Non-dairy milks have become popular for many reasons. They provide a substitute for milk for people who can't cope with the lactose (or sugar) in milk. They are also an options for those who have milk allergies. They have become popular too since the rise of the paleo movement and veganism.
However they also have their drawbacks. They will usually be more expensive, and are usually UHT (long-life). This means they are not as fresh as cow's milk and this in itself gives the milk a different taste. They also lack calcium and some are very low in protein. Below I have pictured a few available and outlined their nutritional qualities.
Overall cow's milk is the cheapest and the healthiest. If you can't tolerate that then soy milk is the closest milk nutritionally to cow's milk.
Calcium
Cow's milk provides valuable calcium for strong bones, particularly for kids, teenagers and post-menopausal women. A non-dairy milk contains no natural calcium. However most have added calcium except for the organic coconut milk and the oat milk seen below. 
Protein
There is very little protein in almond, coconut and rice milk. This means they are not as filling and not as nutritious as cow's, goat's or soy milk.
Sugar
Cow's milk does have natural sugar (3 teaspoons in 250ml) in it but as it is naturally packaged with calcium and protein it is still nutritious and an everyday food. Flavoured milk should be treated with caution as it has much more (added) sugar, like 25-30g per serve or 6-8 teaspoons per glass! Most of the non-dairy milks I looked at had less sugar than cow's milk with the exception of the Vitasoy Rice Milk.
(Remember 1 teaspoon of sugar = 4 grams).
 
Almond breeze- 200 mg calcium, 1.3 g protein, 0.3 g sugar
So Good Almond-  300 mg calcium, 1.4 g protein, 8.6 g sugar
Organic Coconut-  no calcium, 0.3 g protein, 0.5 g sugar
So Good Almond Coconut- 300 mg calcium, 1.3 g protein, 0.5 g sugar
Vitasoy Soy Milky-    300 mg calcium, 7.5 g protein, 6.3 g sugar
So Good Soy Regular- 400 mg calcium, 8.5 g protein, 5.1 g sugar
Oat Pure Harvest- 6 mg calcium, 4.5 g protein, 9.3 g sugar
Vitasoy Rice Milk- 300 mg calcium, 0.7 g protein, 14.5 g sugar
Living Planet Goats milk- 305 mg calcium, 8.8 g protein, 11.3 g sugar
Cow's milk- 292 mg calcium, 8.2 g protein, 12 g sugar

Since COVID 19 began I have been conducting nutrition clinics from home using the phone or Zoom. I have heeded the NSW Premier's advice to stay home to avoid catching and spreading the corona virus which has had a devastating impact on the health of our world. However nutrition services are deemed to be essential so I have continued providing a valuable service, even if it does look different at the moment.
​The Federal Government has temporarily added dietitians to the health staff who can access Medicare for phone or tele-health from 30 March to 30 September 2020. It is great to be able to allow our clients to access a Medicare rebate after a nutrition consults over the phone or using tele-health.
Corona virus isolation has had different impacts on people. Some are enjoying their extra time to exercise and cook at home more. However other people may be eating more working from home. They now have easy access to food and the structure of eating at set times in a workplace is gone. Gyms are obviously closed at the moment so people need to be creative about looking for other exercise options to avoid weight gain.
There are also positive and negative aspects of phone or tele-health nutrition consults:
Positive aspects of phone or Zoom consults:

• it provides support for clients when other supports are gone (no sport, no family visits, no socialising with friends at hobby or exercise groups)
• it helps clients work on their health goals which may be harder to achieve in isolation
• flexible delivery and timing- most prefer phone consults over Zoom
• staying home works well for those introverts who are happy there
• it provides a focus on clients as the experts in their own lives

Negative aspects of phone or Zoom consults:

• There is no way to show food and plate models of portion sizes over the phone
• I have been sending resources via email or post which means there is a delay in clients looking through them.

I look forward to seeing my clients again in person but until then we all have to make the best of the "new normal". Please call me for an appointment using the phone or tele-health on 0428 323 841.