Dairy products like yoghurt, milk, and whey powder provide protein-packed diet benefits that are hard to replace. Although there are plant-based alternatives to most dairy products, they don't usually measure up when it comes to protein content.
In the case of milk, despite plant alternatives boasting fewer calories and less saturated fat [1], they also have less protein and vital nutrients like vitamin B-12.
According to a new study [2] though, all hope isn't lost because of the most popular plant-based milk alternatives on the supermarket shelves, it turns out that soy milk is most comparable to cow's milk when it comes to nutritional value. Not only does soy milk have almost half the calories and fat content as full fat cow's milk, it also boasts a near identical amount of protein and calcium.
While soy milk may not contain vitamin B-12, it does have phytoestrogens that contribute to heart health.
| 120 ml | Calories | Total Fat (g) | Chol. (mg) | Carbs (g) | Fibre (g) | Sugars (g) | Protein (g) | Calcium (mg) |
| Skim Milk | 90 [3] | 0 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 12 | 8 | 300 |
| 1% Milk | 110 [4] | 2.5 | 10 | 13 | 0 | 12 | 8 | 300 |
| 2% Milk | 120 [5] | 3.5 | 15 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 8 | 300 |
| Whole Milk | 150 [6] | 8 | 35 | 12 | 0 | 11 | 8 | 300 |
| Unsweetened Soy Milk | 80 [7] | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 300 |
| Plain Almond Milk, Unsweetened | 30 [8] | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 450 |
| Plain Cashew Milk, Unsweetened | 25 [9] | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 450 |
| Plain Coconut Milk, Unsweetened | 45 [10] | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 450 |
| Plain Hemp Milk, Unsweetened | 70 [11] | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 300 |
| Plain Rice Milk, Unsweetened | 90 [12] | 2.5 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 300 |
| Plain Oat Milk | 130 [13] | 2.5 | 0 | 24 | 2 | 19 | 4 | 350 |