Milktype beverages

I've hated milk for as long as I can remember. It's basically cow sweat massaged from the mudcrap-encrusted teats on lumbering fermentation factories, after all. I never really understood why, however, I was so angered by the bovine liquid until a few years ago when I realized that I am lactose intolerant. No wonder I always felt sick after being forced to drink milk! I associated milk with feeling bad, so of course I didn't want to drink it. Anyway, I got on a kick while living in Boulder of drinking these protein powder smoothies. One of my housemates taught me the recipe and I've been using it ever since:

8 ounces milk
1 serving chocolate protein powder
1 banana
spoonful of peanut butter
few ice cubes (optional)

Blend until delicious. I had a reason to drink milk but the lactose overload was fierce: whole milk combined with whey protein was disastrous. Eventually I switched over to soy milk and altered the recipe to use chocolate Silk; the extra chocolate made it all the better.

Jump forward to the present. I've been using soy milk with soy protein powder for a couple of years now. I enjoy Silk brand soy milk but the Kroger brand and other off-brand soy milk are just as satisfying, and typically cheaper. All told, though, it's a lot of soy to consume in a single day, especially on top of my typical fake-meat sandwich and any other fake-meat or tofu for dinner. I've been looking for alternatives to the soy milk but nothing really drew my eye until about a week ago when I noticed that Silk now makes an almond milk. I'd heard of almond milk before but never tried it because it sounded weird and was only sold (around here) in those shelf-stable boxes that are unappetizing. The original flavor was on sale so I bought a half-gallon. Smooth and not as chalky as soy milk but lacking as much substance I decided that, while I could drink it easily, I preferred the legume juice.

And then, mirabile dictu, at the non-ghetto Kroger in town, I beheld dark chocolate Silk Pure Almond. The flavor is (naturally) darker than chocolate soy milk and the texture is thicker, reminding me of silken tofu. It's awesome. I'm thinking of switching to this from now on, but the lower levels of protein and potassium (as compared to soy milk) give me slight pause. It's good but is it worth giving up the nutrients? My latest protein powder has extra calcium and potassium in it so I'm not too worried. Sure beats cow juice, though.