Milk

It occurred to me that I don't really know how the different milks compare to each other. You've got whole, 2%, 1% and "nonfat" and then there's rice and soy milk, which I have always assumed are healthier then your typical cow's milk just because they sound healthy. So, here's a break down and my recommendation on what to put on your cereal or in your coffee:

1 cup of whole (homogenized) cow's milk (too FATTY):
146 calories, 49% fat (7.9 g), 21% protein (7.9 g), 30% carbs (11 g with 0 fiber)

1 cup of 2% cow's milk (a little better):
122 calories, 36% fat (4.8 g), 27% protein (8.1 g), 38% carbs (11.4 g with 0 fiber)

1 cup of 1% cow's milk (can you see where this is going?):
102 calories, 20% fat (2.4 g), 34% protein (8.2 g), 46% carbs (12.2 g with 0 fiber)

1 cup of nonfat (skim) cow's milk (much better!):
83 calories, 2% fat (0.2 g), 42% protein (8.3 g), 56% carbs (12.2 g with 0 fiber)

So, as far as cow's milk, I vote for non-fat. The variations of cow's milk all have about the same amount of carbs and protein, but without the extra fat the percentage that carbs make up is much higher in the lower fat version. If you are doing a low-carb diet you might want to compromise with 2% because it's got almost the same amount of carbs, but a lot less fat than whole milk.

So what about those "healthy" milk alternatives? How much healthier are they?

1 cup of Rice Milk (where did all that nice protein go?):
120 calories, 15% fat (2 g), 1% protein (0.4 g), 84% carbs (24.8 g with 0 fiber)

1 cup of Soy Milk (niiiice):
127 calories, 31% fat (4.7 g), 30% protein (11 g), 39% carbs (12.1 g with 3.2 g fiber)

Rice milk has about as many calories as 2% milk but much less fat and protein. All those calories are coming from carbs with NO FIBER. You might as well just go drink a can of coke!

Soy milk has about as much as many calories and as much fat as 2% cow's milk, but it's got waaaay more fiber and a good amount more protein. Because of this, soy milk is my vote for putting in my coffee. The extra fat helps the coffee from tasting watered down, but I'm getting a little more fiber and protein than I would if I used milk or half and half. Here are the status for half and half. I know you'd never drink a cup, but for comparison I'm keeping the amounts consistent:

1 cup of Half and Half (don't do it!):
315 calories, 78% fat (27.8 g), 10% protein (7.2 g), 13% carbs (10.4 g with 0 fiber)

Compared to whole milk even, half and half clearly doesn't cut it--Less protein, and only a few less carbs! And exponentially more fat! I've heard stories of people on the Atkins diet switching to half and half because it's got a few less carbs. This makes no sense to me, since you get a very few extra carbs with whole or even 2%, and so much less fat and more protein.

Bottom line for me is, use nonfat milk when you're going to consume more than a couple of tablespoons in order to keep the calories low, and use soy milk with you want something a little extra. Soy milk isn't as delicious as half and half, but for the great nutitional deal you get I think you can learn to like it!