While dairy milk has long been a constant on many people’s shopping lists, in recent years, a shift towards plant-based milks such as almond milk, walnut milk and oat milk has been evident. This shift is not without reason, as the numerous benefits of consuming plant-based milks have been observed. Here is a list of five reasons why you too should swap out dairy milk for plant-based milk!
1. Plant-based milk is high in minerals and vitamins to help you lead a healthier lifestyle and reduce health problems
Plant-based milks, being made from a variety of superfoods such as nuts and oats, are rich in essential minerals and vitamins that are beneficial for your health and well-being. Take almond milk, for example, which is a good source of the antioxidant vitamin E that helps in not just combating cancer and heart disease, but also in benefiting brain health, according to Healthline. A single cup of almond milk provides you with 20 percent of your body's daily Vitamin E requirements!
Meanwhile, hazelnut milk is a good source of vitamin B and vitamin E, and has the ability to maintain healthy cholesterol and blood pressure levels. Additionally, plant-based milk is suitable for people with lactose intolerance or people who follow vegetarian and vegan diets, so if you are one of these people, these plant-based alternatives will allow you to enjoy these delicious, healthy and nutrient-dense milk too! These are just a few of the amazing health benefits that can be derived from simply consuming more plant-based milk.
2. Plant-based milk can aid in weight loss and weight management
Looking to drop a dress size or two? Drinking more plant-based milk can actually help you shed those extra pounds! This is due to them generally being lower in calories in comparison to dairy milk. According to Healthline, while a cup of whole cow’s milk contains a whopping 150 calories, almond milk contains just 40 calories per cup and is free of cholesterol and saturated fat. Similarly, cashew milk contains around just 25 calories per cup. By simply swapping out dairy milk for these types of lower calorie plant-based milk, the total amount of calories consumed in your day will be reduced, making it easier for you to be in a caloric deficit while still enjoying the satisfaction of having a wholesome glass of milk, enabling weight loss to occur.
Another kind of plant-based milk, oat milk, is digested more slowly than dairy milk due to oats being a complex carbohydrate. This does not spike your blood sugar level and leaves you satisfied for longer, preventing you from getting hungry quickly and overeating. These benefits of plant-based milk are therefore helpful in allowing for weight loss and weight management.
3. Plant-based milk is better for the environment
Did you know that the production of dairy products is incredibly environmentally damaging? 1.14 to 2.5 kilograms of carbon dioxide is emitted per litre of cow’s milk produced. This figure for plant-based milk is much lower, with almond milk producing just 0.42 kilograms of carbon dioxide per litre and 0.75 kilograms for soy milk.
Dairy milk production also typically uses 9 times more land than plant-based milk, with cow’s milk using around 8.9 square metres of land per year, compared to 0.8 for oat and 0.5 for almond.
Additionally, the amount of water required in the production of dairy milk is significantly higher than plant-based milk. While cow’s milk requires 628 litres of water per litre of milk, plant-based alternatives like almond milk and oat milk only require 371 and 48 litres respectively.
Consuming plant-based milk over dairy milk is significantly more eco-friendly and green, reducing the amount of carbon emissions, land usage and water consumption used in the production of milk, benefitting our planet. Turns out, swapping out dairy milk for plant-based milk benefits not just your health, but the environment that you live in too!
4. Plant-based milk is cruelty free
The production of dairy milk is one of the most cruel, yet widespread and normalised behaviours in the world. In order to meet the immense demand for cow’s milk, female cows are subjected to artificial insemination in order to produce more milk, and these cows are often kept in squalid conditions in filthy, overcrowded barns. Many of these dairy farm cows develop health conditions such as swollen and ulcerated legs, and disease and reproductive problems stemming from the stress that they are forced to endure in farms.
The nature of the dairy industry is one that is barbaric, yet completely avoidable due to the existence of cruelty-free plant-based milk, in which animals are not mistreated or harmed during production. Why not make the switch in order to benefit the animals of our world?
Swapping out dairy milk for plant-based milk is not just beneficial for your personal health. It benefits the environment and helps to alleviate the cruelty faced by animals in dairy milk farms. At The Better Milk, we provide the highest quality plant-based milk that is bursting with fibre, omega 3 and protein to help you live your healthiest life. Our products are preservative-free, cruelty-free and of course, environmentally friendly, being packaged in reusable glass bottles instead of the usual disposable kinds commonly sold in stores.
Experience the amazing health benefits of plant-based milk for yourself with The Better Almond, The Better Hazelnut and The Better Walnut, available for purchase here!
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/almond-milk-health-benefits#TOC_TITLE_HDR_4
- https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/the-amazing-world-of-plant-based-milks-hazelnut-milk-choices/
- https://www.healthline.com/health/nut-milks-mylks-health-guide#nutritional-facts
- https://swolverine.com/blogs/blog/the-7-healthiest-milk-alternatives-to-lose-weight
- https://theconversation.com/which-milk-is-best-for-the-environment-we-compared-dairy-nut-soy-hemp-and-grain-milks-147660
- https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/animals-used-food-factsheets/cows-milk-cruel-unhealthy-product/