Milky Way

I've been drinking milk alternatives for quite some time. Not due to lactose intolerance or a milk allergy. My love for soy milk started from childhood, drinking the Vita brand that incorporated a bit of very tasty coconut milk. That soy drink is sweetened but I became accustomed to plain soy milk all the same. When I have drinks at Starbucks, very rarely do I not order with soy. In my opinion they just don't taste as good when it's just regular milk! I'll go through the types that I've tried.

Soy Milk

Pressed from these little beans you can reap the benefits of protein without the cholesterol and fat in cow's milk. It's a legume which you can feel good about drinking because it's healthy and packed with vitamin E. It has a slightly nutty taste, which I really like and also comes in various flavors. When purchasing soy milk watch out for added sweeteners. Many brands have added sugar and you could unknowingly be consuming unnecessary amounts. Because the calcium in soybeans are not actually digestible by humans, calcium additives are usually included in the carton. You can even try making it yourself - my dad has cooked up batches of soy milk from beans right on the stove numerous times.

Almond Milk

Almond milk is very finely ground almonds mixed with water. I haven't tried to make it at home because almonds are insanely expensive and a one litre carton of almond milk at Superstore is only $2. This is my personal favorite because it contains half the calories per serving than skim milk, soy milk, or rice milk. It also tastes like skim milk and substitutes in recipes exactly like cow's milk! Like soy milk, some brands have added sweeteners. It's very high in protein, very low in fat, and is tolerated well by people sensitive to soy.

Rice Milk

It's basically the water left from boiling a lot of rice. As you can guess, this milk contains a lot more carbohydrates than the others because of the high content in the grains. You can also guess that it tastes like the water that rice is cooked in. In other words, it's not that tasty. You're better off drinking what you can strain from congee. I think rice producers got a little too adventurous with this one. You can tell this is not my favorite. Although I do like a good rice cordial!

So if you're thinking of replacing regular cow's milk for health reasons or if you are switching to being vegan there are alternatives. It's great to change up your drinks with something different from time to time and these alternatives have a longer shelf life! You don't have to refrigerate until it's been opened so you can always have milk on standby.