What Kind of Milk Do You Drink? the Health Benefits of Every Type (From Skim to Almond)

Vitamin G, Glamour Magazine

by Lexi Petronis

Romulo Yanes
Romulo Yanes


Whether you pour it over cereal, mix it into a favorite recipe, or stir it into your coffee, there's a good chance you consume some kind of milk during your day. I gave up cow's milk about 15 years ago ago--honestly, I just kind of lost the taste for it--but I use almond, soy, and rice milk on the regular these days.

And that's what's kind of neat: There are tons of milk options from which to choose. Here's how some of them stack up, nutritionally, per one-cup serving:


Skim
86 calories; .4 gram total fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 12.5 grams sugar; 8.4 grams protein
Skim is less caloric than whole milk while still offering a good dose of calcium and protein (one serving offers four times the amount of protein that's in a glass of O.J.).

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Rice
120 calories; 2 grams total fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 0 gram fiber; 0 gram sugar; .4 gram protein
This sugar-free milk comes from a mix of partially milled rice and water and is especially revered for the fact it won't trigger allergies in anyone who can't drink other kinds of milk (nut, soy, cow's, and so on). A possible downside? It doesn't have much protein as cow's milk per serving.

Soy
132 calories; 4.3 grams total fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 1.5 grams fiber; 9.8 grams sugar; 8 grams protein
Made with a mixture of soy beans, water, and natural sweetener, soy milk is cholesterol-free and low in saturated fat.

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Almond
60 calories; 3.5 grams total fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams sugar; 1.4 grams protein
This milk is the result of blended roasted almonds that are then infused with calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin E. It doesn't have as much protein as cow's or soy milk.


Hemp
60 calories; 6 grams total fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 0 gram fiber; 6 grams sugar; 2 grams protein
Hemp milk comes from the same plant that marijuana does, but you're not going to get any tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) when you drink it--to make the milk, hemp seeds are blended with water and then filtered. The seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and those are included in the resulting milk.

So what's your favorite kind of milk?

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