Of course, another consideration is the environmental impact (emissions, water use, land use, to say nothing of humanitarian treatment of many dairy cows) of dairy farming vs. soy vs. almond vs. oats. Right now, oats seem to have the least impact and, as the article notes, the nutritional differences aren’t really relevant in wealthier countries. So, drinking plant-based milk drinking plant based milk will reduce the demand for cow’s milk and, if enough people switch, help reduce emissions and water use, and perhaps free up land for other purposes.
Great work Hannah, if I may add another layer of nuance: ingredients.
Non-dairy milk alternatives contain a significant amount of additives (i.e: emulsifiers, non-sugar sweeteners..etc) and “frowned upon” ingredients like seed oils. These have health implications as well. I’m not familiar with the composition of the variety of dairy milks (I’m sure there’s plenty), but I was shocked to see how many of the aforementioned ingredients are prevalent in milk alts.
It’s worthwhile conducting a comparative study here too!
2.) Do you know what cows are given? All kinds of commercial feed mixtures with grains and protein meals, but also supplements with different minerals and vitamins, and possibly veterinary drugs and antibiotics...
Cow's milk composition is not consistent, especially on a global scale. Even within one US state, dairies will ship whey protein, or milk fat, or even the liquid after fat and protein removal, from one region to another to normalize the content, often down to the minimum level.
The US ships whey protein powder to Mexico as the natural protein content is low.
Many countries have few cows and imoort milk powder from the US. They add local oils, such as palm in the Phillipines, or coconut in Thailand.
The protein powder is a byproduct of cheese manufacturer. These markets were created to consume it.
Protein content of milk varies by diet and season. Alfalfa is added to the diet to boost protein. This crop requires a lot of water and fertilizer. It's hard on the environment and on the cow's digestive system, shortening her useful like before she becomes a hamburger.
There are so many more layers than what's on the label.
Thank you for a nuanced article that goes beyond “which one is the best.” I like how you distinguish between low income vs high income countries, and infants vs adults.
A comprehensive and nuanced story Hannah. I always enjoy your writing. It seems what we eat and why requires a bit of effort. What are YOUR risk factors? What are YOUR personal beliefs. Having worked in a business adjacent to food production in the US, the dairy industry is amongst the most distorted. One of the legacies, at least in the US is to allow certain products (meat and dairy) to present their calorie breakdowns by volume rather than caloric %. If all products were consistently presented as % of calories from fat, consumers would be served better. 2% milk comes to mind. Let's report saturated fat by volume while every other food will report differently so comparison is difficult. Also, while most consumer facing goods provide an ingredients list, while products such as ground beef and milk are a distilled array of ingredients mixed together to meet government thresholds (fast food beef production removes, crushes and adds back crushed bone to the allowable threshold -- yuk). You fairly point out that for some, especially those with risk factors, saturated fat is the predictor for most all of the most likely killers so a focus on limiting it is sensible for some. For many of us, it is wise to severely limit animal fat/cholesterol and saturated fat in general. This is not preachy but rather borne out without controversy for many of us.
The thing that you have not stated is the cruelty of the dairy industry. Dairy farms are an eternal living hell for cows. For cows to produce milk (like humans) they need to keep having babies. The cows are forcibly impregnated, which is like rape. When their calves are born they’re separated from their mothers soon after birth, and the male calves go straight to the slaughter house. The female calves are put into solitary confinement hutches until they can be impregnated like their mothers. The mother cows cry for their babies for days. After about 4 years of repeated pregnancies and having her calves stolen from her, the milk dries up and she is loaded onto a truck and taken to a slaughterhouse. Humans are the only species that drink milk beyond infancy, and the only species that drink another species milk. We as humans don’t need to consume cows milk or any animal products to thrive and survive. My plant based milk doesn’t have any cruelty attached. If I get any less protein from it, I get enough from all the other fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes I eat. I have yearly blood tests and all my nutritional levels are spot on, including my protein, B3 and iron. The best thing is my cholesterol has never been lower since I went vegan.
I would love your research to consider factors such as soil health, including microbial density and diversity, as well as plant diversity (grasses, cereals, legumes, brassicas, & chenopods) and plant nutrition. Additionally, how these farming considerations can positively influence the health of the cow and how that affects the nutrient density and overall quality of the milk. My belief is that there are obvious synergies at play here, which can have both "upstream and downstream benefits" way beyond simply producing a healthy glass of milk.
Fair summary, I think. In Germany, one can also find pea-based drinks, which are somewhat higher in protein as well (but not quite at the level of soy) as well as various blends, eg oat-almond, pea-almond etc.
Of course, another consideration is the environmental impact (emissions, water use, land use, to say nothing of humanitarian treatment of many dairy cows) of dairy farming vs. soy vs. almond vs. oats. Right now, oats seem to have the least impact and, as the article notes, the nutritional differences aren’t really relevant in wealthier countries. So, drinking plant-based milk drinking plant based milk will reduce the demand for cow’s milk and, if enough people switch, help reduce emissions and water use, and perhaps free up land for other purposes.
Great work Hannah, if I may add another layer of nuance: ingredients.
Non-dairy milk alternatives contain a significant amount of additives (i.e: emulsifiers, non-sugar sweeteners..etc) and “frowned upon” ingredients like seed oils. These have health implications as well. I’m not familiar with the composition of the variety of dairy milks (I’m sure there’s plenty), but I was shocked to see how many of the aforementioned ingredients are prevalent in milk alts.
It’s worthwhile conducting a comparative study here too!
1.) Do you know what "ingredients" there are in milk? No, because they do not have to be labelled... I didn't find one quickly for milk, but here's e.g. the list of the ingredients of eggs: https://jameskennedymonash.wordpress.com/2014/01/05/ingredients-of-an-all-natural-egg/
2.) Do you know what cows are given? All kinds of commercial feed mixtures with grains and protein meals, but also supplements with different minerals and vitamins, and possibly veterinary drugs and antibiotics...
Cow's milk composition is not consistent, especially on a global scale. Even within one US state, dairies will ship whey protein, or milk fat, or even the liquid after fat and protein removal, from one region to another to normalize the content, often down to the minimum level.
The US ships whey protein powder to Mexico as the natural protein content is low.
Many countries have few cows and imoort milk powder from the US. They add local oils, such as palm in the Phillipines, or coconut in Thailand.
The protein powder is a byproduct of cheese manufacturer. These markets were created to consume it.
Protein content of milk varies by diet and season. Alfalfa is added to the diet to boost protein. This crop requires a lot of water and fertilizer. It's hard on the environment and on the cow's digestive system, shortening her useful like before she becomes a hamburger.
There are so many more layers than what's on the label.
Should say "natural protein content of milk in Mexico is low "
And it's always a good idea to talk to a registered dietitian about your individual needs ;)
Thank you for a nuanced article that goes beyond “which one is the best.” I like how you distinguish between low income vs high income countries, and infants vs adults.
For those interested in the environmental impact of protein sources, Hannah made this handy chart awhile back. https://ourworldindata.org/uploads/2020/02/Carbon-footprint-of-protein-foods-2.png
A comprehensive and nuanced story Hannah. I always enjoy your writing. It seems what we eat and why requires a bit of effort. What are YOUR risk factors? What are YOUR personal beliefs. Having worked in a business adjacent to food production in the US, the dairy industry is amongst the most distorted. One of the legacies, at least in the US is to allow certain products (meat and dairy) to present their calorie breakdowns by volume rather than caloric %. If all products were consistently presented as % of calories from fat, consumers would be served better. 2% milk comes to mind. Let's report saturated fat by volume while every other food will report differently so comparison is difficult. Also, while most consumer facing goods provide an ingredients list, while products such as ground beef and milk are a distilled array of ingredients mixed together to meet government thresholds (fast food beef production removes, crushes and adds back crushed bone to the allowable threshold -- yuk). You fairly point out that for some, especially those with risk factors, saturated fat is the predictor for most all of the most likely killers so a focus on limiting it is sensible for some. For many of us, it is wise to severely limit animal fat/cholesterol and saturated fat in general. This is not preachy but rather borne out without controversy for many of us.
The thing that you have not stated is the cruelty of the dairy industry. Dairy farms are an eternal living hell for cows. For cows to produce milk (like humans) they need to keep having babies. The cows are forcibly impregnated, which is like rape. When their calves are born they’re separated from their mothers soon after birth, and the male calves go straight to the slaughter house. The female calves are put into solitary confinement hutches until they can be impregnated like their mothers. The mother cows cry for their babies for days. After about 4 years of repeated pregnancies and having her calves stolen from her, the milk dries up and she is loaded onto a truck and taken to a slaughterhouse. Humans are the only species that drink milk beyond infancy, and the only species that drink another species milk. We as humans don’t need to consume cows milk or any animal products to thrive and survive. My plant based milk doesn’t have any cruelty attached. If I get any less protein from it, I get enough from all the other fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes I eat. I have yearly blood tests and all my nutritional levels are spot on, including my protein, B3 and iron. The best thing is my cholesterol has never been lower since I went vegan.
I would love your research to consider factors such as soil health, including microbial density and diversity, as well as plant diversity (grasses, cereals, legumes, brassicas, & chenopods) and plant nutrition. Additionally, how these farming considerations can positively influence the health of the cow and how that affects the nutrient density and overall quality of the milk. My belief is that there are obvious synergies at play here, which can have both "upstream and downstream benefits" way beyond simply producing a healthy glass of milk.
WIC only allows 1% and soy milk because of the protein
Fair summary, I think. In Germany, one can also find pea-based drinks, which are somewhat higher in protein as well (but not quite at the level of soy) as well as various blends, eg oat-almond, pea-almond etc.