One of the latest trends in the health and fitness industry is the introduction of various kinds of milk, such as Almond, Soy, Hemp milk, and whatnot. Growing up, we had just one option - Cow or Buffalo milk, and these vegan sources of milk were unheard of just a few years ago. So what brought about the introduction of these so-called healthier milk options? And should you even consider consuming these healthier options?
Let's take a look at the facts in today's blog.
Cow or Buffalo milk:
Growing up, we had just dairy milk as an option and was touted as a "superfood", given the fact that it had carbohydrates, fats, and a healthy serving of protein per glass. We were led to believe that milk consumption would somehow lead to stronger bones and whatnot, and here's where various so-called nutrition brands came into existence. Getting back to milk itself, over the years, not one single research has provided evidence between milk consumption and stronger bones. In fact, you can get calcium from other sources of foods such as nuts and seeds as well. Milk also contains lactose - a sugar found in milk and your body needs to produce Lactase to break this down. If your body doesn't produce sufficient Lactase then you can suffer from Lactose intolerance. Since milk is also high in fats, and since fats have been villanised by marketing companies, the demand for a healthier alternative led to various other options such as Almond, Soy, Hemp, and Oat milk.
The options:
We'll take a look at the 2 other milk alternatives that are famous in India - Almond and Soy milk. Almond milk is a low-calorie milk substitute, containing a mere 45 Kcal per 250 ml. However, what these marketing companies hide behind is the fact that every 250 ml of Almond milk contains just 4-5 almonds at best, while the rest of it is water. It also contains just 1 gram of protein, which again, is an incomplete source of protein, and somehow, is the most expensive milk among the 3 that we're covering in this blog today. The next is Soy milk and it comes close to matching its dairy counterpart pretty well. Containing 6 grams of complete protein vs the 8 grams of protein found in dairy milk, and just 80 Kcal per 250 ml versus the 150 Kcal found in dairy milk, from the outside, this may sound like a healthier alternative. Soy milk, however, has a gritty and powdery texture and is known to have been made from GMO Soybeans, which is something that we will speak of in our future blogs, but most importantly, it costs significantly more than its dairy counterpart. A litre of Soy milk will set you back by a good 125-150 rupees, that's more than double the cost of dairy milk.
So what should you buy:
If you're a vegan or are lactose intolerant, then soy milk is your best bet, and no! soy milk does not cause gynecomastia. If you are able to digest conventional dairy, then good old dairy milk is the ideal choice.
So there you have it, you now have all the knowledge at your disposal to make the right decision. Keep following us for more such interesting factoids.
Questions?