Get 44% Off. Only $8.33/mo

Coconut Milk vs. Almond Milk vs. Soy Milk vs. Dairy Milk

Best Milk Alternative: Coconut Milk vs. Almond Milk vs. Soy Milk vs. Dairy Milk

On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, I’m breaking down the best milk alternative by comparing coconut milk vs. almond milk vs. soy milk vs. dairy milk.

Yes, it’s time for one of my favorite segments on Live Lean TV, we’re talking Food Wars!

Today’s Food Wars comparison is very controversial as people are very passionate about this topic.

I’m talking about dairy milk and milk alternatives.

In particular I’ll answer the following questions:

  • Is drinking dairy milk healthy?
  • Is dairy milk the best source of calcium, like the marketers say?
  • What about other plant based milk alternatives like soy milk, almond milk and coconut milk?
  • Are these milk alternatives as healthy as dairy milk?
  • Do they contain a good source of protein?
  • Or are you better off with a high saturated fat option like coconut milk?

Having access to all of these milk options has led to a lot of confusion as what is the best and healthiest type of milk to drink.

So on today’s episode of Food Wars, it is my goal to answer all these questions and clear up all this confusion.

Will it be controversial?

You bet.

A post shared by Live Lean TV (@liveleantv) on

Food Wars: Coconut Milk vs. Almond Milk vs. Soy Milk vs. Dairy Milk

So lets analyze these 4 different beverages from the milk category, and figure out which one should be in your fridge and which one should be in the garbage.

Milk Option #1: Dairy Milk

As babies, most of us were raised on human breast milk.

Then we grew into a toddler and were weened off, and in many cases, given milk from a cow, also known as dairy milk, as a milk replacement.

I used to drink a lot of dairy milk since I loved the taste, the texture, and how refreshing it was.

However, if you notice in the video, the dairy milk carton is smaller than the other ones, for good reason.

I picked up the cheapest dairy milk that I could find at the grocery store because I don’t drink dairy milk anymore.

Why did I stop drinking dairy milk?

Not only did I find I was lactose intolerant, but I also finally clued in to the idea that nature intended dairy milk to be consumed by calves, not humans.

Think about it, doesn’t it seem unnatural to drink milk from another mammal?

Human beings are the only species that drinks milk from another mammal.

Let’s look at the nutritional information of dairy milk

Serving size: 1 cup of 2% dairy milk:

  • Calories: 123
  • Protein: 8g
  • Carbohydrates: 12g (12g of sugar)
  • Fiber: 0g
  • Fat: 5g

Yes, 12 grams of fattening sugar in just one cup!

Here’s a Ted Talks video by Jamie Oliver, where he showed how much sugar kids were consuming every year, just from drinking dairy milk!

During his talk, he brought out a huge wheelbarrow filled with sugar, and dumped it out on stage to show how much sugar kids were consuming from dairy milk.

In addition to the sugar, today’s highly processed dairy milk is not the same milk that it used to be back in the day.

Today’s dairy milk is now pasteurized and homogenized, which basically kills off a lot of the beneficial enzymes and bacteria.

Also, if you fall for the idea that dairy milk is the best source of calcium, coconut milk, in many cases, is fortified with calcium, thus providing a higher amount of the percentage daily value (DV) compared to dairy milk.

Plus there are many other healthier food options naturally filled with calcium, such as green leafy vegetables.

So don’t fall for the hype that you NEED to drink milk to get calcium.

Plus, the heating process that dairy milk goes through kills some of the amino acids, thus negatively affecting the biological value of the protein in milk.

Dairy milk conclusion:

Due to the high amount of sugar, the lactose, and the unnatural idea of drinking another species milk, this carton of dairy milk is going in the garbage.

Let’s move on.

Milk Option #2: Soy Milk

Well I think you know the answer to this if you’ve seen any of my other videos or blogs on soy.

Soy is not a health product.

If you ask farmers which 2-3 feed options are best to fatten up their animals, it’s soy, grains, and corn.

Soy is a highly genetically modified food that is heavily sprayed with pesticides.

It also contains phytoestrogens that mimic estrogen in the body, the same way as BPAs do.

In other words, soy can really mess up the hormones for both men and women.

Let’s look at the nutritional information of soy milk

Serving size: 1 cup of unsweetened soy milk (Silk brand):

  • Calories: 80
  • Protein: 7g
  • Carbohydrates: 4g (1g of sugar)
  • Fiber: 2g
  • Fat: 4g

Even though 1 cup of unsweetened soy milk contains protein, the protein does not contain a high level of all the essential amino acids, thus is not considered high biological value protein.

Soy milk conclusion:

Since soy is a highly genetically modified food that is highly sprayed with pesticides, soy milk is going in the garbage too.

Now we’re moving on to almond milk.

Milk Option #3: Almond Milk

Let’s look at the nutritional information of almond milk

Serving size: 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk (Blue Diamond brand):

  • Calories: 40
  • Protein: 1g
  • Carbohydrates: 1g (0g of sugar)
  • Fiber: 1g
  • Fat: 3.5g

Yes, only 40 calories per serving.

This small amount of calories is primarily made up of 3.5 grams of fat, which is primarily from healthy monounsaturated fats.

Almond milk is also soy free and lactose free which is a benefit.

Since almond milk is very low calories and carbohydrates, it really doesn’t do much harm if your goal is weight loss.

Although it’s not a great source of protein or fiber, the healthy fats in almond milk is an added benefit.

Almond milk conclusion:

A decent milk option that is low in calories and a healthy source of fats.

Almond milk is going back in the fridge.

Lets move on to coconut milk.

Milk Option #4: Coconut Milk

Let’s look at the nutritional information of coconut milk

Serving size: 1 cup of unsweetened coconut milk (Silk brand from a carton):

  • Calories: 45
  • Protein: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 0g (0g of sugar)
  • Fiber: 0g
  • Fat: 4g

The thing I like about coconut milk, is that it contains healthy, medium chained fatty acids.

These medium chained fatty acids act as a great energy source as they are metabolized in the body as energy, rather than being stored as fat.

Similar to almond milk, even though the coconut milk contains less protein than dairy milk and soy milk, it also contains much less carbohydrates and sugar.

Coconut milk conclusion:

The main benefit of coconut milk is the healthy fats.

This is why I eat so many coconut products like shredded coconut, coconut oil, and coconut butter.

Not only do I love the taste of coconut, I also love the health benefits.

Coconut milk is going back in the fridge.

Coconut Milk vs. Almond Milk vs. Soy Milk vs. Dairy Milk:

If I had to choose one out of all of these milk alternatives, I would go with coconut milk or almond milk.

However, if your goal is weight loss, it’s best to stick with water, as it’s best not to drink your calories.

The reason is simple, liquid calories don’t typically fill you up as much as whole food calories.

One of the best things you can do on your weight loss journey is to fall in love with the taste of water.

It’s important to drink more water as your main source of hydration.

If you’re having a hard time drinking enough water add lemon to it.

I know it’s easier said then done, especially if you enjoy calorie rich drinks like dairy milk, soy milk, or soda.

However, start slow by swapping one drink a day with a glass of water.

By drinking more water, you’ll begin to see drastic changes in your body.

So the winner of this edition of Food Wars is coconut milk or almond milk.

Hopefully you enjoyed this Food Wars segment.

If you did, please share this Coconut Milk vs. Almond Milk vs. Soy Milk vs. Dairy Milk video post with your friends via the social media buttons.

Also, please leave a comment below and let me know what you’d like to see on future episodes and be sure to subscribe to my Live Lean TV YouTube channel so you never miss another Food Wars video.

If you missed it, check out last week’s Zero Calorie Natural Sweeteners vs. Artificial Sweeteners episode of Food Wars.

[wd_hustle_cc id=”team-live-lean”]


READY TO BEGIN YOUR LIVE LEAN JOURNEY?

Start by taking our FREE Live Lean Body Quiz to get access to the best program specific to your goals!


121 responses to “Coconut Milk vs. Almond Milk vs. Soy Milk vs. Dairy Milk

  1. I hate the argument “humans are the only species that drink milk from
    another mammal.” Yeah, well we are also the only species that wear
    eyeglasses. Your point?

    The rest of the video was very informative though, thanks!

  2. I like that coconut milk tastes the closest to dairy milk so its nice in
    coffee and alone! Almond milk is great alone but not so good in coffee, I
    think. It’s great for cooking though. I’ve even made scrambled eggs with
    it.

  3. Soya milk tastes so bad I tried some brands of it but all was bad . So
    please take which brand is good and has a good taste :/

  4. Brad just throw the cow milk and soy milk in the trash or open it and pour
    it down the drain. Then you can recycle the carton. 🙂

  5. Yea ikr, it’s so sad how majority of the ppl don’t know that cow milk is
    actually bad for u..

  6. Excellent bro, welcome to my one man army’s team; The Awakening… let’s
    keep spreading the truth about nutrition and other topics.

  7. This is one of the most stupidest videos I’ve ever seen. I’m not even going
    to start on the Jamie Oliver thing he said

  8. Good information, except cats will drink cows milk, and cats are known to
    nurse the young of other species, I’m sorry but other species also drink
    milk from each other besides humans

  9. What about the Coconut-Almond Milk combo that Blue Diamond produces. Also
    Coconut milk as a gram of saturated fat. Would it be better to just stick
    to Almond milk since it has less fat and less calories?

  10. why am i watching this when you are not being one and cionsiderate of one
    of the options. You can’t be bias

  11. Saying it’s unnatural, because we’re the only species that drinks it is not
    an argument. We’re the only species that does most things in your daily
    life. We’re the only species that extracts the water from coconuts, or the
    oil from almonds and turns it into milk. So… In that sense you could also
    say coconut and almond milk is “unnatural.”

  12. Thanks for the video Brad. I am fascinated by the topic and please don’t
    take my opinion to offense, it is not meant like that. Ok with the quality
    of dairy milk you are talking it’s processed milk, which I agree with as
    processed foods take us further and further from nature and what our bodies
    recognize. Maybe it’s not fair to talk about diary milk as being bad –
    processed poorly sourced milk from lazy sheep-like consumers is not the
    best, that is the problem. The message consumers need is just drink/eat
    less but drink/eat better and take the time to know what you’re putting in
    your mouth and why. I am lucky enough to have looked around and found
    products so that now I only drink non-homogenized, unpasteurized raw milk.
    I do so for the calcium and other minerals. When it is not available for me
    to buy I look elsewhere for these nutrients. But we have to remember you
    can eat leafy greens like crazy but the uptake of calcium the body is able
    to perform for these items is not like with diary. Ha yeah soy,very clever
    marketing! I wouldn’t touch it too! Almond milk my issue with it is 99% of
    brands have added crappy sugars. Coconut milk I am not convinced by it’s
    nutritional content. I do have it sometimes but like with almond milk you
    have to really check the label to check it’s not full of random
    ingredients! Thanks for the video. Hope you don’t mind my opinion

  13. I love this video . Gave me a lot of information . Been a milk drinker all
    my life , especially in my teens. I drank A LOT A LOT of milk during my
    teens . I’m trying almond milk for the first time and if I like it and if
    it doesn’t mess with my stomach I’ll switch over .

  14. Soya is the the most widely used and high in protein, almond is good too
    but coconut is the worst one in protein, it is good for loosing weight!
    WHY DO YOU THINK CHINESE PEOPLE MAKE TOFU OUT OF SOYA!! HELLO WAKE UP!

  15. Thought about dairy milk is true, but so hard to replace all dairy products
    e.g. cheese. I´m a vegetarian and am quite concerned about the hormone
    intake. Also, research about things like that is so depressing. you get the
    feeling you can´t do anything right 🙁

    And there is the money aspect which is far to often not mentioned enough.
    Of course we all should spend more for good food and less for crapy things
    we don´t need at all. But even then…

  16. coconut milk is miracle food. But not unless you make it fresh yourself.
    What’s in that container is pasteurized, that is, cooked till it’s dead. As
    far as the soy milk is concerned, a couple of billion Chinese might like to
    argue your point.

  17. I am pretty sure that jamie oliver bit you are talking about has nothing to
    do with standard milk, he was pointing out the sugar in the milk they give
    to kids at lunch at school …that being chocolate and strawberry and what
    ever flavours you guys have.

  18. I really dislike the argument against dairy milk that it’s “unnatural” to
    drink because humans are the only species that drinks another species’
    milk. Probably because we’re the only species intelligent enough to farm
    the milk of another species? Saying it’s unnatural isn’t really saying
    anything at all, unless there are tangible harms attached to that
    statement.

  19. If it occurs in nature, it’s natural.
    I don’t know where people get this idea that people live outside of nature.
    Us drinking milk is as unnatural as a beaver dam.

  20. coconut milk could really replace the dairy milk industry and the dairy
    milk aisles in supermarkets could be replaced with bottled coconut milk.
    the supermarkets just have dairy milk because its a product they can sell
    and make money. nobody actually needs dairy milk

  21. please i need help i am new on this live style. This coconut milk is the
    same used to do deserts …is because in Lisbon we don’t have that packs as
    you do , we only have small cans..

  22. Soy, whether organic or GMO is an endocrine disruptor (think thyroid). We
    have an epidemic of hypothyroidism (sluggish thyroid) in the US. It’s no
    wonder as soy is used as a filler in many processed foods. And soy lecithin
    (a waste product) is used in baked goods, chocolate bars (even so-called
    healthy ones) and other products.
    Most soy in the US is GMO (frankenfoods).
    Asian cultures traditionally ate soy as a condiment in fermented form
    (tempeh, natto, miso), and non-GMO. They didn’t consume it like many people
    in the US consume it (tofu, soy milk, veggie burgers, faux butter spreads,
    etc…).
    You’re better off staying away from soy. It’s you’re health, right?

  23. The research on soy milk shows that it is healthy…at least the non GMO
    stuff. Women who consume soy are less likely to get breast cancer. There
    have been some studies I’ve been researching. I think farmers give animals
    soy because it is easy and flavorless and easy to produce. That said, I’ll
    take coconut milk over soy any day. I make my own.

  24. if I am working out hard 6 times a week, and consume 1200-1500 cal a day,
    is it okay to get to get 1 cup (100 cal) of soy milk a day? I know it is
    bad, because I drink the “enriched” kind, but I am on a strict diet, with
    20% carb a day.

  25. I wish you could have discussed the taste of each (besides regular milk of
    course). Never tasted Almond or Coconut milk so IDK which is better taste
    wise and exactly how good they taste

  26. Awww man I LOVE soy milk, I even bought a box of 12, 1 quart organic soy
    milk and tastes great and says it’s healthy and it’s the inly complete
    plant protein. Who to believe? Seriously?

  27. It all depends a on the brand my silk soy milk had more calcium less fat
    and less everything than dairy milk

  28. I have been drinking almond milk for a while but last time I was at the
    store I saw a Coconut Almond Milk so I decided to try it. I was just
    wondering if it has the best of both worlds or the worst of almond milk and
    coconut milk.

  29. I know how bad cows milk is and I want to talk about the consistency of
    these other milks.
    I know how great coconuts are and I would choose coconut milk over almond
    milk.
    But you want to know the ONLY problem with these other milks?

    It’s the taste and consistency…
    I love coffee, but I only like it with milk, like millions of other people.
    So the challenge is finding a milk alternative, with a decent taste and the
    consistency as cows milk.

    I’ve tried modifying the taste of soy milk, by adding vanilla, salt, and
    sugar.
    It was close, but it still didn’t taste right.
    Is there ANY other way or methods, to make these other milk substitutes,
    taste LIKE cows milk?

  30. Fuck that shit. I wonder why everybody thinks they’re right when it comes
    to nutrition. Everybody pretends to be a fucking expert. I only trust my
    own judgement.

  31. I just wish they would stop fortifying everything. I don’t want added
    calcium to my soy and almond milk. Luckily the organic that is not
    refrigerated is not fortified, even if it is a bit more expensive. Same
    with cereal. They add iron, calcium to all prepared cereal. Oatmeal and
    shredded wheat is still natural unless you buy it packaged with added sugar
    and vitamins.

  32. I was excited to watch this video, but then he said that humans are the
    only mammals that drink the milk of another mammal.
    Puleaze! Cats for example love cow’s milk. They would drink it regularly if
    they could milk cows. Plus, just just because humans are supposed to be the
    only mammals doesn’t mean that it is unhealthy to do so.

  33. Mixing up Organic Whey protein shake as a meal replacement, would you say
    coconut milk is best to mix with or just water?

  34. i hate coconut 🙁
    i started drinking almond milk but its so expensive also
    i wonder if making your own almond milk is better?

  35. Cows milk is garbage. But organic soy products in moderation I believe are
    fine. Almond milk tasty but has no nutritional value. Coconut milk is great

  36. Sorry man u r a fanatic. Milk is good. U need to brush up on your knowledge
    before u upload. I never disliked a video till today

  37. So cows milk is weird to drink but once it’s processed into whey
    protein/cottage cheese it’s ok? I think soy is better than we give it
    credit for… the Japanese don’t get osteoporosis because they consume soy
    as once you go through the menopause you need the oestrogen to maintain
    your bone density. Well done throwing dairy away though, acidic animal
    protein leaches calcium out of your bones
    to neutralise it

  38. Actually almond milk is more nutritionally dense than coconut milk. Almond
    milk is naturally rich in several beneficial vitamins including A, and E.
    It also contains B12, and is a good source for omegas. You should have
    tossed the coconut milk and kept the Almond.

  39. I also find it weird that we drink milk from cows there milk is for there
    calf and yet we cringe when we see people trying breast milk lol

  40. I think the Jamie Oliver video you’re referring to is where he showed all
    the sugar that was in FLAVORED milk, not ordinary low fat dairy milk.

  41. Great video, with soo many different kind of milks now at the supermarket
    is hard to choose the right one. Thanks a lot

  42. I agree that plant based milks are healthier, but saying no other animal
    species will not drink dairy milk is wrong. A simple example would be cats.

  43. This really help. I been thinking about switching to only coconut milk and
    oil and butter. But didn’t know how healthy it would be

  44. When it comes to morning puddings or porridge low in carbs or healthy what
    is best Chia seed vs Oats vs Flax seed Sago vs Rice

  45. Read the ingredients label. Coconut Dream comes in a 1 L tetra pack and can
    be found beside the condensed milk. It does not contain Dairy! Ingredients:
    filtered water, coconut cream, evaporated cane juice, tricalcium phosphate,
    carrageenan, gellan gum, sea salt, natural flavors, vitamin a palmitate,
    vitamin d2, vitamin b12 (cyanocobalamine). contains: coconut

  46. Coconut milk is milk mixed with coconut so basically it’s worse than dairy
    milk because it has much sugar like you said and then you add even more
    sugar

  47. Hi Brad…what do think of quinoa,canary seed,spelt, rice and oat milk?
    Thanks and learned a lot here.

  48. yes, try to reduce dairy consumption as much as possible as it’s an
    inflammatory food and many people are lactose intolerant

  49. What almond milk do recommend. I read the ingredients on almond milk and
    it’s seems like it would be processed because of all the big words. I
    looked at blue diamond almond breeze

  50. Yes it is. After dropping soy because I discovered it wasn’t the health
    iron man I thought it was, I switched to Almond Milk. I love it. Coconut
    Milk I tried and found its taste to be pretty disgusting, even when
    sweetened. I’ll give it another month and see if i can adjust to coconut
    milks taste, but so far it’s quite gross. It’s a very healthy milk though.

  51. Oh my God. I just wanna rub this guys abs for about two minutes. I’m so
    jealous. I’ve done everything I can and can’t get abs like that.

  52. I just bought coconut milk for the first time but I hate coconut & the
    milk. Help!! How do I get more in my diet ?

  53. I am looking ar removing casein from mine and my sons diet this video so
    far has been the most educational. I am a little worried about pulling him
    off of cows milk because of the fattiness of it a he to skinny any ways but
    this helped answer alot of questions

Leave a Reply to Sean Wallace Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *