If you decide to give up dairy milk, what will you pour over cereal, pair with a freshly baked cookie, or put in your morning coffee? Milk serves many purposes for the average American, so if dairy is out, we need alternatives. Fortunately, your problem isn’t finding an alternative to cow’s milk; rather it’s navigating through the sea of options!
And you needn’t worry about your bone health, as fortified milk alternatives, like cow’s milk, generally deliver about 30% of your daily calcium and up to 45% of your daily vitamin D per serving. Ready to find the right “milk” for you? Here’s a brief overview:

Soy milk

Made from filtered water, soybeans, and evaporated cane juice, an 8-oz. serving of original sweetened soy milk contains 100 calories, 4 g fat, 8 g carbs, 6 g sugar and 7 g protein. Flavors include plain, vanilla, and chocolate. Opting for USDA organic soymilk─such as that offered by Organic Valley─will protect you from GMO’s, pesticides, etc.

Almond milk

This alternative consists of filtered water, almonds, and evaporated cane juice. An 8-oz. serving of original almond milk contains 60 calories, 2.5 g fat, 8 g carbs, 7 g sugar and 1 g protein. Blue Diamond has largely perfected the art of almond milk with their best-selling Almond Breeze, available in original, vanilla, unsweetened, and chocolate flavors.

Rice milk

Rice milk─made from filtered water, brown rice and safflower oil─is tasty and refreshing, though high in carbs and sugar, and rather thin in texture. A serving will typically contain about 23 g carbs, 10 g sugar, 2.5 g fat, and 1 g protein. Rice Dream is a high-quality brand, with original, vanilla, unsweetened, and chocolate flavors.

Hemp milk

While it’s made from the seeds of the edible part of the cannabis plant, hemp milk does not contain THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana. Available in original, vanilla, and chocolate flavors, hemp milk has about 100 calories per serving, along with 9 g carbs, 6 g sugar, 5 g fat, and 2 g protein. See if the herby-nutty flavor appeals to you.

Coconut milk

Calling all coconut lovers! New Blue Diamond Breeze Almondmilk Coconutmilk Blend has 50% more calcium than cow’s milk, along with 7 g carbs, 3 g fat, 6 g sugar and 1 g protein. Available in original, vanilla, and unsweetened flavors.
As you can see, options abound. Many families stock an array, including soy, almond, and hemp milk, as kids and adults may have different preferences. With all these great choices, you can easily leave cow’s milk behind for good─and never miss the mustache!