5

What kinds of milk are low in carbs? I have heard about coconut milk but I'm not sure what's best.

PS: I am from India, maybe someone might want this info:-)

3
  • Meta on close vote: meta.cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/1771/…
    – SAJ14SAJ
    Jul 29, 2013 at 13:54
  • 2
    Nutrition is off topic here - we won't discuss what you should drink as part of any given diet. But the question of carb contents of various milks and milk replacements are (marginally) on topic. So I've edited your question to give you a chance. Feel free to edit further or roll back if you're not happy with it.
    – Cascabel
    Jul 29, 2013 at 15:11
  • How do you define "low in carbs"?
    – baka
    Jul 30, 2013 at 19:27

7 Answers 7

3

Non-sweetened almond milk is probably what most people on low carb diets drink, when they drink it. It has < 1g of carb per cup.

Personally, I completely stopped drinking milk because of carbs years ago and I don't look back. I only drink a little bit of half and half with coffee, and even though it still has carbs, it's so little that it makes little difference.

3
  • 1
    Almond milk has 4% carb, and 5% fat, same as cows milk more or less
    – TFD
    Aug 1, 2013 at 10:14
  • 4
    Just from some quick research, unsweetened almond milk seems to be a lot lower in carbs than dairy. Almond, Dairy
    – SourDoh
    Aug 1, 2013 at 19:28
  • 1
    Are you getting carbohydrate percent (per 100 g) or the RDI figure?
    – TFD
    Aug 2, 2013 at 12:00
10

Cows, goat, soy, almond, and coconut milk have around the same carbohydrate levels, so there is not enough difference to make the effort to rework recipes etc.

Also coconut milk has more than 20% fat compared to milk having 1% to 5%. A normal human body can use fats as efficiently as sugars, so total energy of coconut milk will be very high

Approximate carbohydrate %, and kJ per 100 g of milk

Each country, recipe, and supplier will have different figures, these are standardised with Wolfram Alpha, a recognised accurate source, and a neutral source, as they are not involved in the food or dietary industry

In many countries, "standard" milk is homogenised half fat milk, so about half way between skim and full cow milk figures

4
  • 2
    Whether or not it makes any sense, it's probably best to stick to the facts about carb content (as opposed to caloric content) - it's what the question is about.
    – Cascabel
    Jul 30, 2013 at 15:09
  • I cleaned up the health related discussion, especially seeing that the claim which caused it has been edited out of the answer.
    – rumtscho
    Apr 9, 2014 at 22:41
  • Mammals, including humans, don't generally have the Glyoxylate cycle which would allow them to make sugars from fats. That biochemical pathway is generally reserved for plants, bacteria and fungi: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glyoxylate_cycle Jan 7, 2015 at 4:12
  • 1
    Good info but it seems to only account for sweetened varieties which will usually be ~1-2% but can be as low as 0.1%. Also worth considering is lactose-free regular milk.
    – Niall
    Mar 25, 2017 at 9:58
3

[Unsweetened Almond Milk] - 2g Carb in 1cup (240g), 1g from sugar and 1g from fiber and fiber should be subtracted from your carb count due to how your body processes it.

Because fiber doesn't absorb like other carbohydrates, don't count it in your overall intake of carbohydrate.

So this would be a NET of 1g Carb in 240g. Considering TFD's Almond milk has 4% in 100g leads me to believe that almond milk is sweetened.

2
  • TFD's wolfram alpha link is in fact for sweetened almond milk. The unsweetened matches your numbers. Good catch. FWIW, TFD's post probably has more votes since he included his sources. That's always better than just "because I say so" Feb 26, 2015 at 22:59
  • 3
    Actually- Almond milk has barely any protein, only a tiny bit of fiber, and a bit of minerals. It's really just almond flavored water. Looking at these numbers has dissuaded me from ever buying the stuff. Feb 26, 2015 at 23:04
1

If you're on a low carb diet then the unsweetened almond milk is obviously the way to go. For those of us looking to add our low carb protein powder to something other than water or regular cows milk, almond milk is a nice solution. Stay low carb, maintain ketosis ;)

1

Unsweetened Soya alternative to milk has 0.2g per 100g. Though I wish someone would come up with a way to separate the carbohydrate (sugar) out of cow's milk...

1
  • Given that lactose free milk is marketed, such a way most certainly exists! Mar 24, 2017 at 14:39
0

Silk unsweetened Almond Milk is 1 carb .per 1/2 cup . I use the, Silk almond milk with my 1 carb mocha high protein powder by Vega and some ice in blender and with a cup or two of water and make a big chocolate mocha shake that is 2 carbs. I try to keep my carbs at 10 a day.

8
  • 1
    Hi Grace. What do you mean by "1 carb"? The standard unit of carbohydrate is the gram, and it is pretty clear from your description that you are not using that. So please add the unit, else your answer is very confusing.
    – rumtscho
    Mar 24, 2017 at 12:26
  • 1
    @rumtscho : I tried using the nutrition fact labels ... but Silk Unsweetened Almond is listed as '<1g' per 1 cup, while there are three protein powders from Vega with a 'mocha' flavor: Essentials (5g/scoop) ; One (13g/scoop) ; Sport (6g/scoop) ... so it's not a straight conversion to grams. It might be one of those points systems like Weight Watchers has (had?)
    – Joe
    Mar 24, 2017 at 13:35
  • 1
    @Joe I didn't even realize that "silk unsweetened almond milk" is a brand. A cup of almond milk having 1 g was indeed unusual, and having less than 10 g of carbohydrates a day is an extreme ketogenic diet with lots of side effects, so I was also thinking of a unit from some dietary system, maybe Broteinheiten (I don't even know if BE are used in English speaking countries). At least a name for the unit is needed, then we can link to an explanation how it relates to other units.
    – rumtscho
    Mar 24, 2017 at 13:41
  • 1
    @Catija : in looking at the other answers, like spacebread's, it's possible that this point system is possibly total carbohydrates minus the fiber. In that case, Vega Essentials is ~1g/scoop (5g total, 4g fiber); Vega Sport is ~3g/scoop (6g total, 3g fiber). These are approximate, as these numbers are rounded. (Essentials might be 5.4g total, 3.5g fiber, so closer to 2g/scoop)
    – Joe
    Mar 24, 2017 at 14:25
  • 1
    OK, so we have some evidence that the answer references grams, and some evidence against it. I still find it confusing, and would like to see the OP clarify.
    – rumtscho
    Mar 24, 2017 at 14:48
0

Carbmaster milk is milk that has been put through a filtration process which removes most of the sugar (the carbohydrate in milk is all a form of sugar). It has one quarter the sugar of regular milk (3 g per cup) and is fat free. I prefer some fat content, so I just add a little heavy cream (adds no sugar). With this addition, Carbmaster tastes as good as any regular 2 percent milk I've ever had. It is a product of the Kroger company, which sells it in its supermarkets, and also in a regional chain called Harris Teeter, found mainly in the Carolinas. (Kroger stores are found in many states across the country).

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.