By
Holly Ames/Medstar
.
Published: Thu, October 11, 2007 - 2:00 pm
Last Updated: Thu, October 11, 2007 - 2:07 pm
If you're allergic to cow's milk, have trouble digesting it, or just don't want to drink it, milk alternatives are available. There are many choices including soy, almond and rice milk. You won't find any cow's milk in Amy Padgett's house. It's only organic and soy milk for this family. 15 month old Abby gets organic whole milk, while five year old Tommy drinks chocolate soy milk.
Amy says, "I'm not crazy about all the things that are in regular cow's milk, the pesticides, the growth hormones and all those things they give those poor baby cows to make them get big really fast."
Experts say fear has fed the trend toward milk alternatives. But dieticians caution that not all non-dairy choices contain the nutrients our bodies need. Some are "calcium enriched", but still may fall short.
Janessa Slatky is a registered dietician. She says, "Research has shown that the calcium might not be as absorbable by our bodies as in normal cow's milk."
Soy milk is high in protein and especially popular among people who are lactose intolerant or allergic to casein. Casein is the main protein found in cow's milk. Some believe soy has other benefits, too.
Slatky says, "Soy does contain isoflavones which are phytoestrogens, the jury's still out on phytoestrogens, but people believe that it does mimic estrogen and can reduce bone loss."
Almond and rice milk are sweeter milk alternatives. Both are "enriched" with calcium, but may not provide all the essential nutrients.
For now, organic and milk alternatives work best for this family and they have no plans to move back to cow's milk anytime soon.
Experts say while there are healthy milk alternatives, both children and adults still need the recommended amount of calcium in their diet and say alternative calcium sources may be needed.
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Other milks that you did not hit on were goats milk and sheeps milk. I am able to digest goats milk despite being diagnosed as lactose intolerant. Life doesn’t have to end just because one is lactose intolerant. I can still eat all the same things as everyone else without resigning to soy milk products. One food that has saved me from the LI doldrums is Laloos Goat Milk Ice Cream (http://www.laloos.com). It is much healthier than cow milk ice cream and I can stomach it. I am very thankful that there are alternatives out there besides moo milk. Just letting others know…