Make the best milk choices for you!
Well, every time I think we’ve reached saturation in the dairy aisle, a new type of plant milk shows up. Let’s take a look at this comparison chart and discuss some important points in terms of nutrients. Values come from Walmart.com in January of 2024 for most sources and company websites for the rest. Values in parentheses are for sweetened or barista variations.
| Milk | $/8oz | Cals/8oz | Pro | Carbs | Fat | Comments |
| Skim | $0.16 | 90 | 8 | 13 | 0 | + Vitamins A, D |
| 2% | $0.16 | 130 | 8 | 12 | 5 | + Vitamins A, D |
| Whole | $0.16 | 150 | 8 | 12 | 8 | + Vitamins A, D |
| Half & Half | $0.65 | 160 | 4 | 4 | 14 | |
| Heavy Cream | $1.25 | 400 | 1 | 8 | 40 | |
| Eggnog | $0.92 | 360 | 10 | 46 | 16 | Seasonal, varies widely b/w brands |
| Soy | $0.48 | 80 (110) | 7 | 3 (7+) | 4 | Original Silk (sweetened) + Vits A, D, calcium |
| Pea | $2.29 | 70 (90) | 8 | 1 (6) | 5 | Ripple (unsweetened) + Vits A, D, B12, calcium |
| Oat | $0.89 | 130 | 2 (1) | 15 (14) | 7 | Califia Farms (barista blend) + Vits A, D, B12, calcium |
| Rice | $0.46 | 120 | 1 | 23 | 3 | Rice Dream + Vits A, D, B12, calcium |
| Hemp | $1.69 | 80 (120) | 4 | 1 (11) | 8 (7) | Pacific Foods (Sweetened vanilla) + Vit D, some Bs, calcium Naturally has omega 3, 6 fats |
| Almond | $0.42 | 30 (60) | 1 | 1 (8) | 3 | Almond Breeze (sweetened) + Vits A, D, E, calcium |
| Coconut | $0.50 | 40 (70) | 0 | 1 (6) | 5 | Silk (sweetened) |
| Macadamia | $1.12 | 50 (70) | 1 | 1 (7) | 5 | Milkadamia (sweetened) + Vits A, D, B12, calcium, pea protein |
| Cashew | $11.44 | 50 | 1 | 2 | 4 | Pacific Foods + Vit D, calcium |
| Chia/Flax | $1.12 | 50 (80) | 1 | 4 (8) | 3 | Lechia (unsweetened) inherent omega-3s + Calcium |
As you can see, plant milks are not equivalent in nutrients to dairy. They each have their advantages and a different selection of macro and micronutrients. But they’re not interchangeable. It’s fairly common for someone to tell me that they swapped in a nut milk for soy or cow’s milk, as though they’ll have the same effect on their sports performance. They won’t.
To dairy milk or to not dairy milk?
There are many reasons to consume or not consume dairy. I don’t care either way; I can work with anyone who declines dairy for ethical or physical reasons. I’m fine working with vegans and vegetarians, as well.
Why one might consume dairy: It’s one of the least expensive options, and it contains at least a dozen essential nutrients, several of which are at least one third of the daily requirement. It also contains a complete protein and is one of the best sources of leucine – required for satiety and triggering muscle growth – available.
Why one might NOT consume dairy: ethical reasons, such as treatment of dairy cattle and the dairy farmers, environmental reasons, and personal reasons (allergies, lactose intolerance, just don’t like it).
Protein Sources
Good protein sources: Dairy, soy and pea protein milks all contain approximately the same amount of protein, 7-8 grams. Dairy is complete protein. Soy is also complete protein, although muscle building occurs on a different time frame than whey protein. Pea protein can be complete, depending on how it’s processed and what’s added, but in its natural state, it is low in the essential amino acid methionine. This is not an issue if you consume your pea protein drink with a whole grain to compensate. All of these are better protein sources than any of the nut milks, which have minimal protein.
But I like my nut milk!
Or you are fond of grain milks. Great! They have their advantages. Hemp and chia milks contain omega-3s, almond has vitamin E, and all of the nuts have a variety of plant compounds that are beneficial. Most of them are fortified with some combination of calcium, vitamin A, vitamin D and vitamin B12 to make them appropriate for vegans and vegetarians.
But these nut, soy, and grain milks are low in protein, which means you need to get your protein elsewhere. This can be an animal source, like meat, fish, poultry, eggs or dairy or it can be a plant source, like a combination of whole grains and legumes (beans, lentils, chick peas).
Some of them also have a lot of fat, maybe even added fat to give a creamy mouthfeel. This may or may not be appropriate for the kind of athlete you are or your calorie and body composition goals. Oat milks even have a “barista” version with fats added that produce a good foam for espresso drinks.
Overall, drinking a milk of any kind and the kinds of milks you drink are a personal choice. It’s important to understand where they fit into the total diet and menu context to really optimize your sports performance menu.
If you would like to discuss working together to optimize your menu to support your athletic goals, contact me here.
Read about building better seasonal coffee shop beverages, particularly the peppermint mocha, here.
Check out this related blog about using coffee drinks as recovery options after a workout!
Get more information on vegan and vegetarian diets, read this article.