New research reveals the most nutritious plant-based milk

From telegraph.co.uk

A new study shows pea milk to be closest in nutritional value to cow's which is the healthiest of all vegan alternatives 

Oat and soy milk have become ubiquitous as people swap dairy for a plant-based diet.

But new research suggests that pea milk is the only vegan option that will give you anything close to as many nutrients as cow's milk.

According to analysis from the US Food and Drink Administration (FDA), pea milk is the only vegan-friendly milk option which has comparable nutrient levels to that of cow’s milk.

Scientists looked at the level of phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and selenium in cow milk — all vital nutrients — as well as 85 samples of pea, soy, almond, cashew, coconut, hemp, oat and rice milk to see which were the most nutritional.

Cow milk comes from the animal’s udder before being pasteurised, whereas plant milks are produced when a crop is ground down and soaked in water with emulsifiers and stabilisers.

While it was once a niche corner of the supermarket aisles, vegan milks are now a mainstream option, often found in cafes and work fridges alongside blue-top and semi-skimmed traditional milk.

But the new data shows that people opting for the more environmentally friendly plant milks may be compromising on their health. Previous studies have shown animal milk to be higher in calories, but there has never before been a consensus on how alternatives stack up for a wider range of compounds.

“The minerals we measured in these products are known to play a role in many functions in the body, including normal immune system function, proper regulation of blood pressure/glucose, and bone health,'' study author Dr Benjamin Rean at the FDA told ZME Science.

Pea milk had the highest levels of phosphorus, zinc and selenium, while soy topped the plant milk list for magnesium. However, all plant milks were inferior to cow’s milk across the board in this experiment.

“Those who consume plant-based milk alternatives lower in these target minerals should seek to obtain these nutrients through other foods or beverages,” Dr Redan told the New Scientist.

Nuts, seeds and lentils are a good source of nutrients for vegans, and can help provide a well-rounded diet when cutting out meat.

The findings are not yet peer-reviewed but were presented at the American Chemical Society meeting in Chicago this week.

Vegan diets are becoming increasingly common, with recent data from Oxford University showing that the number of people eating vegan-friendly foods has doubled in the last decade.

Between the years 2008 and 2011, just 6.7 per cent of Britons reported eating plant-based alternatives to traditional foods, such as oat milk, vegan sausages and Quorn mince.

Twice this proportion of people (13.1 per cent) ate these foods between 2017 and 2019 and, as a result, the total amount of plant-based foods consumed has more than doubled.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/08/28/pea-milk-nutritious-vegan-alternatives-cows-still-wins/