Poor old cow’s milk. Not so long ago, it adorned the top lip of a shirtless David Beckham and was handed out free to schoolchildren. Now it has morphed from wholefood hero to harmful bad guy, shunned by Gwyneth Paltrow and her band of clean-eating goddesses. “Almond milk really nurtures your body,” says food saint Ella Woodward, “unlike cow’s milk, which we are not really designed to digest.”
Those against cow’s milk generally point out that no other animals drink milk into adulthood, nor consume milk from another mammal. They also argue that as much as 70% of the world’s population don’t produce enough lactase, the enzyme needed to digest lactose, the main carbohydrate found in milk.
Cow’s milk has been shoved out of supermarket aisles to make room for alternatives squeezed from nuts and seeds. Even Starbucks has launched a coconut-milk latte. As a result, Mintel has reported that value sales of cow’s milk are down and, in 2014, one in four launches in the UK dairy drinks and milk market were rice-, nut-, grain- and seed-based drinks, compared with just 2% in 2011.
With all the new options on offer, it’s difficult to decide what to pour on your cereal. But before you bin the semi-skimmed, let’s take a closer look at how it measures up against the alternatives.
Cow’s milk
There’s no denying this contains good stuff, providing us with calcium, potassium, phosphorus, protein, vitamins A, D and B12, as well as the minerals riboflavin and niacin. So why are we shunning it?
It’s estimated that just 2% of infants in the UK have a cow’s-milk allergy (an immune response to one of the proteins in cow’s milk) and less than 5% of the British population is lactose intolerant. More common is an intolerance to the A1 beta-casein protein found in cow’s milk, which causes similar symptoms to lactose intolerance — bloating, diarrhoea and sometimes nausea. Mintel’s research shows that, in the year 2013-2014, sales of lactose-free milk rose 18%, while sales of fresh dairy alternatives rose 31%.
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“People are turning away from milk because of all the pseudo-science against dairy,” says Jane Clarke, nutritionist and author of Nourish. “For many people, it is a very nourishing food that our bodies are designed to digest.”
If you can digest it, should you go gold top or red? “Skimmed milk contains a higher concentration of calcium than whole milk,” says Anna Daniels, a registered dietitian and the spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association. However, Daniel O’Shaughnessy, director of the British Association for Applied Nutrition & Nutritional Therapy, prefers whole milk: “In moderation, I prefer full-fat milk. It is more satiating.”
What nutritionists do tend to agree on, though, is that organic milk and milk from grass-fed cows is best if you want to avoid ingesting hormones and antibiotics from the non-organic kind.
Soya milk
Until fairly recently, the only readily available cow’s-milk alternative was cardboard-tasting soya. Its main benefits are that it has similar protein levels to cow’s milk, it froths well and doesn’t separate when heated. While the taste has improved, it is now one of the more controversial milk alternatives. This is mainly due to phytoestrogens, a plant compound found in soya that has been seen to mimic oestrogen in the body.
Studies have been inconclusive, but the worry is that these particular phytoestrogens could speed up the growth of hormone-receptive cancer tumours. And that’s not all. Most of the soya beans we consume are genetically modified to withstand high levels of pesticides, and many soya products, even those labelled “natural”, have been extracted using hexane, a petrochemical solvent listed by the US Environmental Protection Agency as a hazardous air pollutant — just what you want with your morning coffee.
Soya milk, like many milk alternatives, is often loaded with sugar, so always buy a no-added-sugar variety, and check the salt content, which, while usually minimal, can build up if you’re drinking it throughout the day.
Nut milks
Almond milk is one of the most popular alternatives — Waitrose reports that sales of unsweetened almond milk were up 89% year on year in January. It tastes pleasantly nutty, goes nicely on cereal and is apparently used by David Cameron to manage the prime ministerial waistline — 100ml almond milk (unsweetened) contains 0.1g of saturated fat, compared with 1.2g in the same amount of semi-skimmed cow’s milk. And almonds are undisputedly good for you, containing lots of plant protein, vitamin E, magnesium and riboflavin.
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The problem is that most supermarket almond milks contain a measly 2% almond. “They’re mostly water — the nutrient content is minimal,” says O’Shaughnessy. In fact, semi-skimmed milk contains nearly nine times the amount of protein found in most almond milks.
There are a few exceptions to the rule, such as the newly launched Plenish almond milk, which contains 7% almonds, but you will pay more for the increased content: £3.49 for a carton, compared with about £1.50 for cheaper brands, such as Alpro or Almond Breeze.
Because there is minimal naturally occurring calcium and vitamin B in these nut milks, some non-organic brands fortify their products to give them similar nutrient levels to cow’s milk. This process isn’t without its issues. “I generally don’t trust anything fortified,” says O’Shaughnessy. “The calcium added can be derived from calcium carbonate, which is a less-absorbable form than the calcium found naturally in milk.”
It’s a similar story for other nut milks, including coconut milk. Coconuts are rich in B vitamins and iron, but there isn’t much of this found naturally in the cartons you see in supermarkets, as very small amounts of flesh are used to make the milk.
Rice milk
If you have a nut allergy, rice milk, widely lauded as the most hypoallergenic of the dairy-free alternatives, could be the obvious choice. It is sweeter than other alternatives, so it works well in baking, but less so in tea and coffee. It’s this sweetness, and the fact that it’s cheap, that makes it the obvious choice to bulk up other dairy-free milks — Rude Health organic almond milk actually contains more rice than almonds. Rice is naturally low in fat, so it’s good if you’re following a low-fat diet, but it’s also low in protein and calcium.
Rice also takes up more naturally occurring arsenic than other cereal crops, which is why the Food Standards Agency doesn’t recommend giving rice milk to children under the age of four and a half — it is currently looking into setting a maximum limit on arsenic in rice and rice products. And as with many dairy-free milks, rice milk usually contains stabilisers, such as heated vegetable oils (always look for cold pressed) and carrageenan, a seaweed extract that is indigestible and has been linked to inflammation and gastrointestinal disease.
Hemp milk
Sadly, this one won’t have you breezing through the day on a high. Although hemp seeds come from the cannabis sativa plant, they contain very little tetrahydrocannabinol, the active chemical in marijuana. This should be even less of a worry, seeing as the cotton-tasting milk contains just 3% hemp. This is enough, however, for a 250ml serving to provide a decent dose of omega-3. The downside? The omega-3 in hemp milk isn’t the most beneficial form that is found in oily fish. And although hemp seeds are rich in protein, there isn’t much of it in the milk, which is also usually sweetened with refined sugar or grape juice.
Camel milk
Some people with a mild intolerance to cow’s milk can handle a little sheep or goat’s milk, both of which are high in protein and calcium. But the benefits of these milks pale in comparison with the supposed benefits of camel milk. Billed as the latest superfood, it contains half the fat of cow’s milk, more protein, calcium, vitamin C and iron, as well as a high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids that can reduce cholesterol.
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Bold and as yet unproven assertions made by camel-milk producers claim the product can help clear up eczema, improve the symptoms of autoimmune diseases and diabetes, and even cause a reduction in the symptoms of autistic children. Camels are not as prevalent as cows in the UK, of course, but the milk is available to buy online, with a 500ml bottle costing as much as £14. Breakfast just got really expensive.
The message from the nutritionists we spoke to is clear: cow’s milk is easily obtained, cheap and nutritious. So, if you can tolerate dairy, stick with it. If you can’t, then choose your alternative carefully — be wary of additives, particularly sugar, and make sure you include other sources of protein and calcium in your diet.
How to make your own almond milk
This is a cinch to make — and you’ll end up with almost 10 times the almond content of shop-bought nut milks.
Makes about 820ml
INGREDIENTS
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Place the almonds in a bowl, cover with water and leave to soak overnight. The following morning, drain them, then blitz in a high-speed blender with 940ml fresh water and a pinch of salt, until smooth. If you’re going to be using the milk on cereal, give it a little extra zip by adding the medjool date and vanilla extract while you’re blending. Strain through some muslin and voilà.
The milk should keep in the fridge for three to four days (it will separate, so shake well before you use it). You can use the leftover almond meal as flour, or add it to porridge or granola