Coconut Milk vs. Almond Milk vs. Soy Milk vs. Dairy Milk
Best Milk Alternative: Coconut Milk vs. Almond Milk vs. Soy Milk vs. Dairy Milk
On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, I’m breaking down the best milk alternative by comparing coconut milk vs. almond milk vs. soy milk vs. dairy milk.
Yes, it’s time for one of my favorite segments on Live Lean TV, we’re talking Food Wars!
Today’s Food Wars comparison is very controversial as people are very passionate about this topic.
I’m talking about dairy milk and milk alternatives.
In particular I’ll answer the following questions:
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- Is drinking dairy milk healthy?
- Is dairy milk the best source of calcium, like the marketers say?
- What about other plant based milk alternatives like soy milk, almond milk and coconut milk?
- Are these milk alternatives as healthy as dairy milk?
- Do they contain a good source of protein?
- Or are you better off with a high saturated fat option like coconut milk?
Having access to all of these milk options has led to a lot of confusion as what is the best and healthiest type of milk to drink.
So on today’s episode of Food Wars, it is my goal to answer all these questions and clear up all this confusion.
Will it be controversial?
You bet.
Food Wars: Coconut Milk vs. Almond Milk vs. Soy Milk vs. Dairy Milk
So lets analyze these 4 different beverages from the milk category, and figure out which one should be in your fridge and which one should be in the garbage.
Milk Option #1: Dairy Milk
As babies, most of us were raised on human breast milk.
Then we grew into a toddler and were weened off, and in many cases, given milk from a cow, also known as dairy milk, as a milk replacement.
I used to drink a lot of dairy milk since I loved the taste, the texture, and how refreshing it was.
However, if you notice in the video, the dairy milk carton is smaller than the other ones, for good reason.
I picked up the cheapest dairy milk that I could find at the grocery store because I don’t drink dairy milk anymore.
Why did I stop drinking dairy milk?
Not only did I find I was lactose intolerant, but I also finally clued in to the idea that nature intended dairy milk to be consumed by calves, not humans.
Think about it, doesn’t it seem unnatural to drink milk from another mammal?
Human beings are the only species that drinks milk from another mammal.
Let’s look at the nutritional information of dairy milk
Serving size: 1 cup of 2% dairy milk:
- Calories: 123
- Protein: 8g
- Carbohydrates: 12g (12g of sugar)
- Fiber: 0g
- Fat: 5g
Yes, 12 grams of fattening sugar in just one cup!
Here’s a Ted Talks video by Jamie Oliver, where he showed how much sugar kids were consuming every year, just from drinking dairy milk!
During his talk, he brought out a huge wheelbarrow filled with sugar, and dumped it out on stage to show how much sugar kids were consuming from dairy milk.
In addition to the sugar, today’s highly processed dairy milk is not the same milk that it used to be back in the day.
Today’s dairy milk is now pasteurized and homogenized, which basically kills off a lot of the beneficial enzymes and bacteria.
Also, if you fall for the idea that dairy milk is the best source of calcium, coconut milk, in many cases, is fortified with calcium, thus providing a higher amount of the percentage daily value (DV) compared to dairy milk.
Plus there are many other healthier food options naturally filled with calcium, such as green leafy vegetables.
So don’t fall for the hype that you NEED to drink milk to get calcium.
Plus, the heating process that dairy milk goes through kills some of the amino acids, thus negatively affecting the biological value of the protein in milk.
Dairy milk conclusion:
Due to the high amount of sugar, the lactose, and the unnatural idea of drinking another species milk, this carton of dairy milk is going in the garbage.
Let’s move on.
Milk Option #2: Soy Milk
Well I think you know the answer to this if you’ve seen any of my other videos or blogs on soy.
Soy is not a health product.
If you ask farmers which 2-3 feed options are best to fatten up their animals, it’s soy, grains, and corn.
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Soy is a highly genetically modified food that is heavily sprayed with pesticides.
It also contains phytoestrogens that mimic estrogen in the body, the same way as BPAs do.
In other words, soy can really mess up the hormones for both men and women.
Let’s look at the nutritional information of soy milk
Serving size: 1 cup of unsweetened soy milk (Silk brand):
- Calories: 80
- Protein: 7g
- Carbohydrates: 4g (1g of sugar)
- Fiber: 2g
- Fat: 4g
Even though 1 cup of unsweetened soy milk contains protein, the protein does not contain a high level of all the essential amino acids, thus is not considered high biological value protein.
Soy milk conclusion:
Since soy is a highly genetically modified food that is highly sprayed with pesticides, soy milk is going in the garbage too.
Now we’re moving on to almond milk.
Milk Option #3: Almond Milk
Let’s look at the nutritional information of almond milk
Serving size: 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk (Blue Diamond brand):
- Calories: 40
- Protein: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 1g (0g of sugar)
- Fiber: 1g
- Fat: 3.5g
Yes, only 40 calories per serving.
This small amount of calories is primarily made up of 3.5 grams of fat, which is primarily from healthy monounsaturated fats.
Almond milk is also soy free and lactose free which is a benefit.
Since almond milk is very low calories and carbohydrates, it really doesn’t do much harm if your goal is weight loss.
Although it’s not a great source of protein or fiber, the healthy fats in almond milk is an added benefit.
Almond milk conclusion:
A decent milk option that is low in calories and a healthy source of fats.
Almond milk is going back in the fridge.
Lets move on to coconut milk.
Milk Option #4: Coconut Milk
Let’s look at the nutritional information of coconut milk
Serving size: 1 cup of unsweetened coconut milk (Silk brand from a carton):
- Calories: 45
- Protein: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 0g (0g of sugar)
- Fiber: 0g
- Fat: 4g
The thing I like about coconut milk, is that it contains healthy, medium chained fatty acids.
These medium chained fatty acids act as a great energy source as they are metabolized in the body as energy, rather than being stored as fat.
Similar to almond milk, even though the coconut milk contains less protein than dairy milk and soy milk, it also contains much less carbohydrates and sugar.
Coconut milk conclusion:
The main benefit of coconut milk is the healthy fats.
This is why I eat so many coconut products like shredded coconut, coconut oil, and coconut butter.
Not only do I love the taste of coconut, I also love the health benefits.
Coconut milk is going back in the fridge.
Coconut Milk vs. Almond Milk vs. Soy Milk vs. Dairy Milk:
If I had to choose one out of all of these milk alternatives, I would go with coconut milk or almond milk.
However, if your goal is weight loss, it’s best to stick with water, as it’s best not to drink your calories.
The reason is simple, liquid calories don’t typically fill you up as much as whole food calories.
One of the best things you can do on your weight loss journey is to fall in love with the taste of water.
It’s important to drink more water as your main source of hydration.
If you’re having a hard time drinking enough water add lemon to it.
I know it’s easier said then done, especially if you enjoy calorie rich drinks like dairy milk, soy milk, or soda.
However, start slow by swapping one drink a day with a glass of water.
By drinking more water, you’ll begin to see drastic changes in your body.
So the winner of this edition of Food Wars is coconut milk or almond milk.
Hopefully you enjoyed this Food Wars segment.
If you did, please share this Coconut Milk vs. Almond Milk vs. Soy Milk vs. Dairy Milk video post with your friends via the social media buttons.
Also, please leave a comment below and let me know what you’d like to see on future episodes and be sure to subscribe to my Live Lean TV YouTube channel so you never miss another Food Wars video.
If you missed it, check out last week’s Zero Calorie Natural Sweeteners vs. Artificial Sweeteners episode of Food Wars.
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I hate the argument “humans are the only species that drink milk from
another mammal.” Yeah, well we are also the only species that wear
eyeglasses. Your point?
The rest of the video was very informative though, thanks!
I like that coconut milk tastes the closest to dairy milk so its nice in
coffee and alone! Almond milk is great alone but not so good in coffee, I
think. It’s great for cooking though. I’ve even made scrambled eggs with
it.
♥ Coconut milk Alpro
I thought soy was healthy. I watched this because I’ve become a vegan
+Brad Gouthro
So how do you feel about raw dairy milk? raw grass fed milk?
Soya milk tastes so bad I tried some brands of it but all was bad . So
please take which brand is good and has a good taste :/
Brad just throw the cow milk and soy milk in the trash or open it and pour
it down the drain. Then you can recycle the carton. 🙂
Yea ikr, it’s so sad how majority of the ppl don’t know that cow milk is
actually bad for u..
Almond milk taste like shit. The one I tried. :S
What about RICE MILK?
All fat is stored before it can be used.
Am I the only person who doesn’t like the taste coconut milk or coconut
water?
Excellent bro, welcome to my one man army’s team; The Awakening… let’s
keep spreading the truth about nutrition and other topics.
This is one of the most stupidest videos I’ve ever seen. I’m not even going
to start on the Jamie Oliver thing he said
I thought almond milk is best milk you can have?
Good information, except cats will drink cows milk, and cats are known to
nurse the young of other species, I’m sorry but other species also drink
milk from each other besides humans
What about the Coconut-Almond Milk combo that Blue Diamond produces. Also
Coconut milk as a gram of saturated fat. Would it be better to just stick
to Almond milk since it has less fat and less calories?
what would you say about rice milk ?
why am i watching this when you are not being one and cionsiderate of one
of the options. You can’t be bias
Saying it’s unnatural, because we’re the only species that drinks it is not
an argument. We’re the only species that does most things in your daily
life. We’re the only species that extracts the water from coconuts, or the
oil from almonds and turns it into milk. So… In that sense you could also
say coconut and almond milk is “unnatural.”
Thanks for the video Brad. I am fascinated by the topic and please don’t
take my opinion to offense, it is not meant like that. Ok with the quality
of dairy milk you are talking it’s processed milk, which I agree with as
processed foods take us further and further from nature and what our bodies
recognize. Maybe it’s not fair to talk about diary milk as being bad –
processed poorly sourced milk from lazy sheep-like consumers is not the
best, that is the problem. The message consumers need is just drink/eat
less but drink/eat better and take the time to know what you’re putting in
your mouth and why. I am lucky enough to have looked around and found
products so that now I only drink non-homogenized, unpasteurized raw milk.
I do so for the calcium and other minerals. When it is not available for me
to buy I look elsewhere for these nutrients. But we have to remember you
can eat leafy greens like crazy but the uptake of calcium the body is able
to perform for these items is not like with diary. Ha yeah soy,very clever
marketing! I wouldn’t touch it too! Almond milk my issue with it is 99% of
brands have added crappy sugars. Coconut milk I am not convinced by it’s
nutritional content. I do have it sometimes but like with almond milk you
have to really check the label to check it’s not full of random
ingredients! Thanks for the video. Hope you don’t mind my opinion
I love this video . Gave me a lot of information . Been a milk drinker all
my life , especially in my teens. I drank A LOT A LOT of milk during my
teens . I’m trying almond milk for the first time and if I like it and if
it doesn’t mess with my stomach I’ll switch over .
LOVE food wars. And the almond I drink (Alpro) is 26cals per serving!
But Coconut milk has more calories than almond milk…. Is it really that
much better for you?
Soya is the the most widely used and high in protein, almond is good too
but coconut is the worst one in protein, it is good for loosing weight!
WHY DO YOU THINK CHINESE PEOPLE MAKE TOFU OUT OF SOYA!! HELLO WAKE UP!
Hi i messaged you on twitter @wrightmovement . Happy new year brad
Thought about dairy milk is true, but so hard to replace all dairy products
e.g. cheese. I´m a vegetarian and am quite concerned about the hormone
intake. Also, research about things like that is so depressing. you get the
feeling you can´t do anything right 🙁
And there is the money aspect which is far to often not mentioned enough.
Of course we all should spend more for good food and less for crapy things
we don´t need at all. But even then…
coconut milk is miracle food. But not unless you make it fresh yourself.
What’s in that container is pasteurized, that is, cooked till it’s dead. As
far as the soy milk is concerned, a couple of billion Chinese might like to
argue your point.
I am pretty sure that jamie oliver bit you are talking about has nothing to
do with standard milk, he was pointing out the sugar in the milk they give
to kids at lunch at school …that being chocolate and strawberry and what
ever flavours you guys have.
Is that freely in the picture? Oh man 🙁 I hope not.
Brad coconut milk is not healthy for you looked on the back has in it
carrageenan
I really dislike the argument against dairy milk that it’s “unnatural” to
drink because humans are the only species that drinks another species’
milk. Probably because we’re the only species intelligent enough to farm
the milk of another species? Saying it’s unnatural isn’t really saying
anything at all, unless there are tangible harms attached to that
statement.
If it occurs in nature, it’s natural.
I don’t know where people get this idea that people live outside of nature.
Us drinking milk is as unnatural as a beaver dam.
Coconut milk is thickened with carrageen which isn’t good for you
coconut milk could really replace the dairy milk industry and the dairy
milk aisles in supermarkets could be replaced with bottled coconut milk.
the supermarkets just have dairy milk because its a product they can sell
and make money. nobody actually needs dairy milk
do you know oatmeal recipes or yam/sweet potato recipes for people who dont
like the taste.
some animals that are adopted by other animals will still feed from the
teet.
what if dairy milk is from organic grass fed animals unlike the one you
showed(packaged) ???
Check out this video on YouTube:
please i need help i am new on this live style. This coconut milk is the
same used to do deserts …is because in Lisbon we don’t have that packs as
you do , we only have small cans..
Soy, whether organic or GMO is an endocrine disruptor (think thyroid). We
have an epidemic of hypothyroidism (sluggish thyroid) in the US. It’s no
wonder as soy is used as a filler in many processed foods. And soy lecithin
(a waste product) is used in baked goods, chocolate bars (even so-called
healthy ones) and other products.
Most soy in the US is GMO (frankenfoods).
Asian cultures traditionally ate soy as a condiment in fermented form
(tempeh, natto, miso), and non-GMO. They didn’t consume it like many people
in the US consume it (tofu, soy milk, veggie burgers, faux butter spreads,
etc…).
You’re better off staying away from soy. It’s you’re health, right?
The research on soy milk shows that it is healthy…at least the non GMO
stuff. Women who consume soy are less likely to get breast cancer. There
have been some studies I’ve been researching. I think farmers give animals
soy because it is easy and flavorless and easy to produce. That said, I’ll
take coconut milk over soy any day. I make my own.
Coconut milk it is than
Soya milk is actually healthy for you and so is dairy milk if it is organic
if I am working out hard 6 times a week, and consume 1200-1500 cal a day,
is it okay to get to get 1 cup (100 cal) of soy milk a day? I know it is
bad, because I drink the “enriched” kind, but I am on a strict diet, with
20% carb a day.
What about Rice milk? Any health benefits?
Ok. What about the almond coconut milk?
Great Video!!! Definitely gonna try coconut milk.
I wish you could have discussed the taste of each (besides regular milk of
course). Never tasted Almond or Coconut milk so IDK which is better taste
wise and exactly how good they taste
Awww man I LOVE soy milk, I even bought a box of 12, 1 quart organic soy
milk and tastes great and says it’s healthy and it’s the inly complete
plant protein. Who to believe? Seriously?
It all depends a on the brand my silk soy milk had more calcium less fat
and less everything than dairy milk
But… I drink soy milk and its Delicious! But the fats may explain the
sweetness
What about rice milk? Also is coconut milk the same as coconut water?
I have been drinking almond milk for a while but last time I was at the
store I saw a Coconut Almond Milk so I decided to try it. I was just
wondering if it has the best of both worlds or the worst of almond milk and
coconut milk.
I know how bad cows milk is and I want to talk about the consistency of
these other milks.
I know how great coconuts are and I would choose coconut milk over almond
milk.
But you want to know the ONLY problem with these other milks?
It’s the taste and consistency…
I love coffee, but I only like it with milk, like millions of other people.
So the challenge is finding a milk alternative, with a decent taste and the
consistency as cows milk.
I’ve tried modifying the taste of soy milk, by adding vanilla, salt, and
sugar.
It was close, but it still didn’t taste right.
Is there ANY other way or methods, to make these other milk substitutes,
taste LIKE cows milk?
cats drink milk
Fuck that shit. I wonder why everybody thinks they’re right when it comes
to nutrition. Everybody pretends to be a fucking expert. I only trust my
own judgement.
I just wish they would stop fortifying everything. I don’t want added
calcium to my soy and almond milk. Luckily the organic that is not
refrigerated is not fortified, even if it is a bit more expensive. Same
with cereal. They add iron, calcium to all prepared cereal. Oatmeal and
shredded wheat is still natural unless you buy it packaged with added sugar
and vitamins.
I like the almond coconut milk mix
Very informative. Thank you for your videos!
I was excited to watch this video, but then he said that humans are the
only mammals that drink the milk of another mammal.
Puleaze! Cats for example love cow’s milk. They would drink it regularly if
they could milk cows. Plus, just just because humans are supposed to be the
only mammals doesn’t mean that it is unhealthy to do so.
Mixing up Organic Whey protein shake as a meal replacement, would you say
coconut milk is best to mix with or just water?
i hate coconut 🙁
i started drinking almond milk but its so expensive also
i wonder if making your own almond milk is better?
Sorry but pigs love cows milk.
I love almond milk
Cows milk is garbage. But organic soy products in moderation I believe are
fine. Almond milk tasty but has no nutritional value. Coconut milk is great
Sorry man u r a fanatic. Milk is good. U need to brush up on your knowledge
before u upload. I never disliked a video till today
So cows milk is weird to drink but once it’s processed into whey
protein/cottage cheese it’s ok? I think soy is better than we give it
credit for… the Japanese don’t get osteoporosis because they consume soy
as once you go through the menopause you need the oestrogen to maintain
your bone density. Well done throwing dairy away though, acidic animal
protein leaches calcium out of your bones
to neutralise it
Actually almond milk is more nutritionally dense than coconut milk. Almond
milk is naturally rich in several beneficial vitamins including A, and E.
It also contains B12, and is a good source for omegas. You should have
tossed the coconut milk and kept the Almond.
Jamie Oliver talked about the sugar in FLAVORED dairy milk 😉 agree with
everything else
Wondering what milk to use as part of a healthy/weight loss diet?
#health #nutrition #weightloss
I also find it weird that we drink milk from cows there milk is for there
calf and yet we cringe when we see people trying breast milk lol
im allergic to coconut and i suspect almond too, what can i do? 🙁
To the people asking about tempeh and other forms of fermented soy, they do
not have the same issues that non fermented soy products have. So yes,
generally, tempeh and fermented soy products are good.
https://www.naturalnews.com/025513_soy_food_soybeans.html
I think the Jamie Oliver video you’re referring to is where he showed all
the sugar that was in FLAVORED milk, not ordinary low fat dairy milk.
Great video, with soo many different kind of milks now at the supermarket
is hard to choose the right one. Thanks a lot
And THAT’S why I’m vegan (: You make great points
good straight forward info. must be canadian…
I agree that plant based milks are healthier, but saying no other animal
species will not drink dairy milk is wrong. A simple example would be cats.
This really help. I been thinking about switching to only coconut milk and
oil and butter. But didn’t know how healthy it would be
When it comes to morning puddings or porridge low in carbs or healthy what
is best Chia seed vs Oats vs Flax seed Sago vs Rice
Raw Coconut Milk is the healthiest and has Anti-viral properties.
Read the ingredients label. Coconut Dream comes in a 1 L tetra pack and can
be found beside the condensed milk. It does not contain Dairy! Ingredients:
filtered water, coconut cream, evaporated cane juice, tricalcium phosphate,
carrageenan, gellan gum, sea salt, natural flavors, vitamin a palmitate,
vitamin d2, vitamin b12 (cyanocobalamine). contains: coconut
Coconut milk is milk mixed with coconut so basically it’s worse than dairy
milk because it has much sugar like you said and then you add even more
sugar
Soy milk gives me terrible headaches.
Hi Brad…what do think of quinoa,canary seed,spelt, rice and oat milk?
Thanks and learned a lot here.
I like organic chocolate soy milk.
there’s been discussion that it can have estrogenic effects on the body
I don’t get it, why is it ok to eat the meat from the cow but not drink the
milk?
yes, try to reduce dairy consumption as much as possible as it’s an
inflammatory food and many people are lactose intolerant
What almond milk do recommend. I read the ingredients on almond milk and
it’s seems like it would be processed because of all the big words. I
looked at blue diamond almond breeze
Thanks Brad happy new year to u
I hate the taste of coconut milk
if you can’t get coconut milk, go with almond milk
There is so much bullshit in this video.
no i eat meat and veggies
so am i supposed to eat healthy sereal with coconutmilk???
Yes it is. After dropping soy because I discovered it wasn’t the health
iron man I thought it was, I switched to Almond Milk. I love it. Coconut
Milk I tried and found its taste to be pretty disgusting, even when
sweetened. I’ll give it another month and see if i can adjust to coconut
milks taste, but so far it’s quite gross. It’s a very healthy milk though.
Oh my God. I just wanna rub this guys abs for about two minutes. I’m so
jealous. I’ve done everything I can and can’t get abs like that.
I just bought coconut milk for the first time but I hate coconut & the
milk. Help!! How do I get more in my diet ?
I am looking ar removing casein from mine and my sons diet this video so
far has been the most educational. I am a little worried about pulling him
off of cows milk because of the fattiness of it a he to skinny any ways but
this helped answer alot of questions
You’re joking right?
i’ve heard that milk is actually good for you…it’s full of potassium etc
welcome..and get ready to Live Lean!
awesome…you’ll love it!