What Ever Happened To Good Old Milk
Boy, I remember milk when I was a kid. It came in glass bottles, you would open up the cap and there would be about a half-inch of cream on top so you would have to shake the bottle. After that milk came in containers and no cream on top so you didn’t have to shake it, but it was still good old fashioned milk from a cow. I remember only 3 kinds of milk, regular and skim and my grandmother always had buttermilk, which was heavy and thicker than regular milk.
But here we are in the 21st century and it seems like we have 50 different types of milk, and you don’t even need a cow anymore. I know there has always been goat’s milk around but you could never find it at the local supermarket, I think mainly goat farmers drank it.
Let me go through some of the different so-called milks out there, I mean how can they be called milk if it doesn’t come from a cow.
Almond Milk
Go figure, getting milk from an almond. Almond milk is made from ground almonds and water. Almond milk is low in calories, with approximately 40 calories per 8 ounce serving of unsweetened and unflavored almond milk. There are approximately three grams of fat per eight-ounce serving, with zero grams of saturated fat.
An eight-ounce serving of almond milk does not contain any cholesterol. Almond milk is not a significant source of protein or fiber, with approximately one gram of each in a serving. A serving of almond milk will provide you approximately 20% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of calcium, 10% of vitamin A, 25% of vitamin D, and 50% of vitamin E.
Coconut Milk
Now this is something I remember when I was a kid, every now and then my father would bring home a coconut. He would drain the coconut water into a glass and then we would all eat the coconut. If I remember it didn’t taste very good.
Coconut milk will provide you approximately 21% of the RDA of fiber, 11% of calcium, 10% of folate, 22% of iron, and 22% of magnesium. On the other hand, the lower-calorie version will provide you approximately 45% of calcium, 4% of iron, 50% of vitamin B12, and 25% of vitamin D. Finally, coconut milk can help heart health by raising the good cholesterol (HDL).
Flax Milk
Flax-Seed is something I take on a daily basis as a supplement; I didn’t know they made milk out of it. The calories in an 8 ounce serving of unsweetened flax milk can range from approximately 25-50, depending on the brand. Flax milk is high in omega-3 fatty acids and contains a generous 30% RDA of calcium. Unfortunately, flax milk does not contain any protein or fiber. Flax milk contains 10% RDA of vitamin A, 25% of vitamin B-12, and 25% of vitamin D.
Hazelnut Milk
More milk from a nut; Hazelnut milk has 110 calories per 8 ounce serving. There are 18 grams of carbs in a serving of hazelnut milk, with 14 grams of sugars. Hazelnut milk has one gram of fiber and two grams of protein per serving. There is 30% RDA of calcium in a serving of hazelnut milk, along with 10% of vitamin A, 25% of vitamin D, 10% of vitamin E, and 30% of riboflavin.
Hemp Milk
I always knew that hemp can be refined into a variety of commercial items including paper, textiles, clothing, biodegradable plastics, paint, insulation, biofuel, food, and animal feed, but milk. What a world.
An eight-ounce glass of hemp milk contains approximately 60 calories. One serving contains five grams of fat, four of which are polyunsaturated. Hemp milk does not contain cholesterol. Unfortunately, one serving only provides two grams of protein and does not contain any fiber. Hemp milk is packed with amino acids. In fact, it contains all ten amino acids. In addition, hemp milk has omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. One serving of hemp milk will provide you 25% RDA of calcium.
Oat Milk
I’ve eaten oatmeal all my life, never thought of it as milk, although I always add milk to it when eating it. Oat milk contains approximately 130 calories per 8 ounce serving. Oat milk is high in fat and carbs, with approximately 25 grams of each per serving, with 19 grams of sugar per serving. There are 4 grams of protein and 35% RDA of calcium in each 8-ounce serving. You can find 10% RDA of vitamin A, 25% of vitamin D, 10% of iron, and 30% of riboflavin in each serving of oat milk.
Rice Milk
Well, it was the Chinese who invented spaghetti, so why not milk from rice? An 8 ounce serving of rice milk has approximately 120 calories and 2 grams of fat. There are approximately 25 carbs in a serving of rice milk, with 0 grams of fiber and 1 gram of protein. A serving of rice milk only contains 2% RDA of calcium.
Soy Milk
As by the name I’m sure you already guessed this milk is made from soybeans. An 8 ounce serving of soymilk has 100 calories and 4 grams of fat. There are eight grams of carbs with six grams of sugar in a serving of soymilk. Soymilk has a generous 7 grams of protein and 30% RDA of calcium per serving. A serving of soymilk contains 10% RDA of vitamin A, 50% of vitamin B-12, 30% of vitamin D, 6% of folate, 6% of iron, 10% of magnesium, 30% of riboflavin, and 4% of zinc.
Sunflower Milk
I’ve eaten sunflower seeds all my life shell and all, so why not milk? An 8 ounce serving of sunflower milk contains approximately 70 calories and 4 grams of fat. Sunflower milk has nine carbs per serving with seven grams of sugar. Sunflower milk does not provide a significant amount of protein or fiber, with one gram of each in an eight-ounce serving. However, there is a generous 30% RDA of calcium in each serving. A serving of sunflower milk provides approximately 10% RDA of vitamin A and 2% of iron.
Whole Grain Milk
I eat whole-grain cereal for health purposes, so I guess putting whole grain milk on whole-grain cereal would be double healthy. One cup serving of oat milk provides 130 calories, 2.5g total fat, 0g saturated fats, 2 grams fiber, 4 grams protein, 35 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for calcium, and 25 percent for vitamin D.
To be truthful the only milk I’ve tried other than cow’s milk is the vanilla almond milk, which I like. Other than that I use lactose-free whole milk. There are other reasons people drink all these different types of milk, taste, allergies, health reasons. Like I always say, there is no one size fits all diet, I guess that goes for milk as well. Enjoy.
