Well done to the people who are really trying to cut back on eating meat and drinking milk. You don’t have to give it up altogether, perhaps just think about cutting back and trying alternatives.

To reduce the role of cows in their diet, many people are opting to replace dairy milk with plant milk. Gone are the days when cow’s milk was the only thing to add to your tea or coffee. Now supermarket shelves are groaning under the weight of countless plant milks, all of which use significantly less land and water to produce and emit a fraction of the CO2. The vast array of milks made from almonds, hazelnuts, coconuts, cashews, oats, rice, soya beans, hemp seeds, peas and much more can be overwhelming to those unsure which to pick. One way, of course, is to choose according to which flavour you personally prefer, and you will be safe in the knowledge that, whatever your choice, it is environmentally friendlier than opting for dairy milk.

However, those looking for more guidance about which kind of alternative milk to go for may find the following information helpful.

Firstly, here is a useful graph outlaying the basics statistics of several common types of plant milk.

And here are a few more details of the pros and cons of some of the most popular types of milk.

Cow’s milk

Pros

• A good source of calcium and protein
• Contains all nine essential amino acids

Cons

• Global production has a carbon footprint three times higher than that of any plant milk
• Uses up to nine times more land and much more water – twice as much as almond milk and 22 times as much as soya milk (figures for the European dairy industry are lower but still significant)

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Almond milk

Pros

• Emits little CO2 and does not require much land
• Low calorie and low fat
• Naturally contains Vitamin E

Cons

• Requires a lot of water
• Has come under criticism for the detrimental effects on the bees used to pollinate the almond orchards
• Low in protein – under 0.5g of protein per 100ml compared to dairy’s 3.6g and soya’s 3.3g

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Coconut milk

Pros

• Requires very little water and doesn’t take up
  much land

Cons

• Coconuts only grow in tropical environments, often in deforested areas
• Low in protein – only 0.2g per 100ml

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Oat milk

Pros

• Requires very little land and water and produces very few CO2 emissions
• Oats can be easily grown in northern European climates and are not associated with deforestation of loss of biodiversity
• 250ml of oat milk contains 1/3 of your daily requirement of betaglucan – a fibre with cholesterol-lowering properties which can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease
• Not strongly flavoured – can be a good alternative to add into tea and coffee

Cons

• Low in protein

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Soya milk

Pros

• Uses over 22 times less water than the global cow’s milk industry and 11 times less than the European cow’s milk industry
• Nutritionally closest to dairy milk: high in protein and contains all essential amino acids
• Low in saturated fat

Cons

• Is linked with deforestation and destruction of vital habitats – however, the vast majority of soya is grown to feed livestock rather than for milk production (Sources vary but agree that between 77% and 94% of soya is produced purely to feed livestock)

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Rice milk

Pros

• Uses little land
• Low in fat and very low in saturated fat

Cons

• Uses a lot of water and it emits the most CO2 after dairy milkLow in protein

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So, there are alternatives to milk, some are better than others. If you use your milk as a source of protein, then soya milk has advantages.However, if you get your protein from other sources (nuts and vegetables are good sources of protein) then you may consider trying oat milk as a change. There are plenty of different brands to choose from. Give it a go and see what you think.

Genevieve Silk