Nutritional Comparison of Milk and Plant-Based Beverages

Published:January 30, 2023

Updated:January 30, 2023 12:00 AM EDT

Milk

	Calories	Fat (g)	Carbohydrate (g)	Protein (g)	Sodium (mg)	Potassium (%DV)	Calcium (%DV)	Vitamin A (%DV)	Vitamin D (%DV)	Vitamin B12 (%DV)
Skim Milk	90	0	13	9	105	12	30	15	45	45
1% milk	110	2.5	12	9	100	12	30	10	45	45
2% milk	130	5	12	9	100	12	30	10	45	45
3.25% milk	160	8	12	9	100	12	30	10	45	45
Lactose free skim milk	70	0	7	9	60	5	23	11	8	38
Lactose free 1% milk	90	2.5	7	9	60	5	23	11	8	38
Lactose free 2% milk	110	5	7	9	60	5	23	11	8	38
Lactose free 3.25% milk	140	8	7	9	60	5	23	11	8	38

Plant-Based Beverages

	Calories	Fat (g)	Carbohydrate (g)	Protein (g)	Sodium (mg)	Potassium (%DV)	Calcium (%DV)	Vitamin A (%DV)	Vitamin D (%DV)	Vitamin B12 (%DV)
Almond (original)	60	2.5	8	1	150	1	23	11	10	42
Almond (unsweetened)	30	2.5	1	1	130	4	23	11	10	42
Cashew (original)	60	2.5	9	1	160	1	23	11	10	42
Cashew (unsweetened)	25	2	1	1	160	1	23	11	10	42
Soy (original)	100	4	8	6	90	8	30	10	45	50
Soy (unsweetened)	80	3.5	4	8	40	9	30	10	45	50
Oat (original)	80	3.5	12	1	100	4	23	11	10	42
Oat (unsweetened)	70	4.5	8	1	90	4	23	11	10	42
Macadamia (original)	70	4.5	7	1	115	0	35	25	20	N/ A
Macadamia (unsweetened)	55	6	1	1	110	0	38	25	20	N/ A

A NOTE ABOUT FORTIFICATION:

Calcium in milk is naturally-occurring. It is added to plant-based beverages, and while there may be comparable amounts of calcium on the Nutrition facts table, you get more from milk because it doesn’t separate from the beverage and settle on the bottom of the container where it may not be ingested.¹,²In one study, calcium from soy beverages was absorbed at only 75% of the efficiency of the calcium absorbed from milk.³

A NOTE ABOUT PROTEIN:

All of the plant-based beverages have less protein than milk.
It is important to note that milk proteins are more digestible and better quality than plant-based protein, as measured by the Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) and Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS).⁴
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) made PDCAAS the official standard for measuring protein in the early 1990s. In 2013, the FAO proposed shifting preference to the DIAAS method.⁵
Both methods are currently used. In both systems, milk is considered an “excellent source” of protein, while plant-based proteins are considered a “good source,” which is a lower ranking.⁶