Catching up?
– Vegan How To: Introduction (Why this series?)
– Part 1: How To Make The Transition
Part 2: Replacing Dairy Milk
Today I’d like to talk about one of the first changes that I made in my own personal journey – switching from cow’s milk to non-dairy milk. It was also one of the easiest changes I made thanks to a huge selection of non-dairy milks on the market. I’m always amazed when I see the mammoth wall of non-dairy milk in my grocery store. It’s taking over! There’s really something for everyone from almond milk to flax milk and everything in between.
And, boy, I’ve tried a lot. Here is a list of the non-dairy milks I’ve given a go:
- Soy milk
- Almond milk
- Hemp milk
- Oat milk
- Coconut milk
- Rice milk
- Almond-coconut milk
- Quinoa Milk
- Flax milk
I’ll admit, I’m not head over heels for all of them, but I have a few favourites that keep me more than happy.
My personal favourite non-dairy milks:
1. Almond Milk (Whole Foods 365 Organic)
2. Soy Milk (Edensoy Organic) – for the protein
Soy milk was the first milk I tried back in 2008/2009 and while I didn’t fall head over heels initially, it eventually grew on my taste buds with time. (Actually, it wasn’t the first time I had soy milk; I was allergic to cow’s milk formula when I was a baby and my mom had to put me on soy milk instead). Soy milk is also the only non-dairy milk (to my knowledge) that has a similar nutritional profile to cow’s milk. My go-to brand of soy milk, Edensoy Organic, has a whopping 12 grams of protein per 1 cup serving making it the soy milk with the highest protein content. The ingredient list is also impressive: just organic soybeans and purified water! It’s great for smoothies when you don’t want to add protein powder, but still want a kick of protein. To be honest, the flavour of it unsweetened isn’t my favourite, but when I mix it into other foods I don’t notice it as much. They also have sweetened varieties of course. No matter the brand you buy, look for organic, GMO-free soy milk whenever possible.
Here is a side-by-side comparison of Edensoy soy milk vs. 2% cow’s milk:
| Nutrition Facts (per 8 fl oz serving) |
Unsweetened Soy Milk (Edensoy) | 2% Cow’s milk |
| Calories | 120 cals | 122 cals |
| Total fat | 6 grams | 5 grams |
| Saturated fat | 1 gram | 3 grams |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 20 mg |
| Sodium | 5 mg | 100 mg |
| Potassium | 460 mg | 366 mg |
| Total carbohydrate | 5 grams | 11.5 grams |
| Dietary fibre | 0 gram | 0 gram |
| Sugars | 2 grams | 12 grams |
| Protein | 12 grams | 8 grams |
Almond milk. I obviously have a lot of love for this non-dairy milk and it seems to be taking over the world. Almond milk is creamy, deliciously nutty, and blends well into just about anything. My brand of choice is Whole Foods 365 as it is carrageenan free. Almond milk is very low in protein, so be sure to pair it with protein rich vegan foods like hemp seed, chia seed, beans/legumes, protein powder, etc.
Note: Please see my post, Carrageenan in Our Foods for a list of dairy and non-dairy products that contain this potentially harmful ingredient.
What about calcium?
A balanced vegan diet can actually be quite high in calcium even without a lick of dairy. My favourite example – 1 ounce of chia seeds (about 2.5 tbsp) has reportedly 300 mg of calcium. Other non-dairy foods high in calcium include: collard greens (357mg calcium), fortified soymilk (368 mg), black eyed peas (211 mg), firm tofu (204mg), calcium fortified OJ (200mg), blackstrap molasses (172mg), baked beans (154mg), kale (94mg), almonds (70mg) [per serving, source] Be sure to pair calcium rich foods with vitamin C and D rich foods for the best absorption. As extra insurance, I take calcium and vitamin D supplements daily. There are also fortified non-dairy milks on the market (I think these tend to be the refrigerated kind?), so that is an option too. Be sure to read your labels!
Sweetened or unsweetened?
When I started experimenting with non-dairy milk, I always bought the lightly sweetened option. I think this really helped with my transition. Once I got used to the change, I switched to unsweetened varieties. As I’ve said many times in the past, its amazing what the taste buds can get used to with time. If you are starting out, you might want to check out the lightly sweetened varieties to help with your transition. Another option is to make the transition gradual. Having cereal? Why not try subbing half the cow’s milk with non-dairy milk? Or try using creamy almond milk or coconut milk in a cup of tea. There are plenty of ways to gradually ease into the taste.
When I’m doing any savoury cooking, I always use unflavoured and unsweetened almond milk. Keep the vanilla flavoured milk for your sweet recipes and smoothies.
Ok, now I’ll pass it over to you guys!
Have you made the switch from cow’s milk to non-dairy? Was it difficult?
If you drink non-dairy milk, which varieties do you like the best?
Do you prefer sweetened or unsweetened?
Coming up, a homemade nut milk bonanza!
I add Stevia liquid extract to my unsweetened non-dairy milk when I or my kids want something sweet. You just have to make sure you don’t buy citrus based. Here is my recommendation.
http://www.luckyvitamin.com/p-2461-kal-pure-stevia-extract-liquid-4-oz
Love your blog. My wife and two kids (10 and 8) just recently went vegan. The results have been spectacular!!
I’m not a big fan of soy or almond milk. Has a funny aftertaste I really don’t like. I tried to become vegan in the past with no luck, because breakfast is almost always cereal. Then I watched a couple documentaries on Netflix (funny how many people also watched Vegucated) and decided I needed to find a milk alternative, because that was the biggest obstacle. Cute coconut milk. I buy vanilla, and I am hooked! Way better than cows milk. My husband poured me a bowl with his milk the other day and just about gagged. Now the only animal product I have is cheese, and I’m in the process of experimenting
We switched to almond milk rather quickly over here. Moreso out of need due to allergies. I was a heavy milk drinker. Guzzle that glass down. When I switched…there was not the same pleasure…although it was good. I rarely drink almond milk, for cereal and with a snack. Excited to make fresh almond milk with my pure almonds that I ordered from our group buy.
I don’t have a web site but I would love to get info on becoming a vegan. I’m not ready to commit totally. But with easy to follow recipes I was willing. God bless you as you continue on your quest for healthy living.
Judy
Loving your blog! I am always looking for more vegan information, as well as recipes. I have a 4 yr daughter who is severely allergic (anaphylaxis) to animal bi-products, peanuts and tree nuts. Found that vegan is the easiest way to cook for her. I am always looking for new ways to change things up and step out of my box so she is able to enjoy wide array of foods. Thank you tons, LaRae
Hi Angela! Before I comment on the topic at hand, I just want to say thank you for sharing your story and for all that you do. I have struggled with an eating disorder since I was about 12 or 13 years old (I’m 24 years old). I’m now in recovery and have decided to make the switch to a mostly vegan diet. While I’m only a week in, I can just tell its right, I feel healthier and so much better. Even though I was determined to transition, I was a little lost and clueless when it came to how to make a wide assortment of vegan meals. Needless to say, when I found your site and read your story I was completely overwhelmed by the sense that I wasn’t alone! And gosh its so freaky that pretty much everything you write about what you’ve been through sounds like you are reading a page from my life story. Crazy. So anyway, thanks.
Now onto the whole milk substitute thing. My boyfriend is lactose intolerant, so I have been drinking mostly coconut and soy milk for a long while now. I was never really a big milk person to begin with, so switching didn’t really bother me too much. I remember being initially quite hesitant, but after I tried it I really started liking it more then milk. Plus it doesn’t expire as quickly (I think. Could be wrong here). The key thing is to not expect it to taste EXACTLY like milk. To me, the coconut milk (unflavored) tasted sort of like really watered down milk. I could barely sense a hint of coconut. But whoa buddy the vanilla flavored is the bomb diggity. Vanilla Soy is awesome too. Its great on cereal, in coffee and smoothies. I haven’t really cooked with it though, which is another front I’m preparing to tackle. Any advise for cooking technique with milk substitute would be greatly appreciated!
In my experience, you can use milk substitutes in exactly the same way as you would use cow’s milk in recipes. They substitute 1:1.
What do you think about the difference between packaged almond milk, like the Whole Foods 365 you mention, versus making it at home (per your “My favorite homemade almond milk” post)? Specifically, I notice that there are several not-so-natural sounding ingredients following “almonds” even on the 365 brand of unsweetened plain almond milk. Are any of those extras worthy of attention? Are they harmless/negligible? Or is it preferable to make almond milk at home as often as you can manage?
Thanks and love your blog!
Cait
Hi Cait, I haven’t looked into the other ingredients, but I use store-bought and homemade (I try to make it once a week if I can!)
Hi there!
I understand your concern with additives in dairy products, but all those non dairy beverages you mentioned above are processed. And some fortified have vitamin D2 which is considered toxic because it is synthetic. And soy milk is the worst because it is known to cause huge thyroid problems among other things.
Hi Angela….I’ve just discovered your site after finally accepting that my toxic food allergies are keeping me sick. I’ve known forever that I am allergic to dairy but 2 years ago found out that I was severely allergic to eggs and had severe histamine issues as well. Having just this week discovered your blog/website, I can finally say that I am excited by the food changes that I am making (and it has been a very long road)! I love your suggestions and recipes and the incredible feedback you provide. You have made it so easy to find alternatives to the foods that I use to love. Thank you so much for all your hard work, research and recipes. Kylie, Brisbane, Australia.
I mostly drink non dairy milk. Normally I will have cows milk every now and again and only if I’m out of almond milk. It wasn’t too bad at all. I like it. I like the sweetened but it does depend on what I’m eating it with.
I read the article and I went through the discussion under… I don´t understand one thing – why don´t you write an email (for example) to the producers of your favourite non-dairy milks… you should tell them that you don´t like the fact they´re using carrageenan and you stopped buying it for that reason (and had to find another brand!!!)…. be sure they will react…
where I live, we don´t have such a market with this vegan stuff… mainly we have to make it ourselves and when we find some vegan food in stores, it´s extremely expensive and unfortunately tastes horrible… once I bought a soy-yoghurt, the label said it has 100% plant origin (and it´s vegan and good for sensitive people) but when I read the ingrediences at home, I found out it contains carmine… I wrote to the producer that it made me furious and that it´s simply a lie, they responded that the fruit ingredients they put into their products are produced by another company and they can´t influence it anyhow… these yoghurts are not sold anymore…
I found the switch to non-dairy milk very easy. After experimenting with a few different brands, I drank vanilla So Good soy milk to make the switch– it tastes like ice cream, so I definitely didn’t miss milk! (I didn’t like cow’s milk, anyway.)
After a long time, I realized that all the sugar in So Good was probably detrimental to my health. I experimented with Silk soy milk, but I recently switched to drinking Silk Almond Milk (Unsweetened). It’s great (and it’s fortified). I try not to get excess added sugars in my diet, so I’m really glad to have found Silk Almond Milk.
I think the carageenan article is very good. This is used in a non-dairy flan mix I was buying. I have used lactose free milk for years and am trying to lower my cassein intake. I am going to try to make cashew milk before trying the “brands” of non dairy milk because if they don’t have carageenan, the have limestone calcium and synthetic A added. It really upsets me because I wish they would just make a milk that doesn’t add anything. Limestone calcium is eating rock and it is not good for us. And synthetic A is not necessary when eating a good diet. I have to be gluten, soy, lactose free. I do not want to eat the rock dust or synthetic A just so they can pretend to be “milk.” I wish these companies would realize that we don’t want this “extra” junk in things. I would be very happy if I could find a “store bought” nut based milk that I just have to shake up and use to cook. I have been searching for such a thing, but I think I am just going to have to make my own. I hope the cashew milk is good. If anyone has any experience with it, I would be interested.
Hi, After reading the cons of soya milk I started searching for alternatives and found your website. I have made oat milk and had it for 4 days now. It is good in my porridge and with chocolate syrup palateble in a drink.I have consumed soya for the last 12 or 13 years and in the last 3 years developed a cyst in my pancreas and IBS. Is that the long term effect of the soy usage. It does have an unfavourable effect on the pancreas and digestion and thyroid I learned. I have no problem switching to oatmilk except it is much lower in protein and calcium. how will | replace that I wonder.I have osteoporosis and am concerned about the calcium. I take 2 500 gr. calcium tablets per day and vit. D and magnesium.
Two notes on dairy milk substitutes: I found out the hard way that cold soy products – esp. soy milk – are goitrogens. Goitrogens block iodine utilization and lower thyroid hormone production. ALL cruciferous vegetables (my favorites!) are also goitrogens. :(
Secondly, some of us – like me – really do not like sweet very much. When I first tried switching from dairy, I did try ythe sweetened soy and coconut milks, but it wasn;t until I tried the unsweetened variety that I was able to really make the change.
Lastly- Thanks for this website – it’s very cool!
I make my own almond milk since finding out about carrageenan, but if we are travelling the silk brand is free from it. BUT if you like creamy milk in your coffee or tea you HAVE to try homemade cashew milk! Unbelievable! Soak 1/2 cup of cashews for 12-24 hours in filtered water, then strain, rinse and put in your blender (I use my vitamix) adding 2 cups filtered water. Blend for 45 seconds. No need to strain! All done. Store in an airtight container and chill in fridge. Lasts for up to 4 days. SO GOOD! I’ve also added 5-8 drops of liquid vanilla stevia as a treat to the milk before blending.
Angela, love love love your blog, your recipes are awesome, thanks for all the hard work.
Almond milk is the best! Its lighter than soy and coconut and naturally sweet. It’s great for so many recipes!!
Ciao!
You may not really need the calcium supplement. Go to the Save Our Bones website or any on the alkalinity & acidity of our bodies based on the foods we eat. Just found out I have osteoporosis, and found out vegans are much less likely to develop it.
Dude, just discovered Hazelnut Milk. Result? = ADDICTED. Oh man it’s awesome. A lil more on the sugary side though, but to treat yourself, this is definitely the way to go. I’ve never been a fan of almond milk. Don’t like almonds, hah!
Why dont you want to eat carageenan?