Is Soy Milk Better Than Milk From A Cow?

There are a handful of reasons why people choose to drink soy milk (taste, allergies, veganism), but I'm curious... is it really a healthier option? I've seen many claims that it is, but I'd like to do my own research and find out myself.

I'm going to compare the different types of cow milk (skim, 1%, 2% and whole - all without Vitamin A or D added) to two different brands of soy milk (Silk (plain) and Vitasoy (organic creamy original)). We'll look at the nutrition data to figure out what type of milk is the healthiest. The data shown below will be based on one cup of each type of milk; a typical serving size.

Calories

Since it's the first thing you'll see on a nutrition label, let's look at calories first. It is excess calories that make you gain weight, so the type of milk with the least amount of calories will be ranked the highest for this section.

1. Skim Milk: 83 Calories
2. Silk Soy Milk: 100 Calories
3. 1% Milk: 103 Calories
4. Vitasoy Soy Milk: 107 Calories
5. 2% Milk: 123 Calories
6. Whole Milk: 149 Calories

So it looks like, in terms of calories, that skim milk is your best bet and whole milk is the worst choice. Who didn't see that coming? So if you want to take in the least amount of calories when you drink milk, opt for skim milk.

RANKING

1. Skim Milk - 6 Points
2. Silk Soy Milk - 5 Points
3. 1% Milk - 4 Points
4. Vitasoy Soy Milk - 3 Points
5. 2% Milk - 2 Points
6. Whole Milk - 1 Point

Let's move on to the fat content.

Since unsaturated fat is actually a good type of fat, we're going to ignore the "total fat" content and only look at the saturated fat. You want to limit your intake of saturated fat, so the type of milk with the least amount of saturated fat will be ranked the highest for this section.

1. Skim Milk: 0 Grams
2. Silk Soy Milk: 1 Gram
3. Vitasoy Soy Milk: 1 Gram
4. 1% Milk: 2 Grams
5. 2% Milk: 3 Grams
6. Whole Milk: 5 Grams

So it looks like, in terms of saturated fat, that once again skim milk is your best bet and whole milk is the worst choice. Both types of soy milk rank the same so they'll get the same amount of points. So if you want to take in the least amount of saturated fat when you drink milk, opt for skim milk.

RANKING

1. Skim Milk - 11 Points
2. Silk Soy Milk - 9 Points
3. 1% Milk - 7 Points
4. Vitasoy Soy Milk - 7 Points
5. 2% Milk - 4 Points
6. Whole Milk - 2 Points

Let's move on to the carbohydrate content.

Carbs aren't actually your enemy; they're your energy. So we're going to focus on a type of carbohydrate that we want to limit our intake of, because the energy is burned quickly and spikes insulin levels. The carb we're going to focus on is sugar! The type of milk with the least amount of sugar will be ranked the highest for this section.

1. Vitasoy Soy Milk: 5 Grams
2. Silk Soy Milk: 6 Grams
3. Skim Milk: 12 Grams
4. 2% Milk: 12 Grams
5. 1% Milk: 13 Grams
6. Whole Milk: 13 Grams

So it looks like, it terms of sugar content, that Vitasoy soy milk is your best bet and 1% and whole Milk are tied as the worst. You might be wondering why soy milk has so much less sugar; it's because of the lactose content. Most of the sugar in cow's milk is lactose. So if you want to take in the least amount of sugar, when drinking milk, opt for Vitasoy soy milk.

RANKING

1. Skim Milk - 13 Points
2. Silk Soy Milk - 12 Points
3. Vitasoy Soy Milk - 11 Points
4. 1% Milk - 8 Points
5. 2% Milk - 6 Points
6. Whole Milk - 3 Points

Let's move on to the protein content.

Protein is quite essential for the growth and healing of your body. So the type of milk with the most amount of protein in it will be ranked the highest for this section.

1. Skim Milk: 8 Grams
2. 2% Milk: 8 Grams
3. 1% Milk: 8 Grams
4. Whole Milk: 8 Grams
5. Vitasoy Soy Milk:  7 Grams
6. Silk Soy Milk: 7 Grams

So it looks like, in terms of protein content, your best bet would be to stay away from soy milk. I'd also like to note that a study done at McMaster University found that milk protein was better at building muscle mass than soy protein. So if you want to get the most efficient protein and at good amounts, I'd stick with any type of milk from a cow.

RANKING

1. Skim Milk - 15 Points
2. Silk Soy Milk - 13 Points
3. Vitasoy Soy Milk - 12 Points
4. 1% Milk - 10 Points
5. 2% Milk - 8 Points
6. Whole Milk - 5 Points

Let's move onto the vitamins.

There are a bunch of vitamins we could look at but, since I don't want to drag this out too long, we're only going to look at six vitamins. Vitamins A and D (boosts immunity), Vitamin K (protects against osteoporosis), Folate (naturally occurring form of vitamin B9 - good for your skin), Pantothenic Acid (vitamin b5 - fights infection) and Vitamin B12 (energizes body). The type of milk with the most amount of vitamins will be ranked the highest for this section.

I chose to look at cow's milk that had no added Vitamin A or D, so you're seeing their natural content. Vitamins A, D and B12 were added to both kinds of soy milk. They call it "fortified", I call it unnatural and their ranking will be slightly adjusted because of this.

1. Whole Milk
2. Silk Soy Milk
3. 2% Milk
4. Vitasoy Soy Milk
5. 1% Milk
6. Skim Milk

Whole came out on top in the vitamin category because it was full of enough vitamins without having to have anything added to it. Cow's milk can be fortified too, so I couldn't let the soy milk have an unfair advantage. So if you want naturally vitamin-filled milk I'd stick with whole milk (otherwise go with Silk soy milk) and avoid skim milk.

RANKING

1. Silk Soy Milk - 18 Points
2. Skim Milk - 16 Points
3. Vitasoy Soy Milk - 15 Points
4. 1% Milk - 12 Points
5. 2 % Milk - 12 Points
6. Whole Milk - 11 Points

Let's move onto the minerals.

There's also a bunch of minerals we could look at but I think this article is long enough. So, we're only going to look at five minerals: Calcium (good for bones & teeth), Zinc (boosts immunity), Magnesium (good for muscles), Phosphorus (helps body make energy) and Potassium (good for nervous system). The type of milk with the most amount of minerals will be ranked the highest for this section.

Both kinds of soy milk are also fortified with calcium and zinc while all the versions of cow milk naturally have these amounts of minerals. So the soy milk rankings will be slightly adjusted because of this.

1. Skim Milk
2. 1% Milk
3. 2% Milk
4. Vitasoy Soy Milk
5. Whole Milk
6. Silk Soy Milk

The ranking results for this section was a little surprising to me. Even with fortification, both kinds of soy milk couldn't compare to the lower fat types of cow's milk. So if you want a milk that's filled with minerals, then opt for skim milk and stay away from Silk soy milk.

RANKING

1. Skim Milk - 22 Points
2. Silk Soy Milk - 19 Points
3. Vitasoy Soy Milk - 18 Points
4. 1% Milk - 17 Points
5. 2% Milk - 16 Points
6. Whole Milk - 13 Points

And the winner is...

By the numbers, through my research, SKIM MILK is the best milk overall!

By looking at the label, soy milk may look healthier than most types of milk from a cow (although it barely ranked higher then 1% & 2%) but is it really that healthy?

The fact that they had to add in vitamins and minerals and that it has a weaker variety of protein, makes me think that it's not that healthy.

So if you want to drink milk that's not too high in calories, saturated fat or sugar, has an ample amount of efficient protein, and natural amounts of vitamins and minerals, then I'd go with skim milk.

You may even want to opt for 1% milk to ensure that you get a little more vitamins.

Your best bet is to get organic dairy products from grass-fed cows.

Don't let my conclusion sway you, especially if it's against your beliefs or you have allergies. Some people may actually prefer the taste of soy milk.

If that's the case, go ahead and grab some Silk soy milk and enjoy your drink.

I hope that, after reading this, you'll chose a little more wisely when it comes to milk selection. If not, thanks for reading anyway.

Gulp!