn't worry about it. As other said, you can get protein from so many other sources in greater amounts.

    Personally, I drink coconut milk since diary milk is way too sweet for me and - although I LOVE almond butter - I don't really like the taste of almond milk much.
  • draiko
    draiko Posts: 2
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    What about Alpro coconut milk :)
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    skim milk isn't milk at all- so of course almond milk is better.

    I switch between 2% and almond- mostly for calories- I don't care b/c it's in the coffee. But for drinking? and oreos? cow milk only.

    almond milk is not an acceptable dipping liquid.
  • Raclex
    Raclex Posts: 238
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    I wouldn't be too concerned about the protein. As long as you get 10-15% of calories in the form of protein, you're fine. That shouldn't be a problem without milk. The default % in MFP is set high, 25% I believe, which is higher more than you need, depending on who you ask. I have been on a plant-based diet for a while and easily get ~12-15% without dairy, meat or powders.

    ^THIS...
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Almond milk is kind of a fad now, so consider the health claims by taking that into account. It's also quite processed (not that there's anything wrong with that!) although you can make your own, so a lot of the nutrients are added and vary from brand to brand.

    That said, it's got different nutrients and a different macro breakdown than milk (skim and not), so compare and go with what you prefer. It also has fewer calories, although I don't personally drink so much milk that it makes much different and since I mostly use dairy for protein (and taste, but that's an individual thing), almond milk doesn't work for me.

    It's great for (a) people who think it tastes better; (b) people who have health issues with dairy (not me, happily!); and (c) people who have ethical issues with dairy (all of mine are satisfied by being careful about the source, but YMMV).
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    Hello necro!

    Well, my take comparing the health benefits of both kinds of milk:
    Dairy milk: tastes like the nectar of the gods, and therefore makes me happy.
    Almond milk: tastes like chalk water, makes me crave real milk, and therefore makes me unhappy.

    Being happy is healthy, and this makes cow's milk healthier.

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