Almond Milk vs Skim Milk

I have always been a big fan of skim milk.  You get all the protein without the fat, right?  So after hearing everyone rave about how wonderful almond milk is, I decided to give it a try.  I still had some skim milk left in my fridge, so I decided to compare the labels straight across.

Here are the stats:

 

Skim Milk Pros:  less fat, less sodium, more potassium, more protein, less expensive

 

Almond Milk Pros:  less calories, less carbs, 0 sugars, lactose free

 

Calories

If you are watching your calories, almond milk is a much better choice at 1/3 the calories!! (Just make sure to buy the unsweetened kind.)

 

Protein

Skim milk is way better in terms of protein.  Along with carbs and fat, protein is a macronutrient, which means that your body needs relatively large amounts of it.  Unlike carbs and fats though, your body doesn't store protein, so you need to eat it throughout the day to keep your body supplied.

 

Carbs

If you are diabetic or on a low-carb diet for another reason, you would want to choose unsweetened almond milk.  Almond milk also has 1 gram of fiber, which helps to keep you feeling full.

 

Fats

Skim milk is a better choice if you are cutting your overall fat intake.

 

If you compare almond milk to regular cow's milk, almond milk would definitely be the much healthier choice. Almond milk also contains high levels of antioxidants, so it can help prevent many types of cancer and slow the signs of aging. However, I am only comparing it to skim milk, and it's pretty much a tie.

Really, I could go either way on this - I will probably stick with the almond milk just because I need to keep my calories and carbs low.  It's not going to add any extra protein, but that's okay because I only use it in my Shakeology or in protein shakes anyway. :)