I love milk, and all the assortments of ways it's turned into wonderfulness.
However, my body doesn't seem to agree. I have been lactose intolerant since birth, and although a few years ago I thought I could cheat the system with lactase pills, I have since developed an accompanying intolerance to casein (the milk protein).
So here are my personal ratings of milk-like substitutes:
(I am omitting goat milk because it still has casein in it and it is not as widely available as the following.)
Lactaid: F for awFul! I could never get past the sweet taste as a child and refuse to try it again.
Coconut Milk: C- The taste is a bit strange, the texture is even worse. Not to mention, it is quite caloric. It is excellent for certain recipes though, and the coconut milk ice cream is quite good.
Rice Milk: C+ It has a nice taste, but the texture is a bit watery. Bad for cereal eating.
Soy Milk: B+ The standard substitute. You know you're drinking soy milk when you taste it but it's not unpleasant, good texture. However with all the controversy over the estrogen-like effect, it is something I don't usually drink.
Almond Milk: A+ My personal favorite. Wonderful rich texture, good taste, and a surprisingly small amount of calories (60 per cup). I've had friends try it that are regular milk drinkers and they agreed it was quite delicious.
What do you think about milk substitutes? Have you ever used any of these substitutes before?
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Comments (10)
I just take the lactaid pill if I want to drink milk
My lactose intolerance saviors have been twofold. First, the far more available: consume stuff with L. acidophilus cultures in it. You can get acidophilus milk, and yogurt/frozen yogurt with it is also digestible. The culture converts the lactose into a more readily digestible form.
Second, I'd recommend ordering lactase drops online. Unlike the pill form, which you take when you consume dairy, you put the lactase drops right into the gallon of milk when you buy it, and it's essentially lactose-free by the next day. Unfortunately, American pharmacies don't seem to carry them.
As for casein allergy, I guess you're stuck with non-moo-milk. I happen to love vanilla soy milk, and I prefer it over Lactaid milk. The think to keep in mind is that almond milk isn't getting you the same nutrition that moo or soy milk does; it lacks the protein. (Everything else is fortified right in.) So, while I agree that it's probably the most delicious, I still get the soy milk instead.
Ugh, I hate soy milk. The taste, the texture...everything about it turns me off.
I like rice milk, but like you, I find it to be a little too watery sometimes.
Almond milk is my absolute favorite milk substitute.
unless it's raw meat or complete sugar/ carbs, my body hates it. I ate chicken today and was in agony. I'm in America, and I'm going to die of malnutrition with 20 extra pounds and low potassium. I'm not even puking anymore. I hear you. I love to chew. Perhaps I should chew and spit.
I'm not intolerant to milk, but I prefer not to drink it because I'm a little repulsed by it, so I've been using the substitutes for years. I agree with how you rated them. ALMOND MILK FTW! Freaking love it. But if i can't find it, then i get soy. And once in a while, Rice Dream rice milk (some rice milks are better than others. they all usually have too many calories though).
I'm not intolerant to lactose, but I just think soy milk tastes better, especially the vanilla flavoured one! 8D
Almond milk, however, is disgusting!
I bought it, all excited.. and my roomie and I were very disappointed in it.. we just used it in cereal and smoothies (things we could disguise it in lolol)
Soy milk is just handier, too, because it doesn't expire as quick as regular milk, and that soy slender stuff is excellent for diabetics like me who want to watch their carb intake ;)
I've never tried any of the other milk substitutes, but the rice one sounds interesting for sure. ^_^
I love soy milk and almond milk is good too :D my manager brought some into work and it was nice and hot. so goood.
I quite like almond milk... though I'm typically a normal milk drinker.
omG! I do love milk <3
i like soymilk - almond milk definitely wana try that