The local Los Angeles communities have hopped on new dietary trends over the past years including vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, dairy free diets, etc etc, etc. However, the newest trends of consuming non-dairy milks have recently sky-rocketed across the general Southern California area. Other metropolitan areas across Northern America too have started to switch their dairy milks to plant milks including San Francisco, New York city, Chicago, etc.
Such a dietary trend really started after the media exposed the truths about the animal care industry. This caused many people to change their minds about animal products, specifically milk. It is quite interesting to see that many people choose to not consume cartoned milk, but they will continue to stock their fridges with an array of cheeses to assemble their trendy charcuterie boards. Others though choose to consume plant milks due to lactose intolerance. I am one of those people, therefore non-dairy milk plays an important role in my daily life.
The non-dairy milk trend though, specifically around almond and oat milk have risen significantly over the past five-ish years. In fact, New York Times writer, Victoria Peterson identifies this rise of non-dairy milk trends, stating that the “Sales of plant milk in the United States totaled $2.5 billion at the end of 2020, accounting for 15 percent of all retail sales of milk, and 35 percent of the larger market for plant-based foods” (Par. 14). The amount of consumer purchasing behind these plant milk products is expected to increase to a solid “30 percent of all milk sales” which will “come from small-batch producers” (Par. 14). Such milks will also continue to diversify as newer products are made from potatoes, sesame seeds, as well as a wider array of nuts/seeds than most know of these days.
While plant milks are sometimes considered healthier alternatives to dairy milks, there are controversies about the extra ingredients that are added to plant milks. Such ingredients are mostly gums, including xanthan gum, agar-agar, guar gum, and locust bean gum. These common ones allow for the plant milks to have a thicker consistency to replicate that of the traditional dairy milk. Some researchers and dietitians state that gums are safe to consume, however others argue differently.
Those that say gums are safe to consume state that they are made from soluble fibers, algae, and legumes. So because these gums are made from real ingredients, rather than chemicals and other man-made manufactured ingredients, they are identified as both “not harmful but not good for you”, says a YouBeauty website writer (Par. 5). This writer also notes that because these gums are used in such small measures they don’t have any huge health issues associated with them. These more positive reviews put us, non-dairy milk drinker’s anxieties at ease, however the other side argues that these gums are associated with negative gut health.
This negative association is proposed as the gums disrupt microbiomes that exist within the gut which allows for healthy digestion. Beth Krietsch, nutritional publicist of the HuffPost explains that such gums have the ability to negatively alter intestinal health and function (Par. 17). The issues of having disruptive digestion are limitless and are currently a hot topic within the health and wellness industry.
From a personal point of view, a healthy gut is significantly under-represented within pharmaceutical Western medicine. As a firm believer in holistic medicine, gut health is the key to one’s overall health. Research shows that the gut is highly connected to one’s brain function and when one’s gut health isn’t up to par, one can experience brain fog which ultimately interrupts one’s focus, processing, and overall functioning.
When considering both of these arguments, it is up to one’s personal discretion to decide whether or not plant milks interrupt their bodies and overall health. Some sensitive individuals might find these gums to highly interrupt their digestive health, while others may argue the complete opposite. At the end of the day though, I think it is widely accepted that non-dairy products are “healthier”, however that is not always the case due to such associations with added gum ingredients.
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It has always annoys me how plant based milk in the U.S. are thicker than it should be. After learning its because of the gums added to which it's not even healthy, I’m even more annoyed. Plant based milk is not going to taste like real milk no matter what you add, so why even bother with the thickness. Also, pure soy milk tastes much better and refreshing to me. It's just infuriating that there are milks made from ten different plants in every supermarket in California but soy milk without gums is impossible to find
I think the rise of milk alternatives is such a big thing in the U.S specifically. Ever since moving to California, I see so many different milk options at grocery stores, restaurants and coffee shops. Moreover, I see so many Americans drinking more milk than whole milk to be “healthier”. Sometimes I ask myself, what makes oat milk or soy milk healthier than whole milk? I also see a rise in alternative milks in Europe but not at the same high fast rate as the U.S today.
This article is extremely interesting considering the climate and narrative surrounding plant based milks in recent years. It feels that everyone has shifted to plant based alternatives, and there's never really a question about whether or not these alternatives are healthy. It's almost just a given based on the narrative of plant based items being "healthier". Inevitably (or hopefully), these facts and figures about plant based milks will start to surface.
It's so interesting how marketing can create a perception of products without anyone really doing any scientific research about the effects of products. Obviously, the rise of these milk alternatives are great for vegans and those who have lactose intolerance, but. the claim that something is inherently healthy or unhealthy across the board doesn't make much sense to me. I personally believe that every body is different and people need to listen to their own bodies for what makes them feel healthy and strong, or consult a registered dietician if they're having issues.