Tonic Health is not sponsored and does not receive any remuneration from brands. Our goal is to arm readers with information to make better health choices.

 

What is Up with Plant Milks?

The milk aisle was once made up of only a handful of options; cow’s milk with three different lid colours. Red (skimmed), green (semi skimmed) and blue (whole). But those days are gone, and the plant based alternative aisle has become, for some, incredibly overwhelming. There are so many choices! How do you choose between almond, oat, soya, coconut and whatever else? Take a breath. We've done the research to find the best plant milk for you.

 

What's the Difference Between Them?

We showed you on our instagram just what the difference is between all the different kinds of plant milk available right now:

 

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 We didn't mention Hazelnut though! Which has a delicious creamy nutty flavour (think Nutella in a drink form 😍) and actually reduces greenhouse gas emissions by pulling carbon from the atmosphere when they grow.

 

 

 

How Much Milk are you Actually Drinking? 

If you're only having a dash or splash of milk in your coffee once or twice a day, and you're allergy free, thinking too hard about what your milk is made of probably isn't worth it. If on the other hand, you love your lattes, or have your cereal or porridge with milk, choosing a ‘good’ milk is a more important decision. You can all of a sudden consume a litre a day without even realising.

 

Consider the sugar content of your milk for a moment. It's either a part of the manufacturing process, or it's added later to make the milk taste better. 

 

1 teaspoon of sugar = 4 grams.

1 tablespoon of sugar = 12 grams.

 

Type of Milk (200mls)	Grams of Sugar	Teaspoon Equivalent
Unsweetened Almond	1.5g	0.375
Coconut	6g	1.5
Organic Coconut	9.6g	2.4
Barista Style Oat	10.8g	2.6
Skinny Oat	12.8g	3.2 (1 Tablespoon)
Whole Milk	15g	3.75 (1.25 Tablespoons)

 

An americano only has 30mls of milk on average, but a latte can set you back 320mls! And your cereal can use around 200mls a portion. If you're a whole milk drinker, that can be over 25g of sugar just in your breakfast! That's 2.5 tablespoons.

 

 

 

So, Which Milk Should You Buy? 

Tonic founder, Sunna, has been reviewing the milk aisle on our socials all week (@tonichealth wink wink nudge nudge). But we've compiled all the thoughts and recommendations into A Handy Milk Shopping Guide for you to review yourself. It includes which brands we think are best and where you can find them!

 

 

Here's a quick summary:

• What to look for when choosing a good milk

• What to avoid

• What brands are best (including our thoughts on Oatly and Rude Health😉)

• Where you can find them in your go-to supermarkets (like Tesco, Sainsbury's and more!)

 

And it's totally free to download. Click this icon to see it 👉📑

 

On mobile? Click here instead 👉📲

 

 

@tonichealth Milk prices are sky high right now!! But here’s how you can be as healthy as possible whilst still keeping it wallet friendly 💸🥛#tonichealth #healthyliving #healthhacks #nutrition #balancedlifestyle #healthyfamily #healthylifestyle #milk #plantmilk #budgetfriendly ♬ original sound - Tonic Health 🍊

 

 

Why Drink an Alternative Milk?

There's a number of reasons why someone might choose to ditch the dairy, and they essentially boil down to three reasons.

 

Preference

• Taste: some people simply don't like how cow's milk tastes, and may prefer the flavour plant milks or other animal milks offer.

• Diet: If you follow a vegan diet, any form of animal product is off the table. So we turn to the various plant milks available.

• Lower Fat and Calorie Content: If you happen to be trying to eat in a calorie deficit, opting for a plant milk may allow you to enjoy your morning latte a little more easily.

 

Health

• Allergies/Intolerance: If you're allergic or intolerant to dairy or lactose, making the switch to plant milk may be essential for your health.

• Reduce Inflammation: Sometimes a doctor may advise you to swap out dairy for an alternative to reduce inflammation in the body in relation to auto-immune or gut related disorders.

 

Sustainability

• Environmental Impact: Farming cows for their milk contributes to greater greenhouse gas emissions, as well as requiring more land than farming the crops for plant milk.

 

 

Final Thoughts

 

So you see, the alternative milk aisle doesn't have to be so overwhelming. It all boils down to what you need from your milk.

Maybe you love a good foamy coffee once or twice a week and so the added gums in a barista version won't hurt. Or maybe you chug a glass with your creamy oatmeal every morning and are best getting a low fat, low sugar organic version instead.

Whatever your milk needs, make sure to download our shopping list and keep Sunna in your back pocket whenever you head to the shops!

 

Want to share your thoughts? Email sunnavankampen@tonichealth.co and talk to our Founder!