Plant Based Milk

I may be showing my age here... But when I was growing up, purchasing a gallon of milk from the store entailed walking to refrigerator case and choosing from 3 different gallons of milk: the red top was whole milk, the blue top was skim milk (or "fat free") and the green top was reduced fat milk.

Now you'll see the refrigerator case at your local grocery store is now stocked with ALL kinds of milk! For those with food allergy or intolerance concerns along with the popularity of plant based diets, the demand for milk alternatives is evident on the grocery store shelves.

If you are following a low protein diet for kidney health, limiting cow's milk may be something you are considering. But your next question may be: "What are you going to pour on my breakfast cereal?"

Lucky for you there are many options now on the market that are low in protein.

So what's the difference?

When it comes to nutrition, cow's milk has a lot going on. It has 8 grams of protein and is a good source of carbohydrates and fat to fuel your day. It naturally contains calcium and is fortified with Vitamin D for healthy bones. Milk is also a great source of Vitamin B12 which helps with brain health and keeping your metabolism working in tip top shape. Soy milk is nutritionally similar to cow's milk. It's high in protein and rich in calcium and vitamin B12.

Containing only 1-3 grams of protein per 8 oz serving, almond, rice and coconut milk are winners for those wanting less protein in their diet. (The coconut milk beverage we are talking about here is not to be confused with canned coconut milk we sometimes use in baking or cooking.)

Coconut and almond milk are both lower in calories compared to soy and cow's milk. These are often fortified with Calcium, B12 and Vitamin D to make them nutrient rich and comparable to cow's milk. Rice milk is lower in calories and protein, however, does have more carbohydrates compared to other dairy and nut free milks.