JCC Cow Milk vs Almond Milk (or other)?

Which do you drink, and why?

If my sources are correct, almond milk is the most popular dairy substitute and still on the rise, still trending, etc, while cow's milk is falling out of favor.

I myself have been drinking almond milk for the past few years for the denser nutrient content and typically higher calcium content. I can drink almond milk regularly without feeling queasy.

Almond milk's main advantage over cow milk is that it usually contains more calcium and less fat. However, cow's milk isn't without its own advantages--it contains more easily absorbed nutrients, naturally contains calcium and protein, lower sodium content, and is much, much cheaper than almond milk. But unlike almond milk, you can really only drink cow milk in moderation due to the higher fat content (and how it might be associated with increased chance of heart disease, weight gain, etc).

From an environmental impact standpoint, I believe they're both kind of even. One isn't necessarily more ethical than the other, as I believe there's a huge environmental impact involving the mass production of almond milk.

 

Almond milk. It's much easier to digest and only slightly less tasty.

 

Cow milk. I don’t drink it often but almond milk just tastes gross as do any of the other alternatives I have tried.

 

I always get unsweetened almond milk. Maybe I'm used to it, but I actually enjoy the taste. But it's been a very long time since I've had actual cow milk, so I don't quite recall what it tastes like. I think almond milk is perhaps comparable in taste to skim or 1% cow milk, correct?

 

Used to be allergic to milk as a kid, so I never drank it. Then eventually the allergy kinda went away, but I still didn't drink milk much and I didn't really like the taste. Then, I discovered whole milk and that was delicious and the stuff I didn't like was skim milk. I still don't drink much milk overall, though. Almond milk is all right, though I don't drink much of that either...I prefer soy milk.

Also:
https://www.thecut.com/2020/02/do-we-need-to-drink-milk.html
https://www.thecut.com/2020/01/almond-milk-honeybee-deaths.html

 

I'm not entirely sold on the first linked article. The correlation between height and hip fractures seems like a stretch to me. That said, I don't think the medical community recommends milk just because it's milk--but because it's an easy source of calcium. And osteoporosis is more serious than many people realize. I would imagine that this is why almond milk producers enrich their product with so much more calcium than what's contained in cow milk, in order to give it a competitive edge for those looking for a quick source of a calcium-dense product.

 

I never liked dairy milk. As a child, I remember adults constantly telling me I'd have osteoporosis when I got older. The evolution of almond milk and coconut milk (my two faves) has been refreshing. I haven't tried Oat milk, but my neighbor raves about it.

 

Jesus, this thread is a massive guilt trip for me to start drinking almond milk.

 

Oat milk is delicious, but very expensive and very high in sugar. I think it's more trendy than actually healthy. But it does have protein and I think fiber, two things almond milk lacks. If going this route, definitely look for an unsweetened version.

 

Moo.

 

It's a good thing I like you, IATI.

 

Don’t drink a ton of milk, usually only have it with cereal, but when I do it’s of the Cow variety.

Cheese on the other hand, I eat a lot of that.

 

Neither. Soy milk is probably the best for the environment and I'm not taking a newborn calf from its mother. I mostly drink water, though.

 

I've limited myself to one glass of milk per day. Otherwise, I drink a ton of water.

 

I am lactose intolerant, so milk alternatives for me! I prefer soy, and it is sweet enough my daughter can be conned into drinking it sometimes.

 

Nearly all the milk I drink is whole milk, because I'm a maniac.

 

I just think almond milk tastes better, regardless of the health benefits.

 

Almond milk has always tasted like chocolate milk without the chocolate milk. I'm not particularly a fan. Although I have found if you steam it then it tastes delicious.

But I usually drink cow milk, although more of the organic options, fairlife, or the grass milk brand.