So you think you know about Plant Based Milks?
For the lactose intolerant or vegan, plant-based milk comes as a godsend. Not only is vegan milk better for the environment and more humane, but it is also lower in calories and free of cholesterol.
Vegan Milk : Brands
Almond Breeze
Almond Breeze is a brand of highly popularised almond milk owned by Blue Diamonds, a food groupbased in America. Their lineup of almond milk products is impressive, and they have ten variations of almond milk. There’s the original almond milk, the chocolate, the unsweetened, reduced sugar, and“nog”, which is an almond milk-based version of eggnog. Their almond milk is made of california-grownalmonds and is a staple in households around the world.
Edensoy
A popular brand of soy milk, Edensoy was the first vegan milk to be certified as non-GMO in the U.S. Itcontains 4.5 grams of omega 3,6 and 9 fatty acids which are optimal for health. Edensoy was founded in1983 and is currently one of the leading brands of soy milk available on the market.
Silk
Another popular brand of plant milk is Silk, an American label that aims to sell all types of vegan milk. Unlike Almond Breeze, Silk isn’t limited to one type of plant based milk (almond milk) but instead covers all different types of plant-based juices.
Nutrition of Plant Based Milks
If you’re looking for a nutrition-packed alternative for cow’s milk, vegan milk is perfect. Not only can vegan milk befortified, but it also is naturally lower in calories. Some unsweetened varieties of almond milk can go as low asthirteen calories per 100mL, but usually vegan milk usually hovers around the 30-60 calorie range.
The amount of sodium that vegan milks contain are also at par with cow’s milk, all having comparable sodium. What’s more,most vegan milk is lower in sugars, apart from oat and hazelnut milk.
Cow’s milk is known for its calcium content, but vegan milks don’t fall short at all. In fact, almond, pea andflaxseed milk contain around one hundred grams of more calcium than cow’s milk! One aspect in which vegan milks fall short is the protein content, but fortified vegan milks probably more than make up this difference.
Examples of Vegan Milks
Coconut Milk
Coconut milk is a type of plant milk created by grating the white interior of coconuts and squeezing the mixture through a cheesecloth. Once the “cream” is extracted from the coconut, different concentrations of water can be mixed with the liquid to create light or creamy coconut milk or coconut cream. This type of nut milk is commonly used in South-Asian cuisine for savory and sweet dishes and is steadily gaining a fanbase around the world for its unique, nutty taste
Almond Milk
With just thirty to sixty calories per cup, almond milk is a low-calorie and animal cruelty-free alternative to cow’s milk. As a bonus, it is also low in carbohydrates, containing one gram of carbohydrates per cup. This makes it an excellent milk substitute for those on a ketogenic diet or vegans. Almond milk is one of the most popular types of vegan milk. It can be fortified or flavored to provide additional nutrition and taste and is easily accessible in supermarkets
Rice Milk
Unsweetened rice milk is mostly made out of water – in fact, it contains 89% of the stuff. It is made by grinding the rice into fine powder and subsequently filtering and blending the water in. Although it is high in carbohydrates, it is also high in vitamins A and D, and it is low in calories as well.
Hazelnut milk
If you’ve tried almonds before and determined that it was too thin for your liking, hazelnut milk might be the nondairy milk for you. It contains 29 calories per 100mL, which makes it almost as low-calorie almond milk (24 calories per 100mL) and has much of the same nutrients, plus a little bit of extra fat that gives the milk a richer taste.
Uses
Just because you don’t drink milk doesn’t mean you have to miss out on dairy-based products. There are lots of vegan substitutes for products such as vegan yogurt and cheese, and vegan milk can be applied in the kitchen ina variety of ways, including but not limited to (your mind’s the limit!)
Smoothies
Smoothies are a wonderful invention, and they’re usually very healthy. Well, your smoothies can get anupgrade with vegan milk. Simply substitute the cows milk in your recipe with any type of vegan milk foran exciting new twist on your breakfast smoothie. The possibilities are endless!
Cereal
You don’t have to be stuck eating dry cereal for the rest of the life if you’ve given up milk. Simplysubstitute your normal cow’s milk for either oat, hazelnut or coconut milk and you’ll have a healthy meal.
Ice Cream
There are lots of commercial types of vegan ice cream manufactured from vegan milk available on the market. One such example is Breyers Oreo Cookies & Cream and Vanilla Peanut Butter. Otherwise, you can make your very own vegan version of soft-served ice cream by mixing and blending coconut milk and berries/ the topping of your choice.
Vegan Milk Bread
Believe it or not, vegan milk bread does exist. It’s a popular spinoff of the well-known Hokkaido breadfrom Asia and is highly regarded by many as a fluffy, soft loaf. To make it, just follow the original recipebut replace the milk for vegan milk!
I hope you found this article useful, and that you learned a lot from it. Next time when you’re out groceryshopping, why not reach for the plant milk instead of the plain white milk? Not only will you be saving calves fromanimal cruelty, but you’ll also be cutting back on calories and adding new flavours to your food.Happy shopping and drinking!
