Plant-based drinks made from soy, oats, almonds, and coconut are becoming increasingly popular. They are chosen instead of regular milk for a variety of reasons: because of lactose intolerance, because they are considered healthier and less caloric, or simply because they have become so 'trendy'.
Consumption of "alternative milk" in the U.S. has increased significantly over the past few years. A survey among consumers showed that about half of them consider plant-based milk "healthier" than cow's milk, but at the same time they do not have an exact idea of its nutritional properties and health benefits.
Let's try to figure out what vegetable milk is, how useful it is and whether it can be considered a full-fledged substitute for cow's milk.
Let's try to figure out if vegetable milk is as useful as it is claimed to be, and if it can be considered a full-fledged substitute for cow's milk.
To do this, I suggest you take a look at this list of pros and cons.
PROS:
- Plant-based milk has an interesting taste and many flavor variations.
- It is lactose-free. This means that a cup of cappuccino will not cause bloating or nausea.
- It does not contain milk albumin, casein, cholesterol, hormones (prolactin, progesterone), antibiotics.
- Compared with cow's milk, it has less fat.
- Despite its vegetable origin, it contains protein, which partially replaces animal protein.
- Buckwheat milk is completely gluten-free. Which is extremely important, since some people have an intolerance to this component.
- It is enriched with the same beneficial substances and trace elements that are contained in the main component (whether it is a nut or an oat).
- Containing B vitamins, it has a beneficial effect on the nervous system. Drinking such a drink is useful for insomnia, stress and chronic fatigue.
- Some types of non-dairy milk are beneficial for the skin and nails. For example, sesame milk contains several times more calcium than cow's milk, which helps strengthen the nails and hair.
CONS:
- Can cause allergies and food intolerances. Especially soy and almond milk.
- Although the proteins are present in the composition, they cannot be called complete, because they cannot provide the human body with the necessary amino acids.
- If there is no proper quality control in the production of plant milk, there is an increased risk of herbicides and pesticides in the milk, which can accumulate in plants.
- Non-healthy plant oils may be added to alternative milk to change the consistency or shelf life.
- Very often, manufacturers add large amounts of sugar to make the drink tastier and richer.
- You should not drink vegetable beverages in unlimited quantities. For example, large doses of soybeans increase estrogen levels, which means they can affect the risk of hormone-dependent tumors.
As you can see, despite the many advantages, plant-based drinks also have a number of disadvantages that should not be overlooked.
From my point of view, soy, coconut and nut drinks are good alternatives to milk for people who are intolerant to dairy proteins or lactose. For others, it does not make sense to completely eliminate milk from the diet and switch to plant-based milk. It is recommended to make the transition to plant-based drinks only after consulting a doctor.
If you've decided to give up cow's milk in favor of plant-based milk, I think you'll be very interested to know the answer to the following question: Which plant-based milk is the best?