Hayat Dietitian's Grocery Picks · Episode 6: The Plant Milk Wall

The 30-second verdict

If you are replacing dairy, choose unsweetened fortified soy. It is the only common plant milk with comparable protein, and it is the one dietary guidelines worldwide treat as a genuine dairy substitute.

If you simply enjoy the taste, oat is creamy and good in coffee but is largely carbohydrate. Almond is pleasant and nutritionally close to flavoured water.

Two words decide most of it: unsweetened, and fortified. Without calcium fortification you are drinking a beverage, not a milk.

Why this wall matters

Plant milks have gone from a niche to an entire aisle in about a decade, and the nutritional variation within that aisle is enormous. A carton of soy and a carton of almond sit side by side, cost about the same, and differ by a factor of six in protein.

The key point is that plant milks are not a category. They are unrelated products that happen to be white and sold in the same fridge. Judging them collectively is the mistake.

Two things determine whether one works as a dairy replacement:

Protein. Cow's milk gives roughly 6.5 to 7g per 200ml. Only soy comes close.

Calcium. Cow's milk contains it naturally. No plant milk does, in meaningful amounts. Any calcium present has been added, which means an unfortified plant milk contributes essentially nothing to your bone health. This is the single most consequential thing on the label and the one people read last.

Soy: the one that actually substitutes

Clinically closest to dairy. Comparable protein, complete amino acid profile, and the option most dietary guidelines list as an acceptable dairy alternative.

Per 200ml. Approximate; check labels.

Note the sugar column. Two of these three carry 8 to 10g of added sugar per glass, which is roughly two teaspoons. The unsweetened option is the one doing the nutritional work.

Oat: creamy, and mostly carbohydrate

Good in coffee, genuinely superior for frothing, and containing the same beta-glucan fibre we covered in Episode 5, though considerably diluted.

A point worth understanding: most oat milks contain no added sugar and still test high for sugars. The manufacturing process uses enzymes to break oat starch into shorter chains, which is what creates the sweetness and creaminess. The sugar is generated from the oats themselves. It is still sugar as far as your bloodstream is concerned, and it is why oat milk has a higher glycaemic impact than the ingredient list suggests.

Almond: a beverage, not a milk

Low calorie and low in everything else. Typically made from 2 to 13% almonds by weight. The rest is water.

We need to correct something. Almond milk is often marketed on its vitamin E content and its benefits for skin. Whole almonds are genuinely rich in vitamin E. Almond milk, being mostly water, is not, unless it has been fortified. If skin health is your reason for buying it, eat a handful of actual almonds instead. You will get considerably more of everything.

The honest bit: the soy question everybody is too polite to ask

We are asked this constantly, usually in a lowered voice: does soy cause breast cancer, or affect men's hormones?

The short answer is no, and the evidence on this is now substantial.

Soy contains isoflavones, which are plant compounds structurally similar to oestrogen. That similarity generated decades of concern, largely on the basis of rodent studies where soy is metabolised differently from how humans metabolise it.

Human evidence points the other way. Large observational studies, particularly in Asian populations with lifelong high soy intake, associate soy consumption with lower breast cancer risk, and studies of breast cancer survivors have found no increase in recurrence. Major cancer organisations now explicitly state that soy foods are safe for survivors. For men, meta-analyses of controlled trials have found no meaningful effect of soy on testosterone or oestrogen levels at normal dietary intakes.

Our position: soy is safe, well studied, and probably the most useful item on this wall. If you have a hormone-sensitive cancer and want to be certain, raise it with your oncologist, but the current evidence is reassuring rather than cautionary.

One genuine caveat: this applies to soy foods, meaning soy milk, tofu, tempeh, edamame. Concentrated isoflavone supplements are a different proposition and are not something we would recommend casually.

The Malaysian angle

We were drinking soy milk before it was a wellness product. Fresh tau fu fah stalls and roadside soy vendors have been part of Malaysian food culture for generations. Fresh soy milk from a local vendor is often better than the carton, with one important caveat: it is usually sweetened generously and is not fortified with calcium. Ask for kurang manis, and do not count it towards your calcium intake.

Barista versions frequently contain added oil. Usually rapeseed or sunflower, added to help the milk froth and to improve mouthfeel. Not harmful, but if you are watching total fat or buying on the assumption that plant milk is inherently lighter, check the panel.

Calcium fortification is not universal here. Malaysian shelves carry a mix of fortified and unfortified products, including imports formulated for markets with different rules. Do not assume. Read the panel.

Read the label

"Fortified with calcium" is the most important phrase on the carton. Look for roughly 120mg per 100ml, which is comparable to cow's milk. If calcium does not appear on the nutrition panel, it is not there.

Shake fortified cartons before pouring. Added calcium settles. Pour without shaking and you leave a meaningful proportion in the bottom.

Check protein before you buy for protein. Soy sits at 6 to 8g per 200ml. Oat and almond sit at 1 to 2g. That difference decides whether this is a milk substitute or a drink.

"Original" usually means sweetened. "Unsweetened" is the word to look for. "No added sugar" on an oat milk still permits the enzymatically generated sugars described above.

Ingredient count. Water, the plant, and fortification minerals is ideal. Long lists of gums, oils and flavourings are not dangerous, but they indicate a more processed product.

Across the lifespan

Children under five. Plant milks are generally not appropriate as a main milk drink at this age, with the possible exception of fortified soy, and that should be a decision made with a paediatrician or dietitian. The energy and nutrient density of these products is too low to support growth reliably.

Adults. If you are switching for taste, ethics or digestion, ensure you are not quietly losing protein and calcium in the process. Fortified soy covers both. Almond covers neither.

Fifty and above. Protein and calcium requirements rise at precisely the age when many people switch to plant milks for digestive comfort. If that is you, soy is close to the only sensible choice, and you should be tracking your calcium intake from the whole diet rather than assuming a carton is covering it.

If you avoid dairy for lactose reasons rather than preference: worth reading Episode 4 first. Lactose intolerance is not usually all-or-nothing, and reduced-lactose dairy or yoghurt may suit you better than switching category entirely.

What we would put in your trolley

Unsweetened fortified soy milk as the default. Best protein, adequate calcium when fortified, most evidence behind it, and generally the cheapest of the three.

An unsweetened oat milk if you want something creamier for coffee and are relaxed about the carbohydrate.

Almond only if you genuinely prefer the taste and are not relying on it nutritionally.

Skip anything unfortified, and check whether your regular carton is sweetened. Many people are surprised.

How we handle this at HAYAT Longevity

Switching to plant milk is one of the more common changes we see patients make independently, and one of the easier ones to get subtly wrong: protein quietly drops, calcium disappears, and sugar intake rises without anyone noticing. Our dietitians look at your whole intake alongside your biomarker panel and body composition, and where glycaemic response is the question, continuous glucose monitoring shows how a specific carton behaves in your body rather than in a study.

Book a consultation with our medical and dietitian team: aoklinik.com/appointment

Written by R.D. Yee Lin, Clinical Dietitian. Clinically reviewed by Dr. Daniel Chong. HAYAT Longevity, Penang.

General nutritional information only, not individual medical or dietary advice. Nutritional values are approximate, taken from manufacturer information available at the time of writing, and formulations change. If you have a diagnosed medical condition, are pregnant, or take regular medication, please consult a qualified healthcare professional before making significant dietary changes.