MilkV the Bessy

“Lactose malabsorption is widespread in most of the world, with wide variation between different regions and an overall frequency of around two-thirds of the world's population.”

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langas/article/PIIS2468-1253(17)30154-1/fulltext


The number of healthy, plant-based milk alternatives for drinking, cooking, and baking is enormous. Long gone are the days where soy milk was the only alternative to dairy milk. Vegan milk can be made from almonds, cashews, oats, hemp, rice, chickpeas, coconuts, and even peas.

Whether you are a vegan wanting a cruelty free milk alternative or someone who suffers from lactose intolerance and wants to avoid the discomfort dairy can cause, you can find vegan milk to satisfy your needs.

Each kind of vegan milk has unique nutritional composition and benefits. To make things easier for you, we will go over some of the major types of vegan milk and explain how their nutritional profile can have health benefits for you.

🥛 Almond Milk – Low in Calories, High in Nutrients 🥛

Almond milk is one of the most popular non-dairy milk alternatives. It can be found in almost any grocery store which is great for vegans. Almond milk is lower in calories than many of the other types of vegan milk on the market, though this depends on the sugar content of the almond milk you’re choosing. Go for unsweetened varieties if you want a healthier option.

Almond milk can be a rich source of calcium and contains powerful antioxidants that help protect your body.

In terms of taste, almond milk has a mild and slightly nutty flavor that makes it great to pour over cereal. It’s also popular in vegan baking and works well as a direct substitute for dairy milk in most recipes. Due to its mild flavor, it will not overpower other ingredients in your recipe.

🥛 Cashew Milk – The Creamiest Vegan Milk 🥛

Similar to almond milk, cashew milk has a subtle nutty flavor; however, cashew milk naturally has a creamier texture. This makes cashew milk an excellent choice for a variety of dishes with creamy sauces such as vegan pasta and curries. It also tastes great in smoothies and with cereal and can be used as a vegan-friendly cream replacement in coffee and lattes.

In terms of nutrition, cashew milk is very similar to almond milk. The fats contained in cashews are mostly heart-healthy unsaturated fats. Again, it is a good source of calcium and antioxidants.

🥛 Coconut Milk – A Great Choice for Vegan Cooking 🥛

Coconut milk is naturally higher in fats than other vegan milk. It keeps much of its coconut flavor which can be a delicious addition to many vegan soups, desserts, and curries. Treat coconut milk much the same way you would treat a full-fat dairy cream. It is naturally quite thick and creamy so it is used less for drinking and more for cooking.

Coconut milk contains plenty of antioxidants and is full of healthy fats. It’s also said to be good for both your hair and your skin.

🥛 Hemp Milk – A Great Source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids 🥛

Hemp milk has a higher protein content than other vegan milk. This makes it an excellent choice for increasing the amount of protein in their diet. If you are an athlete, hemp milk is a simple way to add some vegan-friendly protein to your smoothies and post-workout shakes.

Hemp milk is derived from the seeds of the hemp plant. It is extremely low in carbohydrates and high in healthy unsaturated fats. You get plenty of alpha-linolenic acids, a type of omega 3 fatty acid found in plants. It plays a significant role in supporting brain and heart health while helping with cholesterol reduction.

It is suitable for vegan baking and cooking and has a mild nutty flavor that can be quite tasty.

🥛 Oat Milk – The Best Friend of Vegan Coffee Drinkers 🥛

Oat milk is slightly sweet with a thin consistency similar to low-fat milk. It also has a smooth taste.

Where there are quite a few kinds of vegan milk that are so thin they will separate when they are poured into a hot beverage, this is not the case with oat milk. Oat milk stays together and gives your coffee or tea that nice beige color that you’re looking for with a hot cup. The natural sweetness also gives a unique and pleasant taste.

Oat milk contains a moderate amount of calories and has more protein than most plant-based milk.

🥛 Rice Milk – An Excellent Choice For Vegans With Food Allergies 🥛

Because rice milk contains no traces of nuts and is completely gluten-free, it is far less likely to trigger food allergies than other vegan milk.

It has a naturally sweet taste and works well in cooking and baking. Rice milk is also thinner than most vegan milk.

While this makes it less suitable for hot beverages, it does work well in oatmeal. Use rice milk to add plenty of creaminess and flavor to a bowl of vegan-friendly oatmeal on a cold morning.

In terms of nutrition, rice milk is relatively high in carbohydrates. While it is low in protein, it does pack some bone-strengthening calcium. This makes it a good source of calcium for vegans who cannot drink soy or nut-based milk.

🥛 Pea Milk – The Nutritional Powerhouse 🥛

Although it might sound a little strange, pea milk is an excellent non-dairy milk alternative. It is relatively new to the vegan milk scene but it is quickly growing in popularity.

Not only does pea milk taste good, but it also might be the most nutritious of all varieties of vegan milk. It is an excellent source of protein, calcium, and omega 3 fatty acids. In fact, depending on the brand, one cup of pea milk can contain as much as 45 percent of your daily value of calcium! That is 50 percent more calcium than you would get in a cup of non-vegan, skimmed dairy milk.

Pea milk also contains a whopping eight grams of protein per cup which is impressive for a vegan-friendly milk alternative. As if all of this was not enough, pea milk even has fewer calories than animal-derived dairy milk!

It is worth giving this vegan-friendly milk a try just for the nutritional benefits alone.

🥛 Soy Milk – The Original Vegan Milk 🥛

Soy milk is the non-dairy milk that started it all. For a long time, soy milk was the only option when it came to vegan-friendly milk alternatives. While there are now plenty of great options available, soy milk should not be forgotten.

Soy milk is probably the most enjoyable vegan milk to drink on its own. It has a smooth consistency and well-rounded taste that is not overwhelming and tastes the same when it is served cold or warmed up. This means you can enjoy soy milk as a refreshing beverage or use it to add creaminess and color to your hot beverages.

Soy milk also packs a solid nutritional punch. Most soy milk varieties contain as much as seven grams of protein per cup! This makes it useful for vegans trying to increase their protein consumption. If you choose unsweetened varieties, soy milk is also quite low in calories.

🥛 Flax Milk – A Great Addition to Smoothies 🥛

Flax milk is another relatively new vegan milk alternative. Its rising popularity is due to the immense amount of nutrition packed into the small flaxseeds the milk is derived from.

Like all of the above vegan milk, flax milk contains no cholesterol or lactose; however, where flax milk stands out is in its abundance of omega 3 fatty acids. Considering omega 3 fatty acids have been shown to prevent diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, it is an important addition to any healthy diet. This is especially true for vegans as most people obtain their omega 3 fatty acids from non-vegan fish oils.

Flax milk also contains plenty of vitamins A, B12, and D and is packed with natural soluble and insoluble fiber which increases the overall amount of fiber you are getting in your diet.

Flax milk does not have much of a taste which allows you to add plenty of nutrition to your smoothies without overwhelming the other ingredients.

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https://veganproducts.org/best-vegan-milk-alternatives/#Why_Are_Plant-Based_Milk_Alternatives_Growing_in_Popularity


Here are the best plant-based milk brands out there:

🥛 1. Elmhurst - Making plant-based milk with the simplest ingredients since 1925, Elmhurst is truly a leader in the vegan milk industry. Elmhurst’s non-dairy milk is healthy and delicious. The brand also has one of the widest varieties of vegan milk.

Whether you need non-dairy milk for drinking, specialized plant-based creamers for your morning cup of Joe, or vegan flavored milk for the young members of the family, Elmhurst has got you covered.

The brand also offers oat milk lattes for afternoon pick-me-ups and dairy-free ice cream mixes to makes your vegan meals more exciting. When buying from Elmhurst, you also can choose from nut milk, oat milk, and hemp milk. The company also offers both sweetened and unsweetened non-dairy milk options.

No matter the variety you choose, Elmhurst’s vegan milk is gluten-free, non-GMO, kosher, and free of artificial flavors.

Made with minimum ingredients without emulsifiers or chemicals, Elmhurst’s nutritious and healthy non-dairy milk set the bar very high for other vegan milk brands.

The only potential downside of this brand is its higher price point. If price isn’t a concern for you, definitely try out Elmhurst non-dairy milk.

🥛 2. Milkadamia - Milkadamia isn’t an old name in the vegan milk industry. The brand was founded in 2015 only. From its humble origins in an Australian family-owned macadamia farm, the brand has expanded to 12,000 retailers and 2,000 cafes in the U.S. and the U.K. The quality of its products explains the exponential rise in the brand’s popularity.

In the plant-based dairy category, Milkadamia offers macadamia nut milk and creamers.

Creamy, smooth, and calcium-rich, Milkadamia’s macadamia nut milk is a great alternative to animal milk. It adds similar richness to your coffee, tea, smoothies, cereals, and desserts as cow milk but is healthier and ethical.

Milkadamia offers non-dairy milk in unsweetened, lightly sweetened, and sweetened varieties for people with different dietary needs and preferences.

🥛 3. Almond Breeze - If you’re looking for an easily accessible and affordable plant-based milk brand in the U.S.A, Blue Diamond is your best option. Having been around for over 100 years, Blue Diamond is also a trusted name in the non-dairy milk industry.

The brand specializes in almond milk. Sold under the name of Almond Breeze, Blue Diamond’s non-dairy collection comprises almond milk, almond milk blends, creamers, and almond milk yogurts in a variety of flavors. You can also choose between its unsweetened and sweetened varieties, depending on your needs and preferences.

The brand claims that its vegan milk contains 50% more calcium than dairy milk. It also offers a money-back taste guarantee. Almond Breeze is also a great collection for those looking for low-calorie non-dairy milk varieties; you can even find options with as low as 30 calories per serving.

While all these factors are enough to convince anyone to give Blue Diamond’s non-dairy milk a try, what makes the brand even more popular is that the Almond Breeze range is available at almost every grocery store and is light on the pocket as well. What more could you want?

If you’re a non-dairy milk user and are not allergic to almonds, you should try Blue Diamond’s Almond Breeze collection.

🥛 4. Ripple - Ripple Foods is a California-based company that specializes in vegan dairy alternatives made of pea protein. Created with the mission to change the prevalent notion that non-dairy milk lacks nutrients and taste, the brand offers highly nutritious and great-tasting plant-based milk. Ripple Foods may not have a wide variety of non-dairy milk, but its milk products taste delicious and are lower in calories.

Ripple’s vegan milk is loaded with nutrients, has eight times the protein of almond milk, and has half the sugar of milk. According to the company, its plant-based milk also has 50% more bioavailable calcium than regular animal milk.

Additionally, Ripple offers pea milk in the following varieties:

Original – Sweetened and unsweetened
Vanilla – Sweetened and unsweetened
Chocolate-flavored pea milk

The idea of pea milk may sound a little strange, but don’t worry, it doesn’t taste like peas. With its smooth consistency and clean flavor, Ripple’s rich and creamy pea milk will convert you into a fan of this newest non-dairy milk variety on the block.

In addition to regular plant-based milk, the company also offers Kids Milk, Half & Half, Protein Shakes, and Frozen Desserts. Ripple has got your whole family’s needs covered!

🥛 5. Oatly - Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Malmo, a city in the Swedish county of Scania, Oatly—as its name suggests—specializes in oat milk. What sets it apart from other oat milk brands is that Oatly’s milk production procedure keeps the oats’ natural beta-glucans (aka soluble fiber) intact, making it even healthier for your gut.

The flavor, richness, and consistency of Oatly’s vegan milk are also similar to those of dairy whole milk, making it a great option for those having a hard time switching to non-dairy milk.

Oatly offers five varieties of plant-based milk:

Original Oat Milk
Full-Fat Oat Milk
Low-Fat Oat Milk
Chocolate Oat Milk
Oat Milk – Barista Edition

The brand also offers oat yogurt—which it named “Oatgurt”—and oat milk frozen dessert in a variety of delicious flavors.

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https://vegancalm.com/best-vegan-milk-brands/


If you like nut milks, try making your own. All you need is a good blender and a fine-mesh strainer or some cheesecloth.

Nothing could be easier to make. Try five parts water to one part cashews, blanched almonds, or hemp seeds. Add a few drops of vanilla or some cocoa powder, and then perhaps some sweetener. With a little experimentation, you’ll come up with a recipe that’s tastier (and much cheaper) than commercial brands.

The great thing about homemade nut milks is you can use virtually any kind of nut. This lets you easily create a variety of delicious concoctions unlike anything produced commercially. Hazelnuts and Brazil nuts both impart terrific flavors to nut milk. Add some cocoa if you want to make something chocolaty.

If you own a Blendtec or a Vitamix blender, this is your golden opportunity to put it to use since these industrial strength blenders can liquify anything and everything. Also consider purchasing a nut milk bag (here’s one on Amazon), so you can squeeze out the pulp. Never throw this pulp away, as it’s nutrient-rich and can be cultured into a fantastic vegan cheese. If the possibilities of making nut milks and cheeses at home strike your fancy, you’ll want to get ahold of the This Cheese is Nuts or Artisan Vegan Cheese.

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https://vegan.com/food/vegan-milk/