Milk in any form is extremely healthy, but there are certain people that cannot consume dairy milk, either for health reasons or due to lifestyle restrictions. For example people who are lactose intolerant or allergic to dairy need to look for the same nutritional value in alternative sources.
Similarly if your lifestyle and political beliefs do not allow you to consume animal products, you would naturally have to look for substitutes in order to make sure you still remain healthy while maintaining what you stand for. This is why alternative sources of dairy milk are important to a vegan’s diet and oat milk and soy milk are two of the top choices for substitution with dairy milk.
Oat Milk
Oat milk is made using pre-soaked oat groats. Since Oat milk is made using grains, it is a perfect product for vegan. Unlike a lot of other vegan substitute products, Oat milk is actually tasty and nutritious at the same time. Oat milk has a mild, sweetish taste which is a great substitute for regular skimmed milk. You can use oat milk the same way you would use regular or soy milk. Apart from just drinking it as it is, you can also use oat milk to create a number of delicious vegan recipes that are low fat and healthy.
Oat milk is completely lactose free which means lactose intolerant people can also have this treat. The biggest benefit of milk made from grains is that it has zero cholesterol in comparison to dairy milk which has over 24mg of cholesterol in every serving.
Why Soy Milk Is a Good Alternative
Soy milk has been around for quite some time. Manufacturers have put a lot of efforts in improving soy milk, and especially the taste it. Soy milk is now a drink people consume with pleasure rather than necessity. Soy milk is also packed with health benefits including:
- Since soy milk only contains vegetable proteins, they cause less calcium loss through the kidneys, preventing over exertion of kidneys.
- Soy milk is also completely lactose free. More than 75 percent of the world’s population cannot tolerate lactose which means that more people can avail the health benefits of milk without having to consume dairy.
- Soy milk contains stachyose and raffinose which are pre-biotic sugars that help boost immunity and decrease toxins in the body.
- Soy milk is also devoid of hormones, unlike cow’s milk. Cow’s milk contains natural as well as synthetic hormones called rBGH which influences the regular functionality of our body.
Allan has been writing about the benefits of food on health for over 3 years. He has contributed several article on
Franksblog as well as on other prominent health blogs.
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Comments (16)
Soy milk isn't as healthy as you're making it out to be, it's full of oestrogen. and drinking a lot of it can have negative effects, especially for guys.
I've been drinking soy milk my entire life and I love it. I'm not really sure about the health benefits but I typically drink Asian soy milks. There is nothing more satisfying than downing a can/carton of soymilk or having a fresh cup of warm homemade soy milk scooped right out of the pot after a long day!
They aren't actually healthy. Yes, they are vegan-friendly, I guess, but that doesn't automatically equal healthy.
I don't think cow's milk is that healthy either. You know what's healthy? Coconut milk. Not the processed boxed kind, the kind in the can.
I have to say that the American branded soymilks (like the ones in the above pict) just taste like water to me. Maybe because I grew up with soy milk, I like the asian kinds.. but they probably do contain more sugar (as they are sweeter). Hot soy milk is also awesome, but I have to agree with some of the previous posters above, soy doesn't automatically mean healthy.
I like almond milk! :)
Im sorry but I laughed at how healthy you make soy sound. Its not.
Here in Canada they are much stricter with regulations on cows milk.. Its actually against the law to use growth hormones on cows for diary production, and they are tested regularly to make sure they have no antibiotics or growth hormones in their systems.
A good alternative is also Goat milk and almond milk.
but never soy....
@LadyGwenivere@xanga - Hmm, that's weird. I'm from Canada too, and in all of my research I've never heard of such laws. Things aren't regulated as much as we like to believe. They can't test billions of cows/pigs/chickens across the entire country to ensure this is enforced, even if it is a law. The safest way to avoid it is to go for local/small farms who raise their animals the old fashioned way, as opposed to factory farmed animals, which is the majority of meat/dairy. Anything in the animal will be in the milk. Look at the chicken breasts sold in the grocery stores. They're double the size of any locally farmed chicken I've seen. There's no natural explanation for that really. Grocery store supply mainly comes from factory farms also. If they'll use hormones in chicken, they'll use them in other animals. Also, cattle feed is commonly treated with ammonia to reduce e coli outbreaks. Even if my milk is hormone free, it doesn't protect from all the other additives.
My favorite alternative is almond milk though! Although I'm not opposed to soy milk as long as it's occasional.
It annoys me when people bash soy products. Yes, TOO much is bad. Too much of anything can be bad though. Even too much spinach or other high oxalate greens daily can be bad for you (google) and you have to cycle them and not eat the same one green ALL the time in large amounts. (a lot of people who make green smoothies, or eat a lot of greens every day need to know this.) Does that mean spinach isn't healthy because it can have detrimental effects in over abundance? Absolutely not. Same with soy. It has definite health benefits in small amounts, but shouldn't be a huge part of one's diet, much like meat or dairy. Obviously we should focus most on fruits, veggies, legumes, and grains with the soy or meat being a tiny portion of the diet.
In fact, I used to be afraid to eat soy for the same reason many people think. That is until I learned that many of the studies "against" soy were actually false or manipulated studies produced by the meat and dairy industries. Of course they don't want people to turn to soy as an alternative for their product if it's healthier and cheaper. Look at all the heart disease and other hormone related cancers in our western culture increasing. It's funny how our culture eats more meat and dairy than ever, it's pumped full of more hormones, chemicals, and antibiotics than ever will be found in ANY plant food, including soy.. yet most people don't worry about meat or dairy and their health effects! Some people think skim milk and chicken is healthier than steak and full fat milk. While the latter has more fat obviously, both options have just as high cholesterol! Eating lower fat options doesn't prevent having risk of heart disease when you're consuming the same amount of cholesterol. I'm getting off topic, but soy is okay occasionally. It just shouldn't be a main staple in anyone's diet, just like meat shouldn't. It should just be a small addition to SOME meals, not 2-3 times a day, every day.
@eatcleantrainhard@xanga - I know 2 farms who have been shut down by the ministry in the last year for using growth hormones in their cattle, and a third that has their production licenses suspended for a year because 4 of their cows tested positive for antibiotics. They don't test every cow, but they do test the milk.... I have spent hours on the phone with various people from the Dairy Council, and I have a whole stack of documentation to back it up.
But I should also add that I will only drink 1 specific brand of milk because they have actually proven to me that they can back up their policies. And even my almost 2yr old can tell the difference between good milk, and anything else.
I buy all my meat/eggs from my aunt's farm. they raise their own and everything is 100% natural free range... I havent bought meat from a store in I don't know how long... even my kids can tell the difference between store and home farmed.
And the reason i refuse to all soy in my home is 1, Im allergic to it, and 2 its GMO garbage.
I know that most soy is terrible now.. Im sure youve heard of Monsanto then? Making soy resistant to pesticides by genetically modifying it. When I do buy soy, I make sure it's 100% organic, which means not genetically modified. Even if its only 99% organic, it could be GMO for all I know. Cheaper brands of soy milk such as "So Good" doesnt use organic soybeans so its most likely garbage. I definitely didnt intend to support ALL soy in my post, but non GMO organic soy on an occasional basis. :)
@eatcleantrainhard@xanga - thanks =) Im one of those who digs and digs to find out everything i can before making a choice on something.. drives my hubby nuts LOL!
Yea I know of Monsanto.. one of their farms is just outside of our town... grr! At least here we have more options when it comes to GMO stuff the the US.. its pretty easy to find non-GMO products.
@dw817@xanga - oat milk is really watery. My dad drinks it but it's pretty gross. I tried it in coffee once and it came out like dirty water. I couldn't really taste it - the coffee just tasted like regular black coffee to me.
I'm not going to say it's THE best thing for you, but for those who are lactose intolerant, it's better than no milk. I can eat foods that have milk, but drinking milk/it being in my cereal/it getting on me accidentally... no.
However, if Silk Soy milk goes out of business, I'm done with milk period. I can live without it.
This post seemed more like an advertisement with zero personal value in it.
Actually, "Milk in any form" is NOT extremely healthy. I almost had a heart attack when I saw that unqualified statement. Seriously?!! Here's an excerpt from http://www.forksoverknives.com/nutrition-faq/ (Forks Over Knives is a movie about health and eating. You should watch it.)
Dairy products are not healthy, regardless of whether they are organic or conventional. Even organically produced dairy contain naturally occurring steroids and hormones, which can promote cancer growth. Also found in dairy products are toxins including fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, veterinary medicines, antibiotic residues, synthetic preservatives, and additives. The animal protein, fat, and cholesterol (even nonfat/skim milk contains cholesterol) all contribute to heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, and other major chronic disease. Dairy has been found to be pro-inflammatory and, essentially, is not a healthy choice. Any of the beneficial nutrients found in milk, like calcium, are found in sufficient amounts in a healthful plant-based diet.
soy is one of the most heavily pesticide covered crops in all of agriculture, and almost exclusively GMO. It's also estrogenic, so even though it doesn't contain hormones, it causes elevated estrogen levels, which is linked to breast cancer deaths.