Shopping tips: How to choose a milk

It shouldn’t be that hard to pop out for some milk, but have you looked in the milk fridge lately? Who knew there could be so many… Let alone the long-life milk shelf and all the milk alternatives– ugh! In this post, we’re going to open all the bottle tops and see which milk is the best milk after sleeve gastrectomy.

Milk, cheese and yoghurt are all good sources of calcium and protein, two essential nutrients after sleeve gastrectomy. Calcium is important for bone health and muscle function. Protein is important for healing, growth and repair. However, there are several more non-dairy options available now. Plant-based milks like soy, rice, almond, coconut and oat milk are becoming more popular, especially as a milk alternative for those who are lactose intolerance, have a cows milk allergy or are choosing to eat a vegan or plant-based diet. So let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each. Skip to the bottom if you want to find out my best and worst picks!

Cow’s milk.

The original diary milk. Cow’s milk comes in full cream, reduced fat or ‘light’ and skim milk.

• Full cream. The most common and ‘original’ milk, full cream milk contains around 3% fat (which actually isn’t that high when compared to other foods!).
• Reduced fat or ‘light’ milk must have less than 1.5% fat. With some of the fat removed, reduced fat milk often has skim milk powder added to it to make it taste creamier and increase the calcium.
• Skim milk usually contains less than 0.15% fat. Skim milk also often has skim milk powder added to make it taste creamier (and less watery) which is why it tends to have extra protein and calcium.
• There are also varieties of cow’s milk on the market with added plant sterols (to help reduce cholesterol), A2 protein which is easier to digest for some, or lactose-free for those with lactose intolerance since surgery. For these varieties, most are similar in terms of nutrition to the original version.

Soy milk

Soy milk is the closest plant-based milk to cow’s milk in terms of nutrition. It is similar in terms of protein, calcium and kilojoules. You can also buy full-fat and low-fat versions. Some soy milk will be more ‘natural’ and not fortified with any vitamins or minerals, so it will be lower in calcium than the fortified versions, but still high in protein and B vitamins due to the soy beans it’s extracted from. Soy milk often has sweetener added but is still lactose free so is a better option if you are sensitive to lactose and need a lactose free milk after sleeve gastrectomy.

Almond milk

Almond milk is made from ground almonds which then has water added as well as usually some sweetener and vegetable oil to improve the consistency and taste. Almond milk is low in carbohydrate, protein and kilojoules and is good if you’re allergic to dairy and soy

Coconut milk

The coconut milk you buy in cartons is made from coconut cream that’s been diluted, then thickeners added to get a creamy consistency. Some varieties also have sweeteners added to help with taste. It is dairy and soy free but it isn’t very high in protein or calcium (unless fortified) and is as high as full cream cow’s milk in saturated fat.   

Oat milk

Oat milk is made from ground oats swirled in water and has a similar consistency to skim milk. Oat milk is low in kilojoules, protein and calcium (unless it’s fortified with calcium.

Rice milk

Usually made from brown rice, rice milk is high in carbohydrates compared to the rest. They also lack other nutrients like protein and calcium so are not a good choice.

So how do they compare?

I’ve compared the generic values for the different varieties (from the NUTTAB database) plus a few specialised milks below. When comparing for yourself in the supermarket, use the per 100g column so you’re comparing apples with apples and look for those with the highest amount of calcium and protein you can find. I’ve rounded the values up and put them in order of highest calcium per 100ml.

The best picks?

I think there is a clear winner here: The Complete Diary High Protein milks are the highest in protein and calcium by far with 6g of protein per 100g and ~170mg calcium. There is also a light and a regular fat option to suit your tastes.

Regular fat vs reduced fat? I’m a big fan of going with your taste buds on this one. Research suggests no major differences to weight or health, except potentially if you are at high risk of heart disease. Reduced fat and skim milk, however, are slightly higher in protein and calcium so it’s worth going reduced fat just for that reason. If you want to read more, this post by the Australian Healthy Food Guide is a great one.

If you’re lactose-free? Your best bet is to go for a lactose-free cows milk as you’ll get the most protein and calcium. Next best? Definitely fortified soy milk.

The worst picks?

Again, this is pretty clear. Unfortified oat milk, rice milk and almond milk are all very low in protein and comparatively low in calcium. Unfortified soy is also low in calcium but at least is equal to cows milk in protein.

Want some more shopping tips? Why don’t you check out the guide to yoghurt, or cereals and put a full breakfast together!