Plant Based Milk Alternatives: 5 Things To Consider

We have heard about the environmental footprint of plant-based milk alternatives. Almond ‘milk’ is great if your priority is fewer CO2 emissions, while soy and oat are best if you want to consider water scarcity. But if your priority is your health, you might want to consider another option. Read on to find out more about plant-based milk nutrition.

    Here are 5 quick nutrition facts:¹

1. Plant-based milk alternatives don’t contain lactose or cholesterol 

   Good news for the 65% of the global population suffering from some degree of lactose intolerance.²

2. Milk alternatives are diluted with water.

   Oat ‘milk’ may have the lowest environmental impact, but it lacks sufficient nutritional value. This is due to its high dilution with water, explains Michalis Hadjikakou, a researcher at Deakin University.³

3. All plant-based alternatives have a lower protein content than cow’s milk.

   Proteins also contain essential amino acids, which we need for good health. The World Health Organization introduced a scoring system for digestible amino acids, which showed that soy protein had the highest values. In contrast, no proper source of protein could be found in almond milk.
   
   In terms of protein content levels, soy-based milk alternatives score the highest on the protein spectrum, while rice products score the lowest.

4. Plant-based alternatives have less saturated fats.

   When it comes to fat, plant alternatives might have beneficial effects since they contain less saturated fats–the ones that raise the level of cholesterol in your blood and therefore increase the risk for heart disease.

5. Plant-based milk alternatives have calcium supplements.

   Many plant-based milk alternatives contain added calcium and B vitamins. Some of the plant-based products have higher levels of calcium. However, since most calcium is supplemented in plant-based products, it can sediment when not shaken appropriately and therefore not be available for intake when we drink it. Make sure you give your plant-milk a good shake before using it!

What kinds of plant-based milk alternatives are there? ¹

So, there you have it. There are many different plant-based milk alternatives to choose from, all of which vary in their nutritional value and environmental impact. Which type of milk will you choose?