Almond Milk vs. Soy Milk: The Difference

I love both almond and soy milk, because they are plant based and delicious! I've never been a regular milk drinker (cow's milk kind of grosses me out for some reason), and so now I stick with soy milk and occasionally I'll buy almond milk. There are so many reasons you should choose soy and/or almond milk over cow's milk. Everyone should watch the documentary "Forks Over Knives" and you'll understand why. The basic message: choose plant foods more often, and animal foods less often to help prevent heart disease and cancer.
Both soy & almond milk are becoming increasingly popular. More people are becoming interested in almond milk lately, because it's relatively new on the market. A lot of people ask me: "Which is better for you?" or, "Is there much of a difference?"

The answer is yes to the second question, there's quite a bit of a difference. 

Both contain unsaturated fats. Foods that are plant based will be the ones that contain the healthy unsaturated fats, while foods from animal sources, like dairy and meats, contain saturated fats that are not so heart healthy. Therefore, both are better to drink than whole-fat milk. 

Next time you're at the grocery store, take a look at soy milk vs. almond milk nutrition labels.

As you'll see, soy milk really contains much more protein than the almond milk, and that is a big deal. It's not that one is better for you than the other, but soy milk will keep you feeling full longer, and will be more satisfying. On the other hand, there have been various shake mixes on the market lately, which may contain lots of protein. So if you are planning to make a shake with a mix that has a lot of extra protein, I would go with the almond milk in that case. 

Basically, it just depends on the situation. As for me, I like the taste of soy milk much better and really like that it has more protein, so that would be my choice most of the time. Sometimes though it's nice to mix it up!

Another interesting fact- both soy and almond milk are a good source of calcium, similarly to cows milk. So, don't feel like you have to drink cow's milk to get enough calcium- you can get it from several different plant sources too- soy and almond milk are examples!