The recent chilly weather, holding a hot milk, the heart is warm. Now on the market milk pattern, has become more and more, the recent rising net red “plant milk”, and triggered a boom, then milk and “plant milk” who has a higher nutritional value? We will make it clear once and for all today.

Plant milk is milk?

According to the definition of “plant protein drinks plant milk” (T/HBFIA 0024-2021), plant milk (plant milk) refers to plants containing certain proteins and/or their products as the main raw materials, food accessories and food additives can be added, and products made after processing.

Plant milk on the market is mostly made from plant nuts, fruit pulp, seed kernels and other major raw materials, using soaking, crushing, grinding, blending, homogenization, sterilization and other processes made of cloudy milky beverages, whose appearance and taste are similar to cow’s milk, known as “plant milk”.

Therefore, plant milk is not the traditional meaning of milk, but belongs to the plant protein drinks. Common plant milk can be roughly divided into four categories: soy milk; almond milk, walnut milk as the representative of the nut milk; oat milk, quinoa milk-based grain milk; and coconut milk and other fruit and vegetable milk.

Can plant milk be drunk instead of cow’s milk?

Plant-based milks were originally developed to address the nutritional intake of lactose-intolerant people, and have since been promoted by veganism, and are now valued by people who seek to protect the environment, believing that their production consumes far less energy than cow’s milk.

From a nutritional point of view, although plant milk contains protein, high quality fat, dietary fiber and some plant secondary metabolites, its protein content is lower than that of cow’s milk, and it contains an incomplete range of essential amino acids (other than soy milk), as well as a lower content of calcium, vitamin D and other components than cow’s milk. Therefore, even though plant milk has unique nutritional advantages, it is still difficult to completely replace cow’s milk.

Tips: For people who are not suitable for consuming cow’s milk, such as lactose intolerant people and people allergic to cow’s milk proteins, it is recommended that when choosing plant-based milks, it is recommended to choose plant-based milks that are fortified with nutrients, and to consume enough nutrients from other diets.

There are so many plant-based milks, which one is right for you?

Different plant-based milks have different nutrient contents and types, different product varieties are suitable for different groups of people, and different brands of the same product also have nutritional differences. If you want to get similar protein with milk, then choose soy milk, which has high protein content and a complete range of amino acids; if you want to find low-calorie, almond milk will be a good choice; if you are very concerned about fat intake, then avoid coconut milk, which has a high content of saturated fat, and opt for oatmeal milk, which has a low content of fat.

Tips: Many plant-based milk products will be fortified with calcium and vitamins, etc. Sugar or fructose syrup will also be added for flavoring, etc., which can be viewed through their ingredient lists or Nutrient Reference Values (NVR%). Therefore, consumers are advised to check the ingredient list and NVR% in detail when purchasing plant-based milk products.