The Best Alternative Milks For Blood Sugar + How To Choose, From An MD

It seems like the milk section at the supermarket is getting more and more expansive—especially with dairy-free alternatives. While oat, almond, and soy may be the most popular options for coffee shops, there's actually a plethora of other options, each with its own set of benefits.

Here's the thing—when it comes to choosing the best alternative milk, it's not necessarily about which nut or seed you choose. Instead, Kelley-Chew says, "I look for milks that are unsweetened and have as few ingredients as possible." You'll want to keep an eye out for added oils (canola, vegetable, sunflower seed, etc.) and added sugars.

While a clean ingredient list should be the first priority, you can also find different benefits and drawbacks depending on the milk you choose. Sorry to say: Oat milk and rice milk are two alternatives Kelley-Chew tends to stay away from. Rice and oat milk are likely to cause a blood sugar spike, she says, and tend to come sweetened. What's more, these kinds of milk tend to have less protein than some other popular competitors.

The conversation around dairy milk and blood sugar is a bit more nuanced, Kelley-Chew says. While you may assume dairy has a lower insulin response, it's actually the opposite given the carb load. Further, "Dairy has the naturally occurring sugar lactose. So, even unsweetened dairy will have some sugar," Kelley-Chew says.

"On the flip side, there have been many studies showing that people who eat dairy, in general, have better signs of metabolic health," she explains. These competing narratives can get confusing, and ultimately, it's up to you to decide how much dairy milk your body can tolerate (if at all).