Plant-based Alternatives to Dairy

By Hannah Stafford – Gleaners Nutrition Education Team

For those who don’t eat dairy there’s a huge variety of plant-based milks out there. So, which one should you choose?

Plant milks can be made from grains, nuts, seeds or legumes. Some examples are Oat, Almond, Coconut, Soy, Rice, Hemp, Cashew, Pea and Flax.

When choosing a plant milk, you can consider things like:

  • Added sugars: Unsweetened plant milks are better to avoid added sugars.
  • Vitamins and minerals: Look for plant milks that are fortified with vitamins and minerals like B12, calcium, and vitamins A & D.
  • Emulsifiers: If you have gastrointestinal issues, look for plant milks that don’t contain emulsifiers.

The USDA MyPlate helps visualize the food groups we need to eat throughout the day, to ensure we get all the nutrients our bodies need. Foods from the Dairy Group, such as milk, cheese and yogurt are good sources of protein and several other essential nutrients such as calcium, iodine, vitamin B12. Find out more about the diary group here.

Soy-based diary alternatives are the most similar to diary milk in terms of the nutrition they provide. They contain a good amount of protein and when fortified with calcium, vitamin A & D, they can be included in the Diary Group.

Other plant-based milk alternatives such as almond, oat, rice, or coconut may be calcium-fortified, but are not included as part of the Dairy Group because their nutrition profile is not like dairy milk or fortified soy milk.

Calcium and vitamin D from dairy or fortified soy milk are important for maintaining strong bones. If you want to up your calcium intake from other, non-diary sources you can also include these calcium rich foods in your diet:

  • Calcium-fortified juices
  • Canned fish, such as sardines and salmon with bones
  • Tofu made with calcium sulfate
  • Tahini, such as sesame butter or paste
  • Some leafy greens, such as collard and turnip greens, spinach, kale, and bok choy