Vegetarian Journal's Guide to Soy, Rice, and Other Non-Dairy "Milks"

Vegetarian Journal, Jan, 2001 by Reed Mangels

Up until a few years ago, every time I visited my parents, I packed a suitcase full of aseptic boxes of fortified soymilk. That was a lot easier than driving many miles to the only store around that sometimes stocked soymilk. Things have changed! Now, almost everywhere my family travels, we've found soymilk in the supermarket. We're even noticing soymilks in the dairy case right alongside cow's milk. Soymilk also comes in aseptic containers and in powdered form. You can also try rice milk, oat milk, almond milk, milk based on potato starch, and multi-grain milk.

A typical 8-ounce glass of unflavored soymilk has 70-140 calories, and low- or nonfat varieties have even fewer calories than those with no reduction in fat. Flavored soymilks usually have added sweeteners and can have as many as 210 calories in 8 ounces. The range of calories for rice milk is similar to that of soymilk. Oat and multi-grain milks are slightly higher in calories (110-150 calories per serving), while almond milks are slightly lower (60-120 calories per serving).

Many beverages are lower in protein than cow's milk. This is not worrisome for those vegetarians whose diets contain other good protein sources. For those vegetarians who rely on plant-based milk for a significant portion of their daily protein needs, or for those vegetarians who need some extra protein (growing children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and some athletes, for example), beverages that are higher in protein can be chosen. These include EdenSoy Extra original, EdenSoy original, Eden Blend, Geni-Soy, Pacific Ultra Soy, Silk plain, So Nice Soyganic, Soy Dream, Sunrise, Vita Soy unenriched and refrigerated varieties, West Soy Lunch Box Plus, West Soy Organic original, and West Soy unsweetened. These products have 7 to 10 grams of protein in an 8-ounce serving. For those whose diets have generous amounts of protein from other sources and who want a beverage that does not supply extra protein, lite soymilk, rice beverages, and almond milks are generally quite low in protein.

Whole cow's milk has a hefty 8 grams of fat per cup. Skim cow's milk has no fat. None of the milks we examined had as much fat or saturated fat as whole cow's milk. Most regular soy beverages have a fat content similar to reduced fat (2%) cow's milk (around 3-4 grams of fat per serving). Beverages labeled nonfat, lite, and low fat, as well as rice-based beverages and Pacific Multigrain and Naturally Oat, are lower in fat, ranging from 0-2 grams of fat per cup.

Cow's milk is a significant source of calcium, vitamin D, vitamin [B.sub.12], and riboflavin. Many non-dairy beverage makers add these vitamins and minerals to their products to make them more closely resemble the nutritional makeup of cow's milk. Other sources for these nutrients exist but these beverages do represent options for those whose diets do not otherwise have enough of these vitamins and minerals. A recent study found that calcium in fortified soymilk is absorbed about 75% as well as is the calcium in cow's milk. This means that soymilk containing 500 milligrams of calcium per serving would supply approximately as much usable calcium as does a serving of cow's milk containing 300 milligrams of calcium. It's very important to shake fortified milks very well before serving because if you don't, there is "sludge" at the bottom of the carton that I suspect contains a significant amount of calcium in the product. This varies from product to product and seemed less noticeable in products from the dairy case. The charts accompanying this article give information on calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin [B.sub.12] levels in non-dairy milks.

We should note that while these products are popular with many adults and children, none of these beverages should be used to replace infant formulas or breast milk. They are not suitable for use by infants as a main food since they do not resemble breastmilk or infant formula in composition.

When you are choosing a non-dairy milk, there-are many things to consider. Here are some common considerations and suggestions for products that will meet those needs.

I WANT A PRODUCT THAT DOES NOT CONTAIN ANIMAL INGREDIENTS.

Most of the beverages that were examined for this article did not contain animal ingredients. Better than Milk, Sun Soy, and Natur-a had vitamin D added that was derived from lanolin from sheep's wool. The other products that contained vitamin D stated that the vitamin D was vegan (it was often derived from torula yeast). Natur-a and Trader Joe's Soy-um Strawberry flavor uses carmine to add a red color. Carmine is derived from the dried bodies of female beetles. Whyte's DariFree is made with honey.

I WANT A PRODUCT TO USE AS A DAILY BEVERAGE FOR MY VEGAN CHILD.

If a non-dairy milk is being used as a primary beverage for a vegan child, it should contain generous amounts of protein and calories. Fat-reduced beverages, lite beverages, and beverages that are low in protein (like rice milk, almond milk, and oat mild may not provide enough protein and calories for growing children when used as a mainstay of the diet. Many vegan parents use a fortified soymilk to supply calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin [B.sup.12]. Unless a vegan child has other reliable sources of these nutrients on a daily basis, parents will want to choose a product that supplies these nutrients. The charts accompanying this article provide information on good sources of calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin [B.sub.12.]