The market for milk alternatives is growing all the time. This makes it difficult for many people to keep track and remember which plant-based milk is suitable for what.
Everything you need to know about plant milk
There are many different milk alternatives on the market today. This includes milk made from nuts, grains, legumes or oilseeds. Basically, the production of a plant milk is not as complicated as one might think: the selected ingredient is watered or soaked, then ground dry or wet and finally mixed with water. Depending on the ingredient you choose, the drink is then boiled or fermented. Solids are filtered out. In order to refine the taste of the drink, additional oils, sweeteners and/or salt are added to individual solutions.
If you decide to buy a product from the trade, you should definitely pay attention to possible preservatives, sweeteners and emulsifiers. One way to avoid this and have control over the ingredients is to make your own dairy alternative. Materials you need for this are usually just a cheesecloth and a good blender. It is best to choose regional oats to make your oat milk. Soak about 100g whole oats in water for 12 hours. Then you sieve the water, add a liter of water to the grains and puree everything very finely. Now use a funnel and cheesecloth to help you pour the liquid directly into bottles. If you like the milk a bit more flavorful, you can also add salt, vanilla, cinnamon, honey or dates before mixing.
If you choose a milk alternative, you can bring variety into your everyday life on the one hand, but you can also consciously integrate certain nutrients into your diet on the other. There are also other reasons for using milk alternatives: if you make your own milk, you can use regional ingredients. In addition, when buying industrially produced milk, there are mainly regional, fair and organic offers, so that you can also do something good for the environment. According to the Albert Schweitzer Foundation, plant-based milk is more convincing than cow’s milk in terms of the ecological balance: The emission of greenhouse gases in relation to the production of milk alternatives is far below the value in cow’s milk production. Land consumption is also significantly lower. Furthermore, one can take action against animal suffering in the dairy industry: Cows in dairy farms are usually exposed to extreme physical and psychological stress. If you want to prevent this, it can be a good step against animal suffering to use plant milk.
The most well-known milk alternatives
One of the best-known milk alternatives is soy milk. It is considered to be particularly versatile and can be used for baking, for example, but also for making smoothies, in muesli or in coffee. Soy has a very high protein content, which is why it is often chosen by athletes to support muscle building. Milk contains valuable potassium and magnesium, but also iron, zinc and many B vitamins. Depending on what you want to use the drink for, you can fall back on one of the different variants on the market: There is unsweetened and sweetened soy milk, some with vanilla, chocolate or banana flavor and mixed forms with rice or oat milk. If you choose a soy drink with added chia or linseed oil, you can add valuable omega-3 fatty acids to your diet, for example.
According to surveys, oat milk is the most popular milk substitute. It convinces above all with its richness in potassium and phosphorus; The fiber also has a stimulating effect on your digestion. Characteristic of oat drinks is the light and natural sweetness, so that no sugar is usually added. Compared to whole milk, oat milk is richer in unsaturated fatty acids. Oat milk is particularly popular in coffee, but can also be used in muesli, porridge or for baking.
The almond drink is particularly well-known: it is ideal for people who suffer from celiac disease, lactose or soy intolerance. One downside that milk brings is that many of the almond’s minerals are lost during soaking and filtering; however, 100 ml of almond milk contains approximately one to seven grams of unsaturated fatty acids, up to two grams of protein and traces of fiber. In order to increase the mineral content of this milk alternative again, artificial calcium or other minerals are usually added. Almond milk is mainly used to make drinks, dips, puddings or other desserts, as well as for daily muesli.
You should also know these drinks
If you like it a little more exotic, the coconut drink can be a great alternative for you: the coconut flavor is particularly popular in smoothies, cocktails and mueslis. The natural sweetness of the coconut drink can not only be used in sweet dishes, but also in savory dishes: you can use it to cook an exotic curry, for example. On the market, however, there is also the possibility to buy a drink with a slightly more subtle coconut flavor: There are, for example, mixed drinks with rice or almonds.
Among other things, the rice drink is rather unknown; nevertheless, it should not be ignored. Due to the fermentation during the manufacturing process, the rice drink has a slightly sweet taste: this means that the milk can be used in a variety of ways. The milk is particularly suitable for people who cannot use nut or soy milk due to allergies. The rice drink is also lactose- and gluten-free.
Pea drinks are currently not very common on the market, but they also have an increasingly high market potential. The advantages that the peas provide are the high protein content and relatively few calories. The protein content of around 8 to 10 grams per glass makes the milk alternative particularly interesting for athletes. The drink provides calcium and magnesium, added rapeseed oil supplies the body with omega-3 fatty acids. There are also different options for this milk: the original, the unsweetened and the barista milk, which is particularly suitable for frothing. Pea drinks can be used in muesli, but also in porridge, smoothies or coffee.
The only way to find out which milk substitute is best for you is to try it; However, the range is now so diverse that you can test a wide variety of products.
