What is the Best Non-Dairy Milk?

In recent years more and more people have traded cow’s milk for non-dairy milk options. There are so many different kinds of non-dairy milk including almond, soy, oat, cashew, hemp, and coconut that it can be overwhelming to decide which is the best option for you. The following is a list of a few different non-dairy kinds of milk, the health benefits they offer, and a brief description of their taste so that you can decide what might be the best option for you:

• Almond milk

  This is probably one of the most popular options among non-dairy milk, it has a very smooth consistency and a mellow taste. Of course, this varies among different brands and different flavors of almond milk. One of the most attractive features of almond milk is that it is quite low in calories, at about 40 calories per cup. However, this also means that it is low in protein, with only 1 gram per cup. When deciding on what almond milk to get, you should watch out for the carrageenan in it. Carrageenan is extracted from purple and red seaweed and is used a thickening agent in foods. Carrageenans can cause bloating, inflammation, and irritable bowel syndrome, so it is important that you choose almond milk that is carrageenan free.

• Coconut milk

  Don’t get this confused with coconut water, coconut milk is made by grinding the meat from coconuts with water, and then squeezing the pulp. It has a sweet nutty flavor with a viscous consistency. It has an average of 50 calories per cup, 1 gram of protein per cup, and 5 grams of saturated fat per cup. When choosing coconut milk you should look for one that has no emulsifiers. Emulsifiers are food additives that help stabilize processed foods and can cause side effects like fatigue, pain, tissue damage, and chronic inflammation.

• Oat milk

  This type of non-dairy milk is becoming increasingly popular with a mild taste, a thick consistency similar to cow’s milk, and is slightly sweet. This is a higher calorie non-dairy milk option with 130 calories per cup, 2 grams of fiber per cup, and 4 grams of protein per cup. Many oat kinds of milk are made using canola oil, so if this is something you’d like to avoid you can always make your own oat milk at home!