5 Plant-Based Milks to Substitute for Dairy

With about 65 to 70 percent of the world population with lactose intolerance, it is inevitable that people will seek milk that they can consume without being worried about the adverse reactions they can experience, whether it is due to lactose, gluten, and even nuts.

Nowadays, substituting plant-based milk to dairy milk has become a trend to the point where coffee shops, or any shop that sells beverages with milk have to have different kinds of milk available to cater to more customers.

Some of the popular non-dairy milk are almond and soy milk which are available in almost any grocery store but here, we are going to list five plant-based milks that we have considered during the manufacturing of Twrl Milk Tea, including pea milk, the one who won our heart and tummies.

 

Soy Milk

Soy or soya milk is the most readily available plant-based milk in the market, and it is also the one closest to dairy milk based on nutrition.

Soy milk contains 3 grams of protein for every 100 mL, the same with dairy milk, which makes it beneficial for people who want to consume more protein but less carbs since soy milk has less carbs compared to oat and rice milk.

It is also abundant with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to provide better support to your health such as potassium which is excellent in maintaining the blood pressure, thus soy milk is connected in helping lower cholesterol levels. Soy milk is also filled with omega-3 fatty acids, the healthy fats that help reduce your risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

However, about 1.9% of adults and 2.7% of children worldwide are allergic to soy while others are not fond of its taste. Environmentally, the production of soy milk has some drawbacks as the crops may require pesticides that can affect the environment, and they burned a large portion of forestland in South American countries to accommodate the demand for soy, especially as animal feed.

 

Almond Milk

Most plant-based milks are not as nutritious as dairy milk, as is the case with almond milk, but they are enriched with other essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that are beneficial to the body.

Studies have shown that regular consumption of nuts, such as almonds, is connected to reduced risk of heart disease due to the healthy fats they contain such as the oleic acid present in almond oil which is found to produce beneficial changes in the body’s blood lipids. 

Almond milk is especially rich in vitamin E, even reaching higher than 100% of the daily value. And even though almonds are 50% fat and high in calories, almond milk is processed in such a way as to lower the calorie count of the beverage, making it as low as containing only 1% fat with only 39 calories.

Nevertheless, since almond milk still lacks a lot of essential nutrients, it is not suggested as a milk replacement for growing children, especially infants, and there are also some people who are allergic to nuts. 

 

Oat Milk

Oat milk is the ideal plant-based milk for people with dairy, soya, or nut allergy. Even without lactose, oat milk is still filled with nutrients that can help your growth and maintenance.

In just a 100 milliliter cup, oats already contain 1.4 grams of fiber, making it capable of producing the most fiber among all the plant-based milks. But, the amount of fiber in oat milk will depend on the company that produced it since some brands have as low as 0.3 grams but others have up to 1 gram per 100 mL.

Not only that, oat milk also contains calcium, potassium, iron, and vitamins A, B, and D. Vitamins A and D supports the immune system in guarding the body from infections while also helps in reducing the risk for Crohn’s disease and type 1 diabetes, while vitamin B can boost your immunity and mood.

Even with its high fiber content, oat milk is still low in protein. It also contains more sugar than other plant-based milks and it may have trace amounts of gluten since they are usually processed in factories that also process wheat. 

 

Coconut Milk

Coconut milk is made from the fleshy, white part of coconut which produces a refreshing and tropical tasting plant-based milk.

Although coconut milk is high in fats, it is the healthy fats that help stabilize heart health by lowering the level of bad cholesterol and increasing the level of good cholesterol which further prevents the development of atherosclerosis, heart attack, and stroke.

Other health benefits associated with coconut milk is its ability to improve digestion and blood circulation, trigger weight loss, boost your energy, and reduce inflammation.

However, coconut milk is low in some essential vitamins, has the lowest amount of protein among plant-based milk, and since it is a tropical fruit, it is not always available and the maintenance of coconut farms have shown exploitation of farmers.

 

Pea Milk

Since pea milk is almost comparable to the other plant-based milk we listed, why did we really choose pea milk in the production of our organic milk tea? 

Although it comes from small yellow peas, pea milk is still brimming with nutrients that may even be comparable with dairy milk.

One cup of pea milk contains the same amount of proteins as one cup of dairy milk but with 150% more calcium, and additional iron, potassium, and vitamins A and D. It also contains omega-3 fatty acid that is good for the brain, heart, and immune system.

In comparison with oat milk, pea milk has 75% fewer carbs. In addition, pea milk is more sustainable because it uses 80% less water than almond milk, and as a legume, peas have nitrogen-fixing ability that helps enhance plant health and reduces the need for artificial nitrogen fertilizers.

Twrl Milk Tea: Organic tea and pea milk twrling together in one can

After trying different types of milk teas that contained different types of milk and teas from all over the world, we have arrived at the best organic milk tea, the one we made ourselves: Twrl Milk Tea.

Plant-based milks usually have distinct tastes that not all people are fond of but in our case, we found that apart from being extremely nutritious and sustainable, pea milk does not overpower the taste of our organic teas. 

By mixing pea milk with the single-origin, organic fair-trade tea from our family farm partners, we arrived with Twrl Milk Tea: a high protein, low-calorie, low-carb, guilt-free beverage for all seasons and all ages. Since we value our consumers, we made sure that our drink becomes as allergen-free as possible, even reaching top-8 allergen-free, vegan, and non-GMO.

To keep Twrl Milk Tea organic, we made sure that our farmers use sustainable and regenerative farming methods that make our drink beyond organic. Even our sweetener is 100% organic blue agave syrup. We never use artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols.

So just grab a can and enjoy Twrl Milk Tea’s organic milk tea that is twrling with healthy goodness, for both humans and the environment.