If you're anything like me, you probably grew up consuming a hefty amount of dairy products. I can fondly remember my mother giving me a small glass of whole milk with mesost and green apple slices as a child. After my family moved to America, I realized that here to milk is also an important dietary staple -- forming part of the American pastoral fantasy. However, more than just emotional association, milk also provides a liquid medium for protein, fats, and fat soluble vitamins. It is a great liquid base for green smoothies and post workout nutrition. Given this, I was quite disappointed when I heared that milk (and to a larger extent, other dairy products) were not particularly good for longevity.
The problems with traditional cow's milk are multiple:
- Casein: Stimulates production of IGF1. Negatively modifies function of phenolic compounds. Disrupts cellular tight junctions. Allergy or irritant to some individuals. Possible carcinogen according to T Campbell.
- Lactose: Breaks down into galactose and glucose, neither of which are terribly great for regulation of glycation when present in high quantities. Allergy or irritant to some individuals.
- Contaminants: rBGH, bacterial contamination (or remnants of) from mastitis and other infections, glycotoxins (AGEs) from homogenization process, industrial pollutants such as dioxin.
- Carbohydrate content: Milk, while not as bad some juices, is a little high on carbohydrate. If one is looking for a fat source to enhance the absorption and add taste to a green / berry smoothie, the last thing you need is additional carbohydrate spiking blood glucose.
Regardless of whether you subscribe to a paleo type diet, it seems obvious enough that there are better foods available than milk, especially when considering longevity. With that in mind, I have been trying various milk replacement foods for the last two weeks. I was also hoping other people might provide some input on which type of milk replacement they personally use.
With any faux food, it is good to be concerned about the ingredients. These are the brands I tried and their ingredients:
Unsweetened Coconut Milk - SO Delicious
- Coconut cream (water, coconut, guar gum), calcium phosphate, magnesium phosphate, carrageenan, vitamin A palminate, Vitamin D2, L-Selenomethionine (selenium), zinc oxide, folic acid, vitamin B12
- Per 240ml (1 cup): 50 calories, 1g carbohydrate, 5g fat (all saturated), 1g protein, 15mg sodium.
Plain Soy Milk - Silk
- Filtered water, whole organic soy beans, organic evaporated cane juice, calcium carbonate, sea salt, natural flavors, carrageenan, vitamin A palminate, vitamin D2, riboflavin (B2), vitamin B12.
- Per 240ml (1 cup): 100 calories, 8g carbohydrate (6g sugar, 1g fiber), 4g fat (.5g saturated, 1g MUFA, 2.5g PUFA), 300mg sodium.
Almond Milk - Blue Diamond's Almond Breeze
- Purified water, almonds, tapioca starch, calcium carbonate, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan, soy lecithin, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, d-alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E).
- Per 240ml (1 cup): 40 calories, 2g carbohydrate, 3g fat, 1g fat (no SFA, rest not specified on packaging), 180mg sodium.
My first observation was that the Soy milk had the most sodium, sugar (from cane juice), and total calories. It also likely has the most PUFAs (the packaging indicates some n-3s), which as has been discussed, could be linked to increased glycation. It also has isoflavones, which could be good for lowering DHT and perhaps free testosterone. Finally, it has the highest protein concentration. Soy protein has been rated as having a high biological value.
The almond milk also had a surprising amount of additives...I wasn't crazy about the soy lecithin being used as an emulsifier being that it is a waste product, however to it's merit, there has been some studies indicating soy lecithin's role in lowering cholesterol. I surmise the PUFA content on the almond milk was also high, but it wasn't specified on the packaging.
Over all, the coconut milk seemed to have the best fatty acid profile (primarily SFA, mostly lauric), lowest sugar (and carbohydrate) concentration, while also providing a nice blend of added nutrients. As a word of caution, both the almond and coconut milk had carrageenan, which has been linked to certain cancers and macrophage malfunction. Although the publications I was able to find on this food additive are old, which indicates to me that later research may (hopefully) indicate little to no risk.
Utimately, I wouldn't recommend drinking too much milk substitute of any kind. There are just too many added components (such as the carrageenan) and processing, which are questionable. However, one glass a day probably won't harm you.
Hopefully this was helpful to someone
Edited by Skotkonung, 06 December 2009 - 10:08 AM.