What do you know about real milk and non-dairy beverages?

Why Are the Full Mix of Nutrients in a Beverage Important to Consider?

Farm fresh, real dairy milk is naturally nutrient rich — which is difficult to match in most non-dairy milk alternatives, and backed by decades of research.

Milk has nine essential nutrients including:

How Do These Drinks Stack Up?

There are real differences for you to consider between milk and non-dairy milk alternatives. For the complete picture — from calories and added sugar, to nutrients and ingredient list, as well as the amount of protein and price — here’s how each drink compares when you read the product label¹.

	Calories	Protein (g)	Sugar (g)	Added Sugar (g)	Nutrients	Ingredients	Price per serving
	150 Calories	8g Protein	12g Sugar	0g Added Sugar	See Nutrients  Calcium (30%) Vitamin D (30%)* Riboflavin (25%) Phosphorus (20%) Vitamin B12 (20%) Protein (16%) Potassium (10%) Niacin (10%)**	See Ingredients Milk, vitamin D	$0.23 per serving
	80 Calories	8g Protein	12g Sugar	0g Added Sugar	See Nutrients Calcium (30%) Vitamin D (30%)* Riboflavin (25%) Phosphorus (20%) Vitamin B12 (20%) Protein (16%) Potassium (10%) Niacin (10%)**	See Ingredients Milk, vitamin A, vitamin D	$0.23 per serving
	100 Calories	8g Protein	12g Sugar	0g Added Sugar	See Nutrients Calcium (30%) Vitamin D (30%)* Riboflavin (25%) Phosphorus (20%) Vitamin B12 (20%) Protein (16%) Potassium (10%) Niacin (10%)**	See Ingredients Milk, vitamin A, vitamin D	$0.23 per serving
	100 Calories	7g Protein	6g Sugar	5g Added Sugar	See Nutrients Vitamin B12 (50%)* Calcium (30%)* Vitamin D (30%)* Riboflavin (30%)* Protein (14%) Vitamin A (10%)* Magnesium (10%)	See Ingredients Soymilk (filtered water, soybeans), sugar, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin D, riboflavin, vitamin B12, sea salt, natural flavor, gellan gum	$0.44 per serving
	60 Calories	1g Protein	7g Sugar	7g Added Sugar	See Nutrients Calcium (45%)* Vitamin D (25%)* Vitamin A (10%)*	See Ingredients Almondmilk (filtered water, almonds), sugar, sea salt, locust bean gum, sunflower lecithin, gellan gum, calcium, vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin D	$0.45 per serving
	100 Calories	8g Protein	6g Sugar	6g Added Sugar	See Nutrients Calcium (45%)* Vitamin D (30%)* Protein (16%) Iron (15%)* Vitamin A (10%)*	See Ingredients Ripptein (pea protein), sunflower oil, organic cane sugar, algal oil, water, vitamin A, vitamin D, calcium, potassium, sunflower lecithin, natural flavors, sea salt, organic guar gum, gellan gum	$0.83 per serving
	120 Calories	1g Protein	10g Sugar	10g Added Sugar	See Nutrients ?	See Ingredients Filtered water, organic brown rice (partially milled), organic expeller pressed canola oil and/or organic safflower oil and/or organic sunflower oil, sea salt	$0.79 per serving
	70 Calories	<1g Protein	7g Sugar	7g Added Sugar	See Nutrients Vitamin B12 (50%)* Vitamin D (30%)* Calcium (10%)* Vitamin A (10%)* Magnesium (10%)*	See Ingredients Organic coconut milk (filtered water, organic coconut cream), organic cane sugar, calcium, magnesium, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin D, zinc, vitamin B12, sea salt, organic sunflower lecithin, organic locust bean gum, gellan gum	$0.56 per serving
	50 Calories	0g Protein	7g Sugar	7g Added Sugar	See Nutrients Calcium (30%)* Vitamin D (25%)* Vitamin B12 (25%)* Phosphorus (15%) Vitamin A (10%)*	See Ingredients  Flaxmilk (filtered water, cold pressed flax oil), sugar, calcium, vanilla extract, sunflower lecithin, natural flavors, sea salt, gellan gum, xanthan gum, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B12	$0.61 per serving

FOOTNOTES:
1 . USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 28
2.  Sales data from IRI, calendar year 2017, and average online grocery prices for top markets
+  Nutrients signify food provides 10% or greater of the Daily Value of labeled nutrients. Nutrients will differ by brand, flavor and fat content as nutrient fortification varies.
++  Product formulation will differ by brand, flavor and fat content, so ingredients may vary.
*  Indicates nutrient is fortified.
**  As niacin equivalents.

What should you know about added sugar?

When parents make beverage choices for their kids, it’s important to consider the company sugar keeps.  Moms should think about the context of her child’s overall diet, nutrients and calories.  Health experts, like American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), acknowledge that small amounts of sugar may help your kids enjoy nutritious foods, like flavored milk and whole grains.

Many people may not realize a food or beverage has added sugar.  Here is a quick list to help you navigate the ingredient list.

Do you recognize these names for added sugar:

Anhydrous dextrose        corn syrup       dextrose       high fructose corn syrup

Raw sugar       sucrose       fruit juice concentrate       evaporated cane juice

honey       malt syrup       molasses       maltrose       nectars

What about natural sugar?

Ultimately, there are reasons to include sugar in the diet, but you may be surprised where you find it.  When you look at the nutrition label on a gallon of milk, you will find sugar listed.  But that sugar is not added, it’s lactose.

What is Lactose?

How can you get both nutrition and value in a beverage?

The average American household spends about 10 percent of their budget on food – nearly $80 a week for groceries.  Take a look at how much dairy milk can help stretch your grocery budget.

How can milk enhance your favorite foods?

Milk is the foundation for many American favorites and tastes from around the world, and has been for centuries.  From creamy macaroni and cheese to a classic alfredo sauce to a detectable crème brulee, milk adds dimension, accentuates the flavor and serves as a decadent base to many of your favorite dishes.

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