Soy milk, hemp milk, quinoa milk, oat milk: which milk alternative is best for you? We ask two experts
People looking for a good milk substitute usually start with soy milk, but if the ethics of soya bean farming are a problem for you, there are plenty of alternatives. You need to watch for additives, sugar and synthetic vitamins, though
The list of alternatives to dairy milk is ever growing, and includes soy, almond, rice, quinoa, hemp and oat milk. It’s a market that globally was worth US$10.6 billion in 2016 and is projected to grow almost 17 per cent by 2024, according to Grandview Research, a US-based company.
So, which one should you choose if you’re deciding to go dairy-free with your morning bowl of cereal? Two Hong Kong-based nutritionists explain the issues with milk and offer some advice on how to pick the right alternative.
Melanie Moran, who recently graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York, an online school, and works as a nutritionist in Hong Kong, says the first thing people need to get out of their head is that consuming milk is not the only way to ensure their diet contains adequate amounts of calcium.
The US-based National Institutes of Health recommends a minimum of 1,000 milligrams of calcium daily for adults aged between 19 to 50. A lack of calcium, over time, has been associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis (bone disease).