Milk Shakedown – A side by side comparison to help you make an informed choice

A side by side comparison to help you make an informed choice

Is oat milk more nutritious? Is almond milk more sustainable? Does organic also mean free of gums and thickening agents?

With so many options and hundreds of brands to choose from, it’s so hard to know which is the best option for your body and the planet.

The bad news is most of even the healthiest sounding plant milks contain thickening agents or other preservatives. The good news is not all of them do. Even some low-cost store brands of soy milk contain just 2 ingredients; organic soy beans and water.

This is why I designed a handy chart summarizing key nutritional data and sustainability scores for popular milk alternatives, including dairy milk.

The chart below is designed to answer the first two questions. The third comes back to our old friend, the ingredients list. Thickening agents like carrageenan, guar gum and others are linked with negative side effects in multiple studies, as this article explains.

The nutritional values are general averages and may vary by brand.

Sustainability scores are based on factors like water usage, greenhouse gas emissions, and land impact.

Personally, I’ve switched to soy for the extra protein. I also like the taste, and the fact that it mixes well with coffee and tea lattes, unlike some of the other options that curdle.

Let me know in the comments what’s working for you!

Explanation

Calories and Nutrients

Soy milk, has the highest protein, dairy milk has the highest natural sugars (lactose), while almond and coconut milk are lower in calories and protein.

Sustainability Ratings

• Hemp Milk (9): Highly sustainable due to low water requirements, rapid growth, and soil health benefits.
• Soy Milk (8): Relatively low water usage and high protein content make it a sustainable choice, though it’s affected by deforestation when not sourced sustainably.
• Oat Milk (7): Moderate water use, and relatively low impact overall, though it requires substantial land if scaled.
• Macadamia Milk (7): Growing macadamia nuts have a low water footprint, but the crop is regionally limited.
• Almond Milk (6): Requires significant water, especially problematic in water-scarce regions like California.
• Coconut Milk (6): Moderate environmental impact, with some concerns about deforestation and fair-trade practices.
• Dairy Milk (5): Higher resource usage overall, including land, water, and greenhouse gases, contributing to a lower sustainability score.

Download the chart!