Your Choice Makes
a Difference.
Adults and kids take in about 400 calories per day as beverages, according to Choose My Plate. Beverages can be a key source of nutrition in our diets. And, the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans lists lowfat or fat free milk among recommended beverages for kids. But even milk can be confusing.
There have been wide-ranging discussions from many people about milk, goat milk and non-dairy milk alternatives, like almond milk, soy milk and coconut milk. Some moms choose to serve alternatives to milk rather than real dairy milk, and you may wonder why. It’s important to note, however, that eliminating nutrient-rich food groups, like dairy, may not only be unnecessary, it could also impact diet and health, according to the experts.
What does my child need?
With so many options available, it’s no surprise moms have questions. Moms can rest assured experts and decades of research repeatedly reinforce the benefits of drinking dairy milk. According to Choose My Plate, children ages 2 to 3 should aim to consume 2 servings of dairy products, like milk, daily. Kids ages 4 to 8 years old should have 2½ servings, and kids ages 9 to 18 years old consume 3 servings each day. Beginning around the age of nine, the gap between the recommended daily amount of milk and milk products widens. In fact, 9 out of 10 teen girls do not drink enough milk.
Only between two to three percent of children younger than three have a milk allergy, which is sometimes confused with lactose intolerance.
Even people who are lactose intolerant can still enjoy milk – for example, by choosing lactose free milk, trying small amounts of milk on cereal, with meals or in a smoothie.
It’s important to know milk and non-dairy alternatives to milk are not created equal. In fact, these beverages differ greatly in five key areas: nutrition, ingredient list, added sugars, price and taste.
Farm fresh, real dairy milk is naturally nutrient rich — which is difficult to match in most non-dairy milk alternatives, and backed by decades of research.
Milk has nine essential nutrients including:
CONVERTING FOOD TO ENERGY
LEAN MUSCLE
HEALTHY IMMUNE SYSTEM
regulate the balance of fluids
BONE BUILDING
Find out more about milk’s protein
Milk is an important source in the American diet of additional nutrients, including thiamin (vitamin B1), vitamin B6 and zinc that work in concert with other B vitamins like pantothenic acid to help convert your food into energy and magnesium, which also helps to build strong bones. Plus, milk has selenium, which works with vitamin A to help maintain a healthy immune system.
Non-dairy milk alternatives vary in their nutritional profiles and are often fortified, and their nutritional impact has not been thoroughly studied , so it’s important for moms to understand there are key differences between the beverages.
One difference to consider is protein, because it plays an important role for your kids. From muscles to hair, bones to teeth, your kids’ bodies need protein and protein foods to grow healthy and strong — from helping to build lean muscle, keeping them fuller longer and helping them to maintain bone health.
Milk is a complete protein, which means that every glass contains a full mix of the essential amino acids our bodies need. Most plant-based protein sources are not considered complete proteins, and many milk alternatives do not naturally contain protein, or have varying amounts of protein, so manufacturers may add additional plant protein.
In addition to the mix of amino acids a protein provides, researchers also rank the overall quality of a protein source. These rankings consider how much of the protein your body can digest. Milk proteins are considered higher-quality proteins than plant-based proteins like soy, rice and pea protein, according to new gold standard methods.
A complete protein is one that contains the full mix of the essential amino acids our bodies need. Most plant-based protein sources are incomplete proteins. This means you may miss some of the building blocks our bodies require.
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| Protein | 8g | 1g | 7g | <1g | 1g | 8g | 0g |
| Type | Complete | Incomplete | Complete | Incomplete | Incomplete | Incomplete | Incomplete |
Beyond protein, milk is the top food source for calcium, potassium and vitamin D, three of the four "nutrients of public health concern" — nutrients that many Americans, including children, are most lacking in their diets.
Milk naturally contains many nutrients like calcium, potassium, protein and B vitamins. Many of the nutrients found in non-dairy milk alternatives are fortified.
Milk naturally contains calcium as well as nutrients like potassium, protein, B vitamins and more. Many of the nutrients found in non-dairy milk alternatives are fortified.
Milk naturally contains potassium as well as nutrients like calcium, protein, B vitamins and more. Many of the nutrients found in non-dairy milk alternatives are fortified.
Milk naturally contains protein as well as nutrients like calcium, potassium, B vitamins and more. Many of the nutrients found in non-dairy milk alternatives are fortified.
Milk naturally contains B vitamins as well as nutrients like calcium, potassium, protein and more. Many of the nutrients found in non-dairy milk alternatives are fortified.
The nutrients in many non-dairy milk alternatives, like almond milk, soy milk and coconut milk, are not the same as cow’s milk. In fact, few can match the full nutrient package found naturally in milk, that contains calcium, potassium and B vitamins. This means that many non-dairy milk alternatives often fortify their products with these nutrients.
What does this mean for kids?
COMPARE
There are real differences for you to consider between milk and non-dairy milk alternatives. For the complete picture — from calories and added sugar, to nutrients and ingredient list, as well as the amount of protein and price — here’s how each drink compares when you read the product label.
Milk only adds vitamins A and D. Vitamin A, which is removed with the milk fat during standardization, and is added back into 2% reduced fat, 1% lowfat and fat free milks. Vitamin D, the nutrient that your body also makes naturally from sun exposure, is also added to milk. Before 1933, there wasn’t much vitamin D in milk. To address a potential health crisis, three prominent U.S. advisory groups – the American Medical Association, the Council on Food and Nutrition and the National Committee on Food and Nutrition – recommended milk producers add vitamin D to milk to help combat rickets, which is caused by vitamin D deficiency. Since the 1930s, the standard is to fortify all milk to provide 25 percent of the daily value of vitamin D in each 8-ounce glass. Many non-dairy milk alternatives are also fortified with vitamin D.
Non-dairy milk alternatives — including almond milk, coconut milk, rice milk, pea milk, flax milk and soy milk — have different nutrient combination because there is no standard practice for fortifying with these nutrients. For example, while soy and almond beverages do contain minimal amounts of natural calcium, they are typically fortified to increase the amount.
Calcium is a key nutrient to help your kids build strong bones, and according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, milk is a great way for your kids to get their bone-building nutrients — even more so than non-dairy alternatives fortified with calcium. In addition, substituting milk with other non-dairy calcium sources like fortified soy milk and leafy greens that don’t provide the same nutrients as milk can lead to gaps in other key nutrients like protein, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, riboflavin, vitamin B12, vitamin A and vitamin D. Although it is possible to meet calcium intake recommendations without consuming dairy foods, calcium replacement foods are not a nutritionally equivalent substitute for dairy foods.
Research suggests non-dairy milks “should not be considered substitutes for cow’s milk” until more research is done to study these drinks. And substituting these products for real dairy milk may negatively affect diet quality and potentially increase the risk of nutritional deficiencies of key essential nutrients.
Further research shows that non-dairy milk alternatives might not give kids enough vitamin D when they replace dairy milk in the diet. Young children who drank only soy milk, almond milk or rice milk were more than twice as likely to be deficient in vitamin D as kids who drank only dairy milk. In fact, for every cup of non-dairy milk in the kids’ diets, their blood levels of vitamin D decreased by 5 percent, according to a recent study.
Childhood nutrition is essential for healthy growth and development – especially during your kids’ important bone-building years. Decades of research support the role of milk for bone health. One recent study of more than 5,000 kids cautions that replacing real dairy milk with non-dairy milk alternatives is associated with differences in a child’s height. Researchers found kids at age 3 who drank non-dairy milk alternatives were 1.5 cm shorter, on average, than their milk-drinking peers.
Now you know what naturally occurring nutrients are provided, but that’s only one part of the nutrition puzzle. It’s important to know that some beverages add other ingredients, which may influence which milk you choose.
Take a look at how the ingredients in milk compare to vanilla almond milk.
All vanilla almond milk contains almonds and water, and many brands have other added ingredients including salt, sugar or thickeners like gums. Many nationally-available brands have 10 or more added ingredients. Take a look at how the ingredients in milk compare to vanilla almond milk (one of the most commonly purchased varieties of almond milks).
Dairy milk, a simple and wholesome beverage, has just three ingredients — milk, vitamin A and vitamin D. It is minimally processed and farm fresh. When you compare the ingredient list on milk to non-dairy milk alternative cartons, you may be surprised at what you find.
Milk, vitamin A, vitamin D
Almondmilk (filtered water, almonds), sugar, calcium, vitamin E, zinc, vitamin A, riboflavin, vitamin B12, vitamin D, sea salt, natural flavor, sunflower lecithin, locust bean gum, gellan gum
Soymilk (filtered water, soybeans), sugar, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin D, riboflavin, vitamin B12, sea salt, natural flavor, gellan gum
Organic coconut milk (filtered water, organic coconut cream), organic cane sugar, calcium, magnesium, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin D, zinc, vitamin B12, sea salt, organic sunflower lecithin, organic locust bean gum, gellan gum
Lowfat milk, sugar, cocoa, corn starch, salt, carageenan, natural flavor, vitamin A, vitamin D
Flaxmilk (filtered water, cold pressed flax oil), sugar, calcium, vanilla extract, sunflower lecithin, natural flavors, sea salt, gellan gum, xanthan gum, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B12
Almondmilk (filtered water, almonds), calcium, vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin D, sea salt, natural flavor, sunflower lecithin, locust bean gum, gellan gum
Many brands of almond milk may contain as little as two percent almonds. This means that there is the equivalent of approximately three to four whole almonds in each 8-ounce glass, as calculated from data from the USDA Nutrient Database. This is determined by the amount of protein almonds contain — which explains the percentage of almonds to other ingredients in almond milk.
Which of these beverages does not contain added sugar?
Dairy milk does contain lactose, which is a naturally-occurring sugar, but it does not contain added sugar. Remember to check the nutrition facts panel to understand how much nutrition each drink delivers too.
All of these beverages except dairy milk contain added sugar. Remember to check the nutrition facts panel to understand how much nutrition each drink delivers too.
Chocolate dairy milk does contain added sugar. Remember to check the nutrition facts panel to understand how much nutrition each drink delivers. Chocolate milk is naturally nutrient-rich, providing the same 9 essential nutrients as non-flavored dairy milk.
When parents make beverage choices for their kids, it’s important to consider the company sugar keeps. Moms should think about the context of her child’s overall diet, nutrients and calories. Health experts, like American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), acknowledge that small amounts of sugar may help your kids enjoy nutritious foods, like flavored milk and whole grains.
Many people may not realize a food or beverage has added sugar. Here’s a quick list to help you navigate the ingredient list.
Do you recognize these names for added sugar?
Ultimately, there are reasons to include sugar in the diet, but you may be surprised where you find it. When you look at the nutrition label on a gallon of milk, you will find sugar listed. But that sugar is not added, it’s lactose.
According to cost per 8-ounce serving, which of these beverages is most affordable?
Penny for penny, ounce for ounce, milk delivers more nutritional value than just about any drink you can provide for just about a quarter per serving.
Almond milk is $0.45 per 8-ounce serving. Penny for penny, ounce for ounce, at just about a quarter per serving, milk delivers more nutritional value than just about any drink you can provide.
Coconut milk is $0.56 per 8-ounce serving. Penny for penny, ounce for ounce, at just about a quarter per serving, milk delivers more nutritional value than just about any drink you can provide.
Soy milk is $0.44 per 8-ounce serving. Penny for penny, ounce for ounce, at just about a quarter per serving, milk delivers more nutritional value than just about any drink you can provide.
Flax milk is $0.61 per 8-ounce serving. Penny for penny, ounce for ounce, at just about a quarter per serving, milk delivers more nutritional value than just about any drink you can provide.
Rice milk is $0.79 per 8-ounce serving. Penny for penny, ounce for ounce, at just about a quarter per serving, milk delivers more nutrition than just about any drink you can provide.
The average American household spends about 10 percent of their budget on food — nearly $80 a week for groceries. Take a look at how much dairy milk can help stretch your grocery budget.
$ 628
$ 1,222
Lactose is the naturally occurring sugar in milk — and all milk has the same amount of lactose, about 12 grams per 8-ounce serving. This is the same amount of naturally occurring sugar, called fructose, you will find in a small banana. It is not an added sugar.
All types of milk – including fat free and flavored – provide the same essential nutrients. While flavored milk does contain added sugar, many leading health and nutrition organizations, including the AAP, agree that flavored milk is a positive trade-off for soft drinks, which are the primary source of added sugars in children’s diets. Flavored milk contributes only 3 percent of total added sugars in the diets of children from 2 to 18 years old.
More than 20 studies on real, lowfat dairy chocolate milk support the benefits of recovering with the high-quality protein and nutrients in chocolate milk after a tough workout. In fact, lowfat chocolate milk:
Milk is the foundation for many American favorites and tastes from around the world, and has been for centuries. From creamy macaroni and cheese to a classic alfredo sauce to a delectable crème brulée, milk adds dimension, accentuates the flavor and serves as a decadent base to many of your favorite dishes.
Why do chefs use milk?
Whether baking, braising or mixing in your batter, cooking with milk complements your culinary ambitions. Making homemade versions of fresh ricotta cheese, thick yogurt and rich ice cream is a simple way to tap your inner gourmet. If you want to swap real dairy milk for another ingredient, remember that each non-dairy milk alternative has a different flavor, which can change the flavor profile or the consistency of your dishes, even for pancakes, oatmeal and smoothies.
Professional chefs, who helped to inspire the rise of the farm-to-table movement, choose fresh, local foods, like milk, to elevate their cuisine and define their menus. James Beard Award semi-finalist and “Chopped” champion Chef Giorgio Rapicavoli uses milk for his inventive, award-winning dishes at Miami’s Eating House, not only because it is a wholesome, simple ingredient, but also to create a fusion of flavors.
To save money and make meals your family loves, check out these smoothies and other recipes made with real milk.
22 grams of protein
