Substitute for 2% Milk?

[HomeBoundGypsy 0]

Hi all, this is my first time posting in the Nutrition & Holistic Health forum, so hopefully this topic is in the right place. Recently I decided to stop dairy products to see if it would help with my acne. Except for a little butter & cheese I have stopped consuming dairy altogether. I have also stopped eating chocolate... (I do miss those reeses' & snicker bars though! Lol. ) And I have noticed significant improvement... my acne seems to have lessened considerably since. However dairy was a major part of my diet, and although I am switching & adjusting foods, it is still difficult and I do miss the dairy products. I have tried the Silk Soymilk, plain organic, and it's okay but the taste isn't so great.

So what I am asking is if any one could recommend substitutes for 2% percent milk? Any substitutes for other dairy products would be helpful as well... I've loved cheese, sour cream, & cottage cheese.

Thanks in advance,

-HomeBoundGypsy

[Q_P 5]

Rice milk, almond milk, and hemp milk are all good. Trader Joe's also makes a grain drink that is a good substitute in things like pancakes and cereal, I've found. As far as other dairy substitutes, I like coconut milk a lot in both kefir and ice cream.

You don't have to eliminate chocolate entirely- a bit of dark chocolate (70% or higher) is actually good for you, and a lot more delicious than milk chocolate IMO.

[gMARIAs 9]

I'd say try one of the recommendations from QuirkyPixy. I'm not sure how they taste, though.

just don't try soy. It's highly allergenic to a lot of people and drinking it regularly has been linked with thyroid disease.

I think they make cheeses and sour cream with the afore mentioned milks, though they are probably VERY difficult to find outside of a health food store.

I'm not certain there really is a cottage cheese substitute - considering it's basically curdled milk. I used to LOVE cottage cheese, but once you stop eating it, the cravings for it sort of go away.

QuirkyPixy - I freakin' love dark chocolate. I'd take dark chocolate over milk chocolate any day! It's so much richer. So, how DO those milks taste? I should probably pick some up myself.

Edited November 17, 2009 by gMARIAs

[Q_P 5]

QuirkyPixy - I freakin' love dark chocolate. I'd take dark chocolate over milk chocolate any day! It's so much richer. So, how DO those milks taste? I should probably pick some up myself.

Yeah, the richness of dark chocolate is great, especially in the kinds that taste a bit fruity such as Green and Black's (85% cocoa FTW). Also, it's harder to binge on dark chocolate because of its richness, which is another plus.

I like unsweetened, plain rice milk; it's kind of watery and tastes, well, like rice, but it's refreshing to drink. The TJ's grain drink is also decent. I prefer to drink plain coconut milk kefir, but it's sour and definitely an acquired taste. I'd like to try hemp milk next because it is a good source of omega 3s and probably has the most nutrients of all of the "milks." I've also heard good things about almond milk, taste-wise. I never really drank much milk so I don't know how good of a substitute any of those are.

Edited November 17, 2009 by QuirkyPixy

[bryan 23]

So what I am asking is if any one could recommend substitutes for 2% percent milk?

Yeah: WHOLE milk. There's a study that's been discussed a fair amount here which found that acne problems from drinking milk appeared to be associated with low-fat and skim milk, but not whole milk.

[see a derm 0]

thats really interesting bryan.

Do you think you could find that study for me? : )

[Warrior of Acne 0]

Try Vanilla soy milk. It is really good!!

[HomeBoundGypsy 0]

I appreciate you all putting your thoughts here... I haven't tried any other alternatives to dairy yet except for this one soy milk so help is appreciated. Nobody's mentioned goats milk yet, and I wonder if anyone has tried it? Seeing as it comes from an animal as opposed to grains, etc... I would guess that it would be somewhat similar in taste, thickness, & texture to cow's milk. I know they make cheese from goats milk...

[clc111 2]

Well, just like with cows, goat milk comes from lactating goats. Hormone levels are high when they are lactating. So if you think your breakouts are due to the natural hormones in dairy, goat milk may not resolve that issue. But if your breakouts are a result of cow dairy allergies, goat milk may help.

[gMARIAs 9]

Well, where whole milk has been shown not to cause as MUCH acne, there is still a connection and it still contains hormones that cause acne - just not as severely. I'd still steer clear from it.

pixy - dark chocolate is definitely more difficult to binge on but soooo much more satisfying! I may try rice or almond milk. I don't drink milk, but I like adding it into things, like oatmeal, so getting something dairy free would be a good idea.

[HomeBoundGypsy 0]

clc111, good point... thank you. I don't know if it's a matter of hormones or allergies. I would guess hormones. But I don't know... so goat milk might not solve my problem. Hmm...

gMARIAs & QuirkyPixy, I don't recall having actually tried pure dark chocolate... I should give it a try. I wonder if it'd be as satisfying as a milk chocolate candy bar... lol!

[clc111 2]

I melt pure dark chocolate with stevia and it's quite tasty. Maybe try adding coconut milk to make milk chocolate?

[HomeBoundGypsy 0]

I melt pure dark chocolate with stevia and it's quite tasty. Maybe try adding coconut milk to make milk chocolate?

That's interesting! I was wondering about ways to sweeten dark chocolate, as I've heard it's very bitter.

[Ghostunit 130]

I love adding cacao powder from nutiva into whey protein isolate jayrobb (vanilla)

I can assure you that it taste exactly like milk chocolate. I would say that it taste better than milk chocolate.

Sometime I add oats into cacao powder and whey protein... taste great.

I think that cacao powder is better than dark chocolate bars.... because cacao powder is pure... 100%.

Just add it into your smoothies, yogurt or cereals.

I think unsweetened soymilk would be fine That never gave me a problem.

Edited November 22, 2009 by EddieE

[HomeBoundGypsy 0]

Thanks, EddieE... Chocolate milk sounds really good. Yum...

I'll definitely have to look into cocoa powders and dark chocolates soon.

[Deadmau5 0]

RICE MILK YUM YUM

[Necromancer 3]

Hi all, this is my first time posting in the Nutrition & Holistic Health forum, so hopefully this topic is in the right place. Recently I decided to stop dairy products to see if it would help with my acne. Except for a little butter & cheese I have stopped consuming dairy altogether. I have also stopped eating chocolate... (I do miss those reeses' & snicker bars though! Lol. ) And I have noticed significant improvement... my acne seems to have lessened considerably since. However dairy was a major part of my diet, and although I am switching & adjusting foods, it is still difficult and I do miss the dairy products. I have tried the Silk Soymilk, plain organic, and it's okay but the taste isn't so great.

So what I am asking is if any one could recommend substitutes for 2% percent milk? Any substitutes for other dairy products would be helpful as well... I've loved cheese, sour cream, & cottage cheese.

Thanks in advance,

-HomeBoundGypsy

0%. Probably the most anabolic substance that you can find in a grocery store. 0 fat, few carbs, tons of protein. Drink a gallon of that in a day and you will be squatting 405lbs in no time.

[AutonomousOne1980 54]

calcium and phosphorous (high in milk) absorption is probably the biggest factor to health, and is absorbed via two pathways intercellularly and paracellulary. in the absence of vitamin d deficit status, absorption is reduced. In the presence of good vitamin d status absorption rates triple.

inulin can increase paracellular absorption, completly independant of vitamin d pathways. A superior combo that can never do you wrong is to eat bananas with milk, where the inulin content of the bananas will increase the mineral absorption, not only the calcium but the potassium and phosphorus as well.

Calcium citrate chewable tablets, or calcium citrate/malate are well absorbed forms, equivelant to milk or dairy.

another option would be organic brassica veggies where the calcium absorption rates have been shown to be significantly greater then dairy products, where milk was documented to be absorbed at 30%, brocolli and cabbage have been shown to be absorbed of 50% total calcium content. the percentages were total calcium retention by the body. but only organic farming has any significant calcium levels.\

Dairy products are really good sources of calcium, my advice would be to switch to organic milk that use no growth hormone or antibiotics, rather then cut it out of your diet, or eat less milk/dairy, and get rda from supplements. Calcium and vitamin D is closely related to cancer as calcium ions relays messages inside many cells that tell it what to do like when to die (apoptosis) cancers cells proliferate faster then normal cells and do not know when to die, they are remodeling the theory of cancer to reflect these mechanisms, where carcinogenesis may not be the major factor to cancer but cell signaling/communication or at least a more equal role.

Edited November 25, 2009 by AutonomousOne1980

[gMARIAs 9]

calcium and phosphorous (high in milk) absorption is probably the biggest factor to health, and is absorbed via two pathways intercellularly and paracellulary. in the absence of vitamin d deficit status, absorption is reduced. In the presence of good vitamin d status absorption rates triple.

inulin can increase paracellular absorption, completly independant of vitamin d pathways. A superior combo that can never do you wrong is to eat bananas with milk, where the inulin content of the bananas will increase the mineral absorption, not only the calcium but the potassium and phosphorus as well.

Calcium citrate chewable tablets, or calcium citrate/malate are well absorbed forms, equivelant to milk or dairy.

another option would be organic brassica veggies where the calcium absorption rates have been shown to be significantly greater then dairy products, where milk was documented to be absorbed at 30%, brocolli and cabbage have been shown to be absorbed of 50% total calcium content. the percentages were total calcium retention by the body. but only organic farming has any significant calcium levels.\

Dairy products are really good sources of calcium, my advice would be to switch to organic milk that use no growth hormone or antibiotics, rather then cut it out of your diet, or eat less milk/dairy, and get rda from supplements. Calcium and vitamin D is closely related to cancer as calcium ions relays messages inside many cells that tell it what to do like when to die (apoptosis) cancers cells proliferate faster then normal cells and do not know when to die, they are remodeling the theory of cancer to reflect these mechanisms, where carcinogenesis may not be the major factor to cancer but cell signaling/communication or at least a more equal role.

Well, for one, eating bananas and milk may not be a great solution for people with acne. The extremely high sugar content in bananas, combined with the hormones and such in milk (organic or not) has the potential to create acne. This doesn't mean it'll cause acne in everyone, but the potential is pretty great.

Secondly, organic milk still comes from pregnant or nursing cows, meaning it still contains pregnancy hormones from these cows. You're still drinking hormones, even if they're natural ones.

[AutonomousOne1980 54]

calcium and phosphorous (high in milk) absorption is probably the biggest factor to health, and is absorbed via two pathways intercellularly and paracellulary. in the absence of vitamin d deficit status, absorption is reduced. In the presence of good vitamin d status absorption rates triple.

inulin can increase paracellular absorption, completly independant of vitamin d pathways. A superior combo that can never do you wrong is to eat bananas with milk, where the inulin content of the bananas will increase the mineral absorption, not only the calcium but the potassium and phosphorus as well.

Calcium citrate chewable tablets, or calcium citrate/malate are well absorbed forms, equivelant to milk or dairy.

another option would be organic brassica veggies where the calcium absorption rates have been shown to be significantly greater then dairy products, where milk was documented to be absorbed at 30%, brocolli and cabbage have been shown to be absorbed of 50% total calcium content. the percentages were total calcium retention by the body. but only organic farming has any significant calcium levels.\

Dairy products are really good sources of calcium, my advice would be to switch to organic milk that use no growth hormone or antibiotics, rather then cut it out of your diet, or eat less milk/dairy, and get rda from supplements. Calcium and vitamin D is closely related to cancer as calcium ions relays messages inside many cells that tell it what to do like when to die (apoptosis) cancers cells proliferate faster then normal cells and do not know when to die, they are remodeling the theory of cancer to reflect these mechanisms, where carcinogenesis may not be the major factor to cancer but cell signaling/communication or at least a more equal role.

Well, for one, eating bananas and milk may not be a great solution for people with acne. The extremely high sugar content in bananas, combined with the hormones and such in milk (organic or not) has the potential to create acne. This doesn't mean it'll cause acne in everyone, but the potential is pretty great.

Secondly, organic milk still comes from pregnant or nursing cows, meaning it still contains pregnancy hormones from these cows. You're still drinking hormones, even if they're natural ones.

yea i know, nothing is perfect, but you need minerals before anything else in this world, its importance is above having clear skin.

[bryan 23]

another option would be organic brassica veggies where the calcium absorption rates have been shown to be significantly greater then dairy products, where milk was documented to be absorbed at 30%, brocolli and cabbage have been shown to be absorbed of 50% total calcium content. the percentages were total calcium retention by the body.

I've heard that claim a number of times over the years, but I suspect that the exact way such a test was conducted _may_ be misleading. Was it done with quantities of those foods (milk and cabbage) that were chosen to contain the same amounts of calcium, or were just the amounts of the foods themselves the same (like a half-pound of milk, and a half-pound of cabbage)? It's well-known in nutrition circles that the larger the amount of calcium you eat, the less is the percentage that you absorb. So if they did the test the latter way instead of the former, it's only reasonable to expect that a higher percentage of the calcium in the brocolli and cabbage would be absorbed, compared to the percentage of the calcium in the milk. That detail is important, and needs to be taken into consideration.