The TRUTH About Plant-Based Milk
Over the past few decades, the scientific community and the media have launched a smear campaign against delicious, nutritious milk.
Somehow, they’ve convinced people that plant-based milk alternatives are better than the real thing.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
And now an exciting new study CONFIRMS what I’ve been saying all along. These imposters aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.
I don’t have an issue with plant-based beverages like almond, soy, or oat “milk.”
I DO have a problem with passing them off for, labeling them as, or (worst of all) substituting them for actual, real MILK.
They don’t look like milk, taste nothing like milk, and certainly DON’T provide the nutrients available in real milk.
But despite these facts, marketers of plant-based milk have the gall to sell their swill as a more nutritious alternative!
I don’t know why we even need a study to show us this is a bald-faced lie, but now we have one anyway.
Researchers analyzed 237 plant-based milk alternatives (it’s hard to imagine there ARE that many) to determine their levels of:
- calcium
- vitamin D
- protein
They found that 72 percent of the plant-based milk mostly matched the calcium and vitamin D in dairy, but the majority DIDN’T COME CLOSE to the protein levels provided by the real thing.
Real milk ALSO provides all essential amino acids, including glycine, leucine, methionine, and tryptophan.
And, of course, these aren’t the only nutritional discrepancies.
For example, just one serving of cow’s milk provides HALF of the daily requirement for vitamin B12—while less than half of plant-based milk provides a meaningful amount of this vital nutrient.
The bottom line: Drink milk alternatives if you like them. But don’t drink them thinking they’re a healthy substitute for the REAL thing.
P.S. Plant milk isn’t the only less-than-optimal “substitute” for pure, unadulterated, full-fat, delicious cow’s milk that’s out there. If you have a fridge full of THIS KIND of milk, it may be time to dump it down the drain.
SOURCE:
Johnson, A. (2023, July 24.) “Assessing Calcium, Vitamin D, and Protein Content of Plant-Based Milk Alternatives Available in the U.S.,” Presented on 7.24.23 at the American Society for Nutrition Conference in Boston.
