NON- Dairy Milk: Best ALTERNATIVES of cow milk

Cow milk is indeed a healthy drink. Everyone from a toddler to an aged person drinks milk regularly. But due to lifestyle changes nowadays people are more drawn to none dairy or plant-based products rather than animal products. There are plenty of reasons behind opting for plant-based products; some of them might be an allergic reaction of animal products, lactose intolerance, and hormonal changes and so on.

So why these imbalances occur due to cow milk? And what could be the best choices instead of cow milk? 

Let us find out

1. Milk Anatomy

Milk was once treated as a ‘balanced diet’ as it was considered as a good source of protein, different types of vitamins, minerals, etc. But after long research and debate, scientists have come up with the results that, milk is a ‘complex food’ rather than a balanced diet.

So what composite milk?

Well, the answer can be discussed as under:

In a typical 100 grams of cow milk, there are

·       87-gram water

·       4-5 grams of fat (including saturated fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids)

·       3-4 grams of protein (quite surprising, right?)

·       5 grams of carbohydrate

·       Vitamins like: A, C, D, K, B1, Biotin, B3, B5, etc.

·        Different types of minerals.

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2. What Causes Sensitivities to Cow Milk

Cow milk contains a good amount of hormones which makes it quite a matter of discussion about how much to consume it. The hormones which are found in milk are Estrogen and Progesterone which are also produced in our body as ‘sex hormone’. The imbalances or overdose of these hormones can lead to a variety of diseases such as acne, pimple, and risk of ovarian cancer.

Cow milk also causes ‘lactose intolerance’ and ‘allergic reaction’. Well, both intolerance and allergies are completely different things, as intolerance happens when someone is intolerant to lactose and allergy occurs when someone is sensitive to some of the components present in the milk.

• Best Substitutes of Cow Milk

• Soy Milk: It is considered as one of the best organic milk. And it is available in the market for quite a long time. Soy milk is made of soya beans by soaking and blending them. It is a good source of protein containing almost 5-6 grams of protein. It has a mild and creamy texture in it and contains thickening agent to improve its consistency. However, the taste may depend on the brands and composition.

• Almond Milk: Looking for low-calorie plant milk? Think no further and opt for almond milk. Almond milk is prepared by whole almond, water or almond butter. Almond milk has a wide variety of flavours ranging from sweetened, unsweetened and other flavours depending on the brands. It has a sweet and nutty flavour in it. Moreover, almond milk is one of the great sources of vitamin E.

• Coconut Milk: It is one of the newest additions in the plant-based milk products. Made up pure coconut and water. It contains only one-third of calories of cow milk and lower percentage of protein, carbohydrates. Coconut milk has a creamy texture and a coconut flavour in it. It is a good source of vitamin D also.

• Rice Milk: It is another best alternative for cow milk. Less thick and creamy flavour. But thickeners are used to improve the texture and flavour. The amount of carbohydrates in rice milk is double in comparison with cow milk. But it cannot be a good option for growing children, and fitness freaks as it has a low amount of protein.

• Oat Milk: Oat milk is the simplest form of plant-based milk. Made up from oats, water, as the main ingredients along with gluten, salt, oil, and other active ingredients for improving the taste and texture. Oat milk has a similar amount of calories as cow milk and a good amount of fibbers.

• Cashew Milk: Cashew milk is made in a similar way as the almond milk is made by blending cashew with water. The flavours may vary depending on different brands and their compositions.

• Hemp Milk: Hemp milk is a great source of various nutrients made up from hemp seeds and water.