
Sad times for those of us who canât survive without a latte or yogurt smoothie: the evidence is overwhelming that dairy farming is terrible for the environment (not to mention for the poor cows themselves). They produce vast amounts of methane (a greenhouse gas), and because theyâre so large, they require a lot of foodâwhich means they occupy a lot of land. âThe worldâs cows graze an area bigger than the USA,â says culinary geographer and University of the Fraser Valley faculty member Dr. Lenore Newman. âIf everyone in the world wanted to eat as much dairy as Americans and Canadians, we couldnât do it; we donât have the land. We need to find a better way or weâll literally cow ourselves to death.â
When it comes to milk, that better way has mostly been focused around plant-based alternatives such as soy milk, almond milk, oat milk, cashew milk, and coconut milk. These are widely available, but vary in their nutritional value, environmental footprints, and, of course, taste.
Whatâs the nutritional value of non-dairy milks?
Does anyone actually need cowâs milk? Holistic dietitian Shannon Smith doesnât think so. âMost adults arenât dependent on milk for protein and calories,â she says. âItâs not the case that small children need to be having dairy, either, though if you do choose not to include it in their diets, it needs to be a mindful decision because their fat, calcium, and protein needs are high.â
One of the most protein-rich milks is soy, which has around eight grams per cup. There is controversy around soy foods because the isoflavones in them have been linked with breast cancer. However, Smith says the science points in a different direction. âWhen youâre looking at whole soy-based foods such as milk, tofu, tempeh, and edamame as opposed to processed ones, the quality research actually shows overall disease prevention,â she says, though she acknowledges that you may want to limit your soy consumption to one portion a day. A harder-to-find option that she particularly likes is pea-protein milk, the main maker of which is Ripple, and which has roughly the same amount of protein as soy. âMost of the other plant-based milks,â Smith explains, âincluding nut milks and oat, only have a small amount of protein.â
Cowâs milk is naturally high in calcium and is supplemented with Vitamin D. Many milk substitutes are similarly supplemented, so Smith suggests simply comparing their nutritional information in the grocery store to check that youâre getting those micronutrients.
People are also concerned about carrageenan, a seaweed-derived ingredient added to some milks and many other foods as a thickening agent. Some research indicates that this can cause gut and stomach issues, but the majority of the scientific evidence says itâs safe. For those who are concerned, itâs easy to find carrageenan-free milks, which will usually be clearly labelled as such.
Whatâs the environmental impact of non-dairy milks?
According to Newman, there have been some good comparison studies done on the environmental impact of the various milks. âWeirdly the hardest one to figure is the true impact of dairyâother than that itâs much larger [than any plant-based milk],â she says. âThe dairy industry is like an iceberg; a lot of it is hidden because 90 per cent of milk goes into industrial food processes.â
How do the non-dairy milks stack up? âAlmond, coconut, oat, rice, and soy all save about 95 per cent of the land youâd use for dairy, and produce about five per cent of the emissions,â says Newman. âWhere they vary is in their impact on the environment.â Almond agriculture is said to negatively affect bee populations, and is water-intensiveâparticularly problematic because the majority of the nuts come from drought-affected California. Macadamias, hazelnuts, coconuts, and cashews come from places where water is abundant.
There are other issues to consider. For example, coconuts are grown in mixed forests rather than plantations, which means they can be grown alongside other plants without the need for deforestation. And growing rice produces methane, though far less than cows. âThe real winner is oat,â says Newman. âIt doesnât require cutting down tropical forests and is easy to grow. Also, Canada produces a good chunk of the worldâs oats.â
What do non-dairy milks taste like?
Smith, who is a long-term vegetarian, says finding a milk substitute thatâs palatable to a dairy drinker is subjective. âSoy milk and pea-protein milk have a similar mouth feel [to cowâs milk]. A lot of clients are leaning more towards oat milk for coffee drinks because it foams,â she says. For cooking, milk substitutes are pretty similar, though be sure to choose one thatâs not sweetened or flavoured.
Milk aside, Smith thinks most dairy alternatives have room to grow. âCheese substitutes are coming along; for example, the fermented nut-based products are pretty good,â she says. But âyogurt substitutes can be high in sugar and have long and unfamiliar ingredient lists. Most of my clients want something with real ingredients that they can understand without needing to Google them.âÂ
Whatâs in the future for non-dairy milks?
Newman is a renowned authority on this subject, and she is sounding the death knell for dairy. She acknowledges that for many people, non-dairy milks and cheeses just donât taste right, but thereâs a solution to that, and itâs not far away: fermentation-based milk. âCow in a vat, my students call it. Itâs basically a brewery. You take yeast and alter it to produce milk proteins instead of alcohol,â Newman says. This is a technique thatâs already commonly used; insulin is made this way, as is the secret ingredient in Impossible Burgers that make them taste meaty. âFermentation-based milk is viscerally equivalent to [cowâs] milkâso close that you canât tell the differenceâand youâll be able to make cheese, ice cream, and yogurt. A brand called Perfect Day [launched recently],â Newman says. Another advantage of this is that the products are free from hormones, lactose, and cholesterol.
While some people might balk at the idea of lab-created foods, Newman points out that cowâs milk is hardly a natural product. âThere is no such thing as a wild cow. The cow is a human creation, bred out of the wild auroch, which is now extinct. A cow is a piece of technology, just like this yeast,â she says. âWe can buy our milk in the supermarket and weâre so distanced from the production process, but if you walked through dairy farms and slaughterhouses youâd be horrified. As the substitutes become perfect, why would you stick with an industry that is so bad for animals?â
In her view, real dairy will eventually become a niche purchase. âI have a few bets with food theorists that the plant-based and fermentation-based products will take most of the market except for the high-end speciality products like stilton [cheese],â she says. âEventually, consumers will vote with their feet. The moral of the story is: donât buy a dairy farm.â