Shakes, smoothies- what kind of milk?

[sunshineandpinot]

I'm gained some weight and totally blame it on my eating habits. I'm eating the same way I have all my life and it's catching up to me. I eat pretty well rounded meals, lots of veggies and fruit, but also lots of red meat and full fat dairy.  I'm making an effort to cut back on the red meat. 
I love milk and often eat a bowl of Kashi Go Lean with skim and blueberries. I figure that can't be that bad. But I'm also drinking an Orgain smoothie 1x day. (Thanks to whoever rec'd; they're yummy!) I use about 14 oz of milk. I'm trying to find whatever milk has the least amount of fat, calories, sugar etc. So far I've landed on vanilla unsweetened almond milk. It has half the calories as skim milk, no carbs, but also little protein. It does have a little fat, 2.5g. Claims to have double the calcium. Is there a "better" option out there or something I'm missing? TIA! 

[donutsmakemegonuts]

That is what I use in my shakes!

[loskadoodle]

That's what I use. I think it's good!

[Deleted]

Yep, almond milk. I also like the coconut almond milk.

[sunshineandpinot]

Apr 14, 2017 9:51:09 GMT -5 @ygmg said:

Yep, almond milk. I also like the coconut almond milk.

Yes! I bought this the first time around and it was delish. I couldn't find it the second time. 

So is almond, almond/coconut milk a lot healthier compared to regular skim milk ? 

[halfpint]

Almond milk for sure! I like the "light" Silk Almond Vanilla unless I'm adding a banana (that makes it sweet enough) - you get a little bit of sugar, but not as much as the fully sweetened, and still fewer calories than milk.

[isabel]

There's nothing wrong with full fat dairy and lots of people feel like it's healthier than alternatives that have added sugar and other junk. I'm obviously one of those.

What's your grain intake look like? How about processed foods? Smoothies in general are pretty high calorie for what you get out of them. They tend not to keep you full, but pack in sugar and calories from the fruit and milk. There are a lot of other things I would look at cutting back on before cutting out full fat dairy and red meat.

[Deleted]

Apr 14, 2017 9:58:22 GMT -5 sunshineandpinot said:

Apr 14, 2017 9:51:09 GMT -5 @ygmg said:

Yep, almond milk. I also like the coconut almond milk.

Yes! I bought this the first time around and it was delish. I couldn't find it the second time. 

So is almond, almond/coconut milk a lot healthier compared to regular skim milk ? 

Well, I'm not sure about healthier.  I don't use skim milk. I eat a lot of full fat dairy because I don't worry too much about my fat intake (it keeps me fuller for longer), I just prefer the way smoothies turn out with almond milk. 

[sunshineandpinot]

Apr 14, 2017 10:07:10 GMT -5 isabel said:

There's nothing wrong with full fat dairy and lots of people feel like it's healthier than alternatives that have added sugar and other junk. I'm obviously one of those.

What's your grain intake look like? How about processed foods? Smoothies in general are pretty high calorie for what you get out of them. They tend not to keep you full, but pack in sugar and calories from the fruit and milk. There are a lot of other things I would look at cutting back on before cutting out full fat dairy and red meat.

Minimal processed foods. My "smoothie" consists of Orgain protein powder, a banana, a handful of kale & spinach, and a handful of blueberries. So I don't think that's too bad? 
Then I eat ezekiel bread with a poached egg and avocado
Or fat free greek yogurt with nuts and fruit
Or kashi w/ blueberries and skim milk

My weakness is cheese, triscuits, and pepperoni or salami
or pretzels and hummus.  It's my after work snack.  I'm trying to get away from that and eat more in the morning and at lunch so I'm not so hungry right when I walk in the door. 
and wine and alcohol. 

and whatever I cook for dinner. It's wholesome but not low in fat and calories. Probably more mid-range. 

[Deleted]

Apr 14, 2017 10:58:43 GMT -5 socratic said:

I hate milk in smoothies...I use carrot juice or coconut pineapple juice

I've used pineapple juice before, but never carrot juice. What a great idea! I'm going to try that tomorrow. 

[isabel]

Apr 14, 2017 10:54:09 GMT -5 sunshineandpinot said:

Apr 14, 2017 10:07:10 GMT -5 isabel said:

There's nothing wrong with full fat dairy and lots of people feel like it's healthier than alternatives that have added sugar and other junk. I'm obviously one of those.

What's your grain intake look like? How about processed foods? Smoothies in general are pretty high calorie for what you get out of them. They tend not to keep you full, but pack in sugar and calories from the fruit and milk. There are a lot of other things I would look at cutting back on before cutting out full fat dairy and red meat.

Minimal processed foods. My "smoothie" consists of Orgain protein powder, a banana, a handful of kale & spinach, and a handful of blueberries. So I don't think that's too bad? 
Then I eat ezekiel bread with a poached egg and avocado
Or fat free greek yogurt with nuts and fruit
Or kashi w/ blueberries and skim milk

My weakness is cheese, triscuits, and pepperoni or salami
or pretzels and hummus.  It's my after work snack.  I'm trying to get away from that and eat more in the morning and at lunch so I'm not so hungry right when I walk in the door. 
and wine and alcohol. 

and whatever I cook for dinner. It's wholesome but not low in fat and calories. Probably more mid-range. 

Seems like you eat pretty reasonably! How much weight are we talking? Any change in your exercise routine?

[lucybrown]

I use full-fat coconut milk from a can in my smoothies. I'm careful about measuring portion-size and reduce my fruit intake to accommodate the extra calories. It keeps me fuller so much longer than any of the lower-fat non-dairy alternatives. I've had the most success losing weight on a high fat/protein, low-grain/sugar diet.

[sunshineandpinot]

Apr 14, 2017 11:16:17 GMT -5 isabel said:

Seems like you eat pretty reasonably! How much weight are we talking? Any change in your exercise routine?

I don't feel that I eat terribly either.  I really want to drop 5 lbs but 7-10 would be amazing! It takes a while for me to gain weight but once it's on it is ON.  I've been steadily gaining (1-3 lbs/year) since the day I turned 35. 

I exercise 3x week. An hour body pump class and 20-30 min cardio. I try not to miss unless I have to travel for work. 

[cupcake0214]

I use almond. The cashew one is really good.

[calmcosmo]

I agree with whoever said that full fat dairy and red meat are likely not the culprit. It's carbs - especially refined/processed carbs and sugar that contribute to weight gain.
The Kashi cereal is the thing that jumps at me most as fattening. With smoothies you are mainlining the calories and fat which can lead to not feeling satisfied/full. Many diets discourage them for that reason.
I would cut your grain (the cereal, pretzels, etc) and any high sugar drinks (like alcohol). If that doesn't work, your can eliminate non lean proteins. More chicken and fish, for example.

[huskymom]

I often do half milk half water.

[sapphireblue]

I use fat free unflavored kefir in my smoothies.

[Aquatica]

I use Fairlife milk since it has more protein and less sugar. I use 8oz a day in my smoothie and like how it blends with the protein powder, fruit, and kale/spinach mix.

[lexxasaurus]

I'm another fan of carrot juice, rather than milk.
I'm lactose intolerant so when I do have "milk", it's usually unsweetened almond.

[hisno1girl]

I've only ever used just plain water in my smoothies.

Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, bananas, protein powder, vanilla, ice, and water.

I've tried it with milk but it just seemed too heavy and rich (almost like ice cream) so I switched back to plain water.

[bonquiqui]

Water or light apple juice and that's the only liquid I ever add

[underwaterrhymes]

I use water in my smoothies with two scoops of protein powder, half a banana, half a cup of frozen mango or blueberries, a handful of spinach, and two tablespoons of flax seed.

[Deleted]

Do not like smoothies.