Blog Posts From Active Expert: Nancy Clark RD CSSD Tagged With soy_milk

Which is better: soy, almond or rice milk?

guest — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 02:07:17 GMT

Question:

Nancy, I eat a vegan diet, hence I do not drink cow’s milk. Which is a better source of protein: soy, almond or rice milk?

Answer:

There’s no debate: Soy milk is a far superior source of protein compared to almond or rice milk. That’s because soy, like cow’s milk, contains complete proteins and offers all the essential amino acids needed for building muscles and healthy bodies. Almond milk and rice milk, on the other hand, are protein-poor. Their labels even say, “Not to be used as an infant formula”. That says to me the products are not life sustaining. That is, a little baby can thrive on soy (or cow) milk, but not rice or almond milk. Note: the term “milk” can be misleading. A preferable term is “beverage”, “drink” or “dairy alternative.”

When comparing the food labels, you can see that:

• Soy milk offers about 7 to 11 grams of protein per 8 ounces (depending on the brand).

• Almond milk offers only 1 grams of protein per 8 ounces. Almonds are expensive, so not much ends up in the beverage. You’d be better off eating a handful of whole almonds.

• Rice milk offers 1 gram protein —or less—per 8 ounces. Rice milk is mostly carbohydrate and is “watery.”

Most almond, rice and soy beverages are fortified with calcium, but be sure to read the label because not all are fortified. For example, Nature’s Promise rice milk has 30% of the RDA for calcium whereas Rice Dream offers only 2%.

You want to buy a product that is not only calcium-fortified but also fortified with (at least) vitamin D and B-12.

In terms of taste and acceptability, you’ll want to sample several brands; they can vary greatly in taste and texture. The most popular options tend to be sweetened with rice syrup, evaporate cane juice or some other natural sweetener.

Here’s how some popular brands compare (8 ounces per serving):

Almond milk

Blue Diamond

Almond Breeze 60 calories 1 g Protein 2.5 g Fat 30% calcium

Rice milk

Nature’s Promise 100 calories 0 g Protein 2 g fat 30% calcium

Rice Dream 120 calories 1 g Protein 2.5 g Fat 2% calcium

Soy Milk

Silk 100 calories 7 g protein 4 g Fat 30% calcium

EdenSoy 130 calories 11 g protein 4 g Fat 20% calcium

If you don’t like to spend calories drinking milk….ww

guest — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:33:05 GMT

Many of my clients like to "save calories" by taking a calcium pill instead of drinking milk. While they may think that is a reasonable alternative, I disagree. Yes, a calcium pill does offer a lower calorie alternative to consuming the recommended three (8-ounce) glasses of (soy) milk or yogurt each day, but research indicates milk drinkers tend to be leaner than milk avoiders. That suggests milk is not fattening but rather slimming!

I encourage my clients to embrace milk as a “liquid food” that is satiating and curbs one appetite. That is, milk can be more filling than the same number of calories from soda or juice. Drinking a glass of milk with a meal can fill you up, as opposed to drinking water and then be left hankering for dessert (with far more calories than a glass of milk).

Most of my active female clients reduce weight on 1,800 calories; men on 2,100+ calories. That breaks down to 500 to 600 calories per meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and 300 calories for a snack. Enjoying low-fat (soy) milk on cereal, a mid-morning latte and a yogurt for a snack seems a powerful way to spend 300 of those calories and approach the recommended intake of 1,000 milligrams of calcium per for adults 19-50 years; 1,200 mg for adults older than 50 years, and 1,300 mg for kids 9-18 years.

If you are a parent, be a role model and drink (soy) milk at dinner to encourage a calcium-rich intake for your kids. Building strong bones during the ages of 10 to 18 is a wise investment for the future. Milk offers far more than just calcium; it’s a rich source of vitamin D, protein, riboflavin and a host of life-sustaining nutrients. Think twice before trading this wholesome food for an engineered pill.

Nancy

Soy milk and calcium pills

guest — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:10:54 GMT

Hi Nancy,

I have a question about getting calcium from foods vs pills.

I’ve been a lacto-octo vegetarian for about 30 years and I’m a big soy milk drinker. You say calcium-fortified soy milk is a good source of calcium. I don’t see much difference between getting the calcium from the soy milk or from a pill, because the soy milk has had a calcium pill dissolved in it to make it “fortified”. What’s the difference?

Hi Paul,

There's not much of a difference in terms of calcium. But when you get the calcium via soy milk, you at least get the protein and a myriad of other good nutrients along with the calcium. If you just take the pill, you might “forget” to drink the soy milk and you'll miss out on all the good stuff it offers--including high quality protein that vegetarians might not get otherwise.

As you know, eating whole foods is always preferable to taking supplements; so many bioactive compounds are in foods that are not in pills. Supplementing a whole food can further boost the health value.

Enjoy your fortified soy milk!

Nancy

For more information about calcium, protein and supplements:

Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook, Chapters 1. 7 and 11

http://www.nancyclarkrd.com