Milk is a staple of many households – we use it for morning cereal, afternoon soups, to coat chicken for dinner, and even to dip a few cookies in for dessert. Even so, dairy is one of the most controversial industries for various reasons. As more and more people are trying to eliminate it from their diets, replacements are popping up all over – to mixed results. Some dairy-free milk options are great, but others do not quite make the cut.
It is important to know that you will not find many dairy-free milk types that taste, feel, and look just like milk. For those who aren’t drinking traditional milk because they are vegans or don’t want to support the dairy industry, these kinds of milk will do just fine. If you do enjoy milk but have trouble digesting it, you may want to consider taking lactobacillus probiotics specifically for dairy digestion which can help with digestion and keeping milk as a part of your diet: https://bioptimizers.com/lactobacillus-probiotic-uses-treatment-dosage-what-is-it/.
Want to eliminate dairy milk from your diet? Here are a few places to start:
Oat Milk – Best For Mouth Feel
Oat milk has been a game-changer for so many people. This milk is thicker than many other kinds of dairy-free milk, which earns points in its favor. It also tends to have some sort of flavoring, which helps when you add it to desserts, coffee, or cereal. In fact, drinking some oat milk feels a bit more luxurious than other types of milk.
One thing to be aware of is that oak milk does tend to be a bit more expensive than other types of dairy-free milk.
Cashew Milk – If You Are Looking For Protein
If you tell anyone that you are vegan or vegetarian, one of their first questions will always be, “But how are you going to get your protein?” Milk is an option for many vegetarians, but vegans have a harder time. With cashew milk, you are getting more protein per ounce. This helps it to be creamy and more satisfying than other milks – and it makes it a great substitute in many recipes.
Once again, cashew milk can be a bit harder to find and it does tend to be a bit more expensive than other options.
Almond Milk – For The Budget Conscious
Even though most milk replacements are much more expensive than traditional milk cartons, almond milk is almost always the most affordable. It doesn’t have a bad taste to it (especially if you get the flavored options) and it does feel like traditional milk. Even better, it is one of the easiest types of dairy-free milk to find – you won’t have to go to a specialty store.
Some people don’t love the color of almond milk because it is an off-white, beige color.
Soy Milk – Best For Recipes
While most of the milk types on this list can be used in recipes, if you are going to be cooking or baking, the best option is soy milk. Not only does it look and feel like traditional milk, but it also cooks like it. It is also a great option for those who want something that looks and feels like real milk – you may even be able to fool someone.
Once again, soy milk is probably the most popular and easiest to find of all milk alternatives.
Coconut Milk – Best For Healthy Fats
Coconut milk is a bit of a controversial option among people. Some people like that it does have that slightly coconut-y taste to it and some people don’t. What most people find is that you will have to do some testing if you want to use this milk in recipes – it is great for some, but it doesn’t quite work for others. Still, it has some really great healthy fats that most people only get from fish.
Coconut milk can also come in many different forms, so you may want to experiment with different thicknesses. As a general rule, if you get the milk in canned form, it will be much thicker than traditional milk. When warmed, it will thin out (much like a cream-based soup). However, you can also get liquid versions that are already thinned out. The thinner version often has a milder flavor.
Eliminating dairy from your diet is something many people do for moral, health or environmental reasons. Don’t feel like that means your diet has to be lacking. Rather, it can mean that you have plenty of other options available to you that you wouldn’t have tried before now – or you can just trying taking a lactobacillus probiotic – visit BiOptimizers.com to find out more information.