The Best Plant-Based Milks for the Planet

In recent years, dairy milk has started to share the shelf with more plant-based alternatives. More people are making the switch to plant-based milks as they become more concerned about the environment, their health, and animal welfare. 

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What is plant-based milk made from?

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As the name suggests, plant-based milk is made from plants instead of animals like cows. Plant-based milks can be made from:

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• Grains like rice and oat
• Legumes like peas and soy
• Nuts like almond and coconut
• Seeds like sesame and flax

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Depending on how much milk you drink, switching to plant-based or vegan milk is a great option for reducing the environmental impact of your diet. As shown below, dairy milk has a significantly higher impact in all metrics, including greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and eutrophication.

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While there isn't a single plant-based substitute for milk that clearly outshines the others, none of them has an environmental impact as high as dairy.

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Although plant-based milk alternatives require very little land and less water than dairy milk, some of them have their own drawbacks.

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For example, almond farming in the U.S. negatively impacts water usage and beekeeping. To produce a single glass of almond milk, 130 pints of water are required.

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Nearly 70% of US commercial bees are drafted every spring to pollinate almonds, which resulted in a record number of bee deaths in 2019.

Even with their imperfections, Switching from dairy milk to plant-based milk options offers significant benefits for reducing environmental harm.

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Is plant-based milk as nutritious as dairy milk?

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Plant-based milks are generally healthier due to lower fat and calorie content, but switching from dairy milk to vegan milk isn’t best for everyone especially folks relying on dairy’s higher caloric intake. 

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Compared to one cup of whole-fat dairy milk, most plant-based milks contain 37% to 75% less fat. Additionally, many non-dairy milk varieties, such as almond, rice, coconut, hemp, and cashew milk, have fewer calories than dairy milk.

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You can find a more detailed analysis here

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From a nutrition perspective, the U.S. FDA recommends choosing options that are high in protein, vitamin D, calcium, and potassium, and low in saturated fats and added sugars.

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How to choose the right plant-based milk for you

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What does oat milk taste like? Is it sweet? Does it have an aftertaste? Try different brands and flavors to find one that you really enjoy. You are more likely to stick to the one that tastes good.

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Plant-based milks may be more expensive than dairy milk since they are not yet as mainstream. However, with brands like Oatly, Silk, and Califia Farms gaining popularity, plant-based milk is expected to compete with the price of dairy milk soon.

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Here are some other brands that to try:

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• Hope and Sesame is a non-dairy milk company that uses upcycled ingredients from sesame oil production to make plant-based dairy alternatives.
• Notmilk, a Certified B Corp, uses an AI program called Giuseppi to imitate the taste and texture of animal products with more than 300,000 edible plants.
• JOI offers sustainable and customizable plant milks in reusable glass containers or post-consumer recycled pouches to reduce food waste.
• Myracle Kitchen's Mylk is a Certified B Corp that donates to regenerative farming and offsets 100% of its carbon emissions by supporting wind farms.
• Elmhurst, a family-owned dairy farm for over 90 years, switched to vegan, gluten-free, and non-GMO alternatives in 2016.

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