Is soy milk healthier than cow's milk?

When it comes to topping off your breakfast cereal or enjoying a cold glass of creamy goodness with dinner, your options are increasing.

Plant-based milks, like soy milk or almond milk, are filling up your grocer's coolers.

But how do they compare? Are plant-based milks healthier than cow's milk?

Breaking it down

Cow's milk and plant-based beverages can all be healthy choices. You can generally break down the benefits and shortcomings by:

• Fat content. Skim milk has negligible amounts of fat. But the amounts of cholesterol-raising saturated fat increase stepwise with 1 percent, 2 percent or whole milk.

  Soy and almond milks contain about 2 to 4 grams of fat per cup, but it's predominantly healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

• Protein. Dairy milk takes the protein title with a little over 8 grams per cup.

  Soy milk comes in a close second with about 7 grams per cup. Traditional almond milk lags behind with just 1 gram per cup. (Some newer nut milk varieties have added pea protein.)

• Calcium. Dairy milk has about 300 milligrams of calcium per cup.

  Many soy or almond milks are fortified with calcium to match the amount of calcium in dairy milk. Sometimes they contain even more calcium than dairy milk does. Check nutrition labels for calcium content.

• Added sugar. Unflavored white dairy milk contains no added sugars. It will have sugar listed on the label, but it's naturally occurring milk sugar (lactose).

  Unsweetened soy and almond milk also contain no added sugars. However, for some, the taste of unsweetened soy or almond milk is an issue.

  Sweetened versions of either dairy or plant-based milks may contain 20-plus grams of added sugar. Checking the nutrition label is the best way to find a taste you like with minimal added sugars.

What's the verdict?

It's tough to beat dairy milk for balanced nutrition. Still, not everyone can tolerate dairy milk, and some may prefer to avoid animal products — or simply want to try something different.

Unsweetened soy milk is the closest match to cow's milk nutritionally. Plus, you get a few grams of healthy fats that you won't get from skim milk.

Almond milk — while not unhealthy — is less nutrient dense, in particular with limited protein content. With soy or almond milk, check labels for adequate calcium and minimal added sugar.