Quarter of Britons drink Plant Based Milks

[Diakat]

At least one diabetic I met ITL uses unsweetened soya milk/drink at breakfast because it has fewer carbs.

 

[Marie 2]

Some can be really sweet, especially if they are the chocolate or vanilla ones? The one I like has 11 grams of protein, 14 carbs of which only 7 are from sugar. The unsweetened is even better at 12 gm protein and 4 carbs.

Starbucks switched to a super sweet soy milk. Something like 17 carbs and 12 sugars???? Yuck..............I got a unsweetened coffee with soy milk and couldn't stand it. I complained to them about switching to such a sweet soy milk in this day and age of people watching sugar content and they sent me a gift card. Luckily I don't really like coffee, I was just desperate to wake up, I'm usually there for an iced tea.

But there is a huge variance in protein content and sugar/carbs in all the plant based milks. And I'm not above having a chocolate soy or almond milk once in a while!! Of course the best way for me to have a guilt free one is to use unsweetened soy milk with Chocolate stevia drops, delicious!

 

[WuTwo]

I'm partial to the chocolate plant milk M&S myself, but I only get it once in a blue moon.

As a rule - oat milk, semi skimmed, suits me. I keep meaning to take some to work for the guys (I drink rooibos tea without milk at work). I think the boss won't like it, his son will and my friend will make a happy face!

 

[LooperCat]

*hobbles to fridge on gammy knee*

At no point on the packaging of either of these beauties does it call them milk. The only use of the word is in the ingredients of the coconut variety where it refers to “coconut milk”, a term that’s been used pretty much since we needed to talk about the stuff contained in a coconut in the English language.

In this house, it’s just white stuff I have a splash of in tea, so it’s referred to as almond milk or if the teenager thinks it’s being amusing, nut juice The coconut one makes a lovely protein shake with pea protein powder (add some cacao and almond extract and it tastes like chocolate marzipan )

 

[zand]

Yes choice is a good thing. I fear that in a few years we real dairy milk drinkers won't be afforded that choice.

I have had a little more time to think about the question of choice now.

If someone chooses to drink plant based milk because they have an allergy or intolerance to cow's milk, or because it helps a health condition they have then that's a good valid choice.
If someone chooses to drink plant based milk because they prefer the taste then that's good too.
If someone has chosen to be vegan for personal reasons then that's the right choice for them too.

However if someone chooses to switch to plant based products because they believe it will save the planet, I am afraid they have been misinformed by bad science. It is a myth that the humble cow's burps are causing global warming. Soil needs animal fertiliser to enrich it. Farm animals need plants, plants need farm animals. It's no surprise that it's young people who are most likely to turn away from dairy produce, they believe the science of today and are keen to look after their planet. They have not yet been disillusioned by being lied to by 'science' like I and many older folk have. We all believe that the science of 'now' is correct...until it's disproved.

In the 80's when I was in my 20s I believed the science of the day that said that dietary fat was bad for you. I switched to low fat spreads (St Ivel Gold, because it was lowest in calories, tasted foul but it was good for me...yeh right) I switched to skimmed milk and stopped having fried food. It was a couple of years after this that I started to put on weight, but I didn't see the connection until many years later. Believing that fat makes you fat, I carried on with the diet of my choice. But was it really my choice? I didn't enjoy it, I ate it because the 'science' told me to do so. Now we know that the 'fat is bad' message was wrong. It was disastrous for my health and I have now reverted to my high fat food.

Once I realised my mistake in believing everything I read, it was easy enough to change back and eat fat again. My health has suffered through all those years of bad eating but I am doing my best to repair the damage. My fear is that one day the growing band of non dairy milk drinkers will realise they too have been lied to, but they will be unable to switch back because there won't be enough cows left to produce real milk. That will be really bad for the planet.

Someone earlier in this thread said that the supermarkets are happy to provide alternative milks because they want greater profits. I can't find that quote now. But yes, that's it in a nutshell. That's the reason they are so well marketed and that's the reason why you very often find food manufacturers funding 'scientific' research - profit. It's not easy to profit from cow's milk nowadays. Sugar has been demonised so milk shakes aren't so marketable, let's create a market for more expensive 'milks', so let's change the marketing message to one of saving the planet. That has a very strong pull, especially for young folk who hopefully have a lot of years left on planet Earth. Just like the low fat message once had me believing I would stay slim and healthy.

 

[WuTwo]

yep - that was me, and in the end it all comes down to profit. Shops sell what makes profit. It's their prime function. As a by product we get food which suits us, but the main benefit - the shareholders get bigger divvies, and top management get better bonuses.

 

[LooperCat]

Coincidentally, I have just been sent this ...View attachment 34396

Not to be outdone...

https://www.dairyherd.com/article/h...o-exposes-nut-milking-opens-labeling-dialogue

 

[lucylocket61]

I just hope that, whatever people choose, they are aware of the nutritional difference in mammals milk and plant based milks.

Are also aware that plant based milks are not carbon neutral and can be as harmful to the environment as mammals milk

And are also aware that soy products can be something to be mindful of for some people.

Informed choices are good choices. Unfortunately, for all products, sometimes the advertising and spin can be misleading and incomplete when it comes to information and we need to do our own research before making our personal choices.

I recently had a discussion with a young mother who did not know that the protein content of the plant milk she was giving her toddler was different, and other proteins needed to be added to his diet to make up for this. She thought 'plant' equaled 'more nutritious' when it came to these milks. Not the fault of the product, but public perception and understanding is a new learning curve.

 

[Dr Snoddy]

I just had a look at the unsweetened almond drink in the fridge, 2% almond (getting milk from those little blighters is tricky!), lots of additives, roughly one third of the daily requirement of Vit D, Vit B12 and calcium. I remembered buying this to reduce lactose intake but maintain nutrient intake. I really only use milk in cooking and then rarely so most of my D, B12, and calcium comes from solid foods.
Almond drink keeps longer than cow's milk.

 

[lucylocket61]

I wonder what the nutritional benefit of almond milk, and other plant milks is, without the additives.

Most plant based foods I have seen appear to be fortified in some way. Google has let me down when looking for 'naked' plant milks without added vitamins etc.

 

[Member496333]

The headline is misleading and is not consistent with the data contained within the article. It appears to be promoting the message that 25% of Britons choose these drinks over dairy milk, which is not accurate.

And yes, choice is great, until there’s only one choice left on the table...

 

[lucylocket61]

quote from the article:

But plant-based milks make up just 4% of the milk market, with 96% of milk sales in 2018 being for cow's milk.

and no graph for the nutritional benefits of each type, just the environmental one.

However, if we need to drink less of one type, or more of one type to get equal nutrition then that also needs to be taken into account when viewing them. Comparing like for like accurately and consistently is important when making decisions.

 

[Dr Snoddy]

I wonder what the nutritional benefit of almond milk, and other plant milks is, without the additives.

Most plant based foods I have seen appear to be fortified in some way. Google has let me down when looking for 'naked' plant milks without added vitamins etc.

I reckon that without the fortifying the nutritional benefits of plant-based milks would be low. Better to drink water and eat a few almonds!

 

[WuTwo]

I like choices, and I like that there is a range of non-dairy options available.

I really don't mind if others don't want them, that's cool, but they're going to be on the shelves in increasing numbers simply because of the driving principle behind shop keeping.

If the non-dairy options come to outnumber the dairy, it's just a reversal of the current situation - dairy will still be there, it just won't be the dominant choice. It will be one among many.

 

[Marie 2]

And a lot more of us are choosing plant based “milks” than ever before, for all the reasons we want to, the planet, the animals, the health and all our other reasons too!

 

[lucylocket61]

I am pro-choice. I respect the rights of people to make their own choice.

I am pro informed choice.

I am pro making the information to make those choices freely available and accurate and transparent.

 

[Oldvatr]

I just had a look at the unsweetened almond drink in the fridge, 2% almond (getting milk from those little blighters is tricky!), lots of additives, roughly one third of the daily requirement of Vit D, Vit B12 and calcium. I remembered buying this to reduce lactose intake but maintain nutrient intake. I really only use milk in cooking and then rarely so most of my D, B12, and calcium comes from solid foods.
Almond drink keeps longer than cow's milk.

Plant milks are generally fortified by adding in the essential vitamins that are normally supplied as included in mammal milk. These added vitmins have to be made artificially so that they are suitable for vegans, whereas animal milk is made naturally. on the hoof. So there will be a need in the future to fortify wheat and rye flours, marmite, milk drinks, breads, cakes etc and this will need to be a legal requirement to ensure the population gets their essential vitamins. At present it only applies to flours used in bread. Marmite is currently fortified voluntarily, but not the 70g jar apparently. That one has no vit B12, I believe. It does not apply to imported jars either unless manufactured in the EU. Not sure about USA.

 

[LooperCat]

I reckon that without the fortifying the nutritional benefits of plant-based milks would be low. Better to drink water and eat a few almonds!

Makes the tea a bit lumpy, mind

 

[Brunneria]

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[becca59]

Love those plant based milks for an evening carb free cocoa when fancying and don’t want to inject. The coconut one makes a lovely tasty cocoa. Doesn’t mean I don’t like milk but will inject for that.