The words ‘non-dairy and ‘milk’ in the same sentence might seem heretical to some, but let us break it down for you and bust some myths. Non-dairy milk is essentially milk procured from plant-based options like almonds, oats, coconut, soy, hemp and rice, along with other options. This means the milk is essentially not derived from cows or any other milch animals. These milk options have a distinct taste of their own.
How is non-dairy milk made?
So how does one get animals out of the equation? These plant-derived milk options are made mainly through grinding the primary ingredient along with water. As a result, the calcium, fibre, vitamins, iron and other components stay intact during creation, ensuring that all the nutritional properties are retained. The manufacturing process includes cleaning the raw product, soaking it in water, dehulling if needed, grinding under pressure to emulsify, heating the extract, removing sediments, adding water, pasteurizing the final liquid, homogenizing the liquid and finally packaging it.
Does it have all the nutrients I need?
"Non-dairy milk can sometimes sound too good to be true, with most new users questioning the nutrients compared to cow’s milk. However, the non-dairy options have lesser saturated fat than cow’s milk and retain proteins, carbohydrates, fibre, calcium, potassium, sodium, vitamins and have less or negligible cholesterol," says Kunal Mutha, Founder of Only Earth.
What are the other reasons to have plant-based milk?
Apart from the fact that non-dairy milk is accessible on the earth – no cruelty to animals, less use of water and energy, and therefore low carbon footprint – plant-based milk has many other benefits. It resolves the milk issue for lactose intolerant, needs low cholesterol milk or has adopted a vegan lifestyle. This milk is highly digestible with a low-calorie count. Buy non-dairy milk for your health and the planet.