Alternatives to Soy and Cow Milk

I have found alternatives to soy and cow milk: goat, almond, oat, and rice milk. I decided to give these a try, excluding goat milk (yuck). I checked out the local Kroger and was surprised to find all three. I chose the original flavors in each:

Almond Milk: I tried Blue Diamond “Almond Breeze” milk ($2.79 for 32 oz.) It was very nutty smelling and tasting—definitely made from almonds! It has a lighter taste to it than soy milk, but it was also kind of watery. Not organic (boo), but “natural”.

Oat Milk: The Pacific Organic Oat milk ($2.69 for 32 oz.) was good! Thicker and sweeter than almond but not as thick or sweet as original soy milk. Has a great oat-y (kind of chalky) aftertaste! This one was my favorite (even over soy!)

Rice Milk: The first taste Rice Dream Organic rice milk ($2.79 for 24 oz.) was watery, but the aftertaste was good. They used organic brown rice for this rice milk, so the aftertaste has a great brown rice (also kind of chalky) flavor. This one had a sweetness similar to the almond—very subtle.

Nutritionally speaking-

If you’re going for the most protein, soy has the most per 8 fl. oz. Least protein: almond and rice.
Soy, rice, and oat have slightly more calcium than almond milk (which has 20% calcium per 8 fl. oz.)
Goat milk has about 12% more calcium than cow’s milk.
Plain soy has more fat than plain rice, oat or almond. (4g per 8 fl. oz.)
Most carbs and calories: oat milk. (rice is close runner-up)

Comments

I had the most inspiring lunch yesterday at Pilar's Cafe on South State Street. Sylvia, the famous Ann Arbor tamale creationist, introduced us to many delicous foods, including a drink made exclusively with freshly toasted whole foods. The name of the drink rolls off your tongue and is called "orchata". Sylvia explained that authentic orchata is made free of dairy and is a mixture of almonds, rice, something similar to coconut, nutmeg, and cinnamon. These ingredients are toasted together and ground very finely, mixed with water, and when the process is finished you are left with a rich, succulent, dairy-free rice drink. It's hard to believe that it is milk free. And because they make it there on site, it is fresh and even more delicious. With all the labor involved with the drink, Sylvia says it can only be made with pure love- very little profit is made when balanced with the time it takes to create. Pilar's scrumptious creations are reminiscent of days spent knowing where your food came from and who was behind the making. www.pilarscafe.com

Posted by: jandssmith@mac.com at March 21, 2007 12:21 PM

wow! that sounds great--I'll have to try it. Thanks for the post!

Posted by: allyma at March 21, 2007 01:31 PM