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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To switch cows milk for soy or almond milk?

71 replies

Finemjen · 27/07/2025 03:22

Want to go dairy - free - any one know any cons of switching to soy or almond milk? What cheese alternatives are there? Think I can manage not having milk, but cheese may be harder to give up unless there’s a really good alternative out there?!

OP posts:
Wiennetta · 27/07/2025 09:34

TaborlinTheGreat · 27/07/2025 09:30

It's worth pointing out that pretty much all non-dairy milks are highly processed and most are not great for the environment. I only use them as I've become intolerant to dairy products.

All plant based milks are better for the environment than dairy milk.

https://ourworldindata.org/environmental-impact-milks

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46654042

Dairy vs. plant-based milk: what are the environmental impacts?

A growing number of people are interested in switching to plant-based alternatives to dairy. But are they better for the environment, and which is best?

https://ourworldindata.org/environmental-impact-milks

Wiennetta · 27/07/2025 09:35

MathsMum3 · 27/07/2025 08:58

We stopped using cows milk a few years ago, and find oat milk best. Almond milk is terrible for the environment so I wouldn't use that.

Cheese is more tricky! My son and his gf are vegan so we always eat vegan when they're around and have tried a lot of non-dairy cheeses. We've never found one we like or would use on a regular basis.

Have you tried some small independent brands? These are always the ones I recommend and non-vegan friends like them:

I am Nut Ok
Mouses Favouite
La Fauxmagerie
Palace Culture.

Breathmiller · 27/07/2025 09:38

I am lactose intolerant and like a PP said, its down to personal taste. My go to's are..

Oatly Organic Oat Milk (only water, oats and salt) - good for tea and coffee.
Aldi Soya Milk (very cheap and few ingredients - best for cooking, white sauce etc)
Alpro Greek Yoghurt (I use this for everything - it makes (gf) flatbread, sour cream for chilli, bases for creamy dressings as well as with fruit for breakfast).
Alpro single cream - cooking and as pouring cream on desserts.
Oatly whipping cream now and again.
Naturli blocks of butter - for spreading and baking.

Cheese is the biggest challenge and I just don't eat it much. But when I need a cheese fix I will use....

Violife - I find melts best in cooking , mac and cheese etc (in a sauce better than trying to melt on a pizza or grill though).
Cathedral City if I desperately wanted a cheddar on oatcakes (but its telling I can't remember the last time I did, its not great).
Violife block of 'parmesan' is passable.
Strathdon 'blue' is lovely, M&S used to sell it and it was good.
You do get some lovely artisan nut based cheeses at health food and specialist shops online but they are eye wateringly expensive and can still be hit or miss. I tend to get them as a treat at Christmas time.
(Also, Engivita - yeast flakes or sometimes called Nooch is a great way to get a cheesy flavour in things. I use it more than fake cheese for cooking or I mix both. So, for example my go to for Mac and Cheese is Aldi soya milk, grated violife and Engivita)

One of the issues you might find is that a lot of dairy alternatives are UPF and/or very high in calories and they may be heavy on your digestion. When I was first exploring dairy free, a latte or shake made with Almond milk for instance would give me stomach ache. It can be hard to digest some of them. I don't have anything that is full of any of the milks, lattes cappuccino etc.

But it really is trial and error. You may also find that if you do give up dairy that if you chaage your mind your body will no longer be able to digest lactose and then you will have no choice.

TaborlinTheGreat · 27/07/2025 09:50

Wiennetta · 27/07/2025 09:34

All plant based milks are better for the environment than dairy milk.

https://ourworldindata.org/environmental-impact-milks

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46654042

Hmmm interesting. I mostly just avoid using milk of any kind altogether. I can tolerate very small amounts of dairy, but less and less tbh. I'm also gluten intolerant. It's such a pain.

Breathmiller · 27/07/2025 10:43

Ah TaborlinTheGreat that's a shame. I'm also gluten and dairy, its not easy.
I am whats classed as an undiagnosed coeliac and apparently coeliac often comes with an additional lactose intolerance in time.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 27/07/2025 10:46

My dd has switched entirely to oat milk. I get her the “barista” one. She seems to like it!

She’s not vegan - she eats eggs and has other dairy products - but I think she got uncomfortable about the large amount of milk we drink as a society. Also I think she prefers it now!

Oat is, I think, the nicest option.

Pinty · 27/07/2025 10:47

It's your decision but I think non diary milk and cheese tastes horrible . I have a friend who uses oat milk and almond milk I always have black coffee when I visit her! And all non diary cheese I have tasted has a strange texture and after taste
Coco yoghurt and cream is lovely though .

Mauro711 · 27/07/2025 11:02

Pinty · 27/07/2025 10:47

It's your decision but I think non diary milk and cheese tastes horrible . I have a friend who uses oat milk and almond milk I always have black coffee when I visit her! And all non diary cheese I have tasted has a strange texture and after taste
Coco yoghurt and cream is lovely though .

Edited

Agree about the coconut yoghurt. It is much nicer than dairy ones, so it coconut cream.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 27/07/2025 11:28

Why do you want to go dairy free? The reasons are relevant, as if it's from an ethical stance, it's important to bear in mind the nutritional implications from also not having meat, fish, eggs and the ethical/environmental component of the replacements.

If it's from it not agreeing with you, is it lactose intolerance (and possibly related to gut damage from coeliac, which is already a risk for deficiencies - you may also react to avenin, the protein in oats which is similar to gluten and many coeliacs also react to) which may be resolved through adopting Ewes' and Goats' milk products along with lactose free products and maybe lactase enzyme tablets/having lower lactose cheeses or is it CMPA, which means Ewes' and Goats' milk without issue?

FWIW, I think that violife blue has an accurate taste for something like Danish Blue even though it looks like feta, but the rest are exercises in disappointment.

For milk alternatives, soya products tend to have a weird bitter taste, as do pretty much all almond and nut products I've tried (they taste burned to me) with the exception of coconut. The oat ones make me feel sick, but I think a lot of people like them. Pea protein is foul in my opinion and rice milk is very sweet even if sugar free.

I got used to drinking black coffee with a very occasional coconut or soya milk frappucino type thing - the caramel syrup does a lot of heavy lifting, though - and black tea is good if you weren't actually a half mug of milk with a teabag waved at it from across the kitchen person in the first place.

Coconut yoghurt is very nice, however - the one thing that is perfectly good in its own right.

IsItSnowing · 27/07/2025 11:45

Pennyforyourthoughtsplease · 27/07/2025 03:24

Dairy is important especially for women who are at risk of Osteoporosis when they age, so look into that first

Calcium is important. There are plenty of other sources than dairy.

IsItSnowing · 27/07/2025 11:49

Wiennetta · 27/07/2025 09:35

Have you tried some small independent brands? These are always the ones I recommend and non-vegan friends like them:

I am Nut Ok
Mouses Favouite
La Fauxmagerie
Palace Culture.

These are interesting, I am going to check them out. I've been vegan for years and had to accept that I need to do without cheese as I hate most vegan cheese.
I can also add Kinda cheese. I would say it's not actually like cheese but it is really tasty and a good subsitute.

mamagogo1 · 27/07/2025 11:54

There was an interesting article on milk substitutes this week. The conclusion was (allergies aside) no substitute milk offers the health benefits of real milk, but fortified soy is the next best nutritionally if you want to be vegan, but fortification (thus more processed) is essential as it lacks essentials

Isobel201 · 27/07/2025 11:55

If you're looking for lactose free cheese, goats cheese isn't too bad.

IsItSnowing · 27/07/2025 12:00

mamagogo1 · 27/07/2025 11:54

There was an interesting article on milk substitutes this week. The conclusion was (allergies aside) no substitute milk offers the health benefits of real milk, but fortified soy is the next best nutritionally if you want to be vegan, but fortification (thus more processed) is essential as it lacks essentials

Source?

Ilovecakey · 27/07/2025 12:04

MrsAvocet · 27/07/2025 03:49

I've been looking for a palatable dairy free cheese for nearly 20 years for my son who is dairy allergic. I'm yet to find one I'm afraid. I am told that there are cashew based ones which are ok but unfortunately he is also allergic to nuts so that's no help for us, but if I were you I'd look for something like that. As a general rule he has soya based alternatives for things like yoghurt, ice cream etc but all the cheeses we have tried have been pretty horrid in terms of flavour, texture or both. And they tend to resemble melted plastic when heated. I was dairy free for several years when I was breastfeeding him and cheese was the one thing I really missed.

Apparently the vegsn cathedral city one is good although I haven't tried it.

Christmasbear1 · 27/07/2025 12:04

I like oat milk or coconut milk

FortheloveofCheesus · 27/07/2025 12:06

Remember all vegan "milks" are ultraprocessed and many like almond milk are not good for the environment

DiscoBob · 27/07/2025 12:07

I don't think those fake milks are very healthy. It's just oil and water and squeezed almonds. And soya in general is meant to have bad affects.

I think it doesn't have as much calcium. Or other minerals. Also it's more expensive.

I think you are meant to take a calcium D3 supplement to help your bones if you don't have dairy.

FourIsNewSix · 27/07/2025 12:21

If you want to get dairy free, as opposite to have to, wouldn't going dairy reductionist be a way for now?
Think about where you use milk often, explore alternatives for your tea/coffee/cereals and just get a normal cheese from time to time?

Many people with mild lactose intolerance actually can eat cheese, as many kinds are naturally low lactose.

Sunshineandgrapefruit · 27/07/2025 12:34

I think oat milk is much better both environmentally, health and taste wise.

Sunshineandgrapefruit · 27/07/2025 12:35

There are quite a few oat milks with no oil in them

Wynter25 · 27/07/2025 12:48

Dairy free cheese is shit

Wiennetta · 27/07/2025 12:52

FortheloveofCheesus · 27/07/2025 12:06

Remember all vegan "milks" are ultraprocessed and many like almond milk are not good for the environment

Dairy milk is not good for the environment.

Mauro711 · 27/07/2025 13:43

Sunshineandgrapefruit · 27/07/2025 12:34

I think oat milk is much better both environmentally, health and taste wise.

It is. And it has the same amount of calcium as dairy milk but without the animal cruelty or environmental impact. Plus it contains omega 3 which cow's milk doesn't. Oat milk also contains less calories and saturated fat than dairy milk.

WhyDoiGiveValuableTime · 27/07/2025 13:58

Oat milk is lovely. Going vegan was the best thing we ever did as a family.