More ethical alternatives to cow's milk?!
More ethical alternatives to cow's milk?
I'm aware that soya milk is available, but I've also seen that there are various health concerns surrounding it (cancers, thyroid effects, pro-oestrogenic effects). What other, more ethical alternatives are there to cow's milk?
Additional Details3 days ago
Lex - you actually make a very good point (despite the thumbs down - none from me btw). From what I can tell, I don't think cows live too bad a life, especially when compared to that of most pigs.
Thing is, wrt moving away from cow-based products - my main motivation is environmental. The amount of resources a cow needs could provide MUCH more food if they were used to provide vegetarian food. In addition to that, cows produce a lot of methane, which is a FAR worse greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. That's my main reason for moving away from dairy.
Thanks again though - you have given me something to think about.
Answers:
3 days ago
Lex - you actually make a very good point (despite the thumbs down - none from me btw). From what I can tell, I don't think cows live too bad a life, especially when compared to that of most pigs.
Thing is, wrt moving away from cow-based products - my main motivation is environmental. The amount of resources a cow needs could provide MUCH more food if they were used to provide vegetarian food. In addition to that, cows produce a lot of methane, which is a FAR worse greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. That's my main reason for moving away from dairy.
Thanks again though - you have given me something to think about.
There are lots of alternatives to cow's milk. Some of them may be difficult to find so it is also good to look into international food shops or some asian food shops out there in your town.
Here's the article that I've got for you:
Seven alternatives to cow's milk
Whether it's for health reasons or just for the taste of it, there's lots of choice when it comes to your daily pint.
Oat
The health properties of oats are well known: they are rich in fibre, especially cholesterol-lowering beta-glucans, and, being a low glycaemic index food, provide a long-lasting energy drink that is favoured by many athletes. "Studies have shown that oats are better than sports drinks at boosting endurance levels," says Louise Sutton, a dietician at Leeds Metropolitan University. Commercial oat milks (such as Oatly) are widely available, but you can also make your own. Fill a large jug with one-third oats and two-thirds water. Mix, and leave overnight. The next morning, sieve the mixture and you will be left with a milky liquid that can be drunk as it is or used in place of cow's milk in some recipes.
Soya
Soya went mainstream when we were able to ask for it in our lattes at Starbucks. Now, it is not only the lactose intolerant who drink it - some people drink it for its health benefits. The UK's Joint Health Claims Initiative, an independent consumer and trading standards panel, has given the go-ahead for manufacturers of soya-rich foods to announce their products' heart-protecting benefits. After reviewing more than 50 scientific studies, experts agreed that consuming 25g of soya protein daily, as part of a diet already low in saturated fat, may help to reduce the risk of heart disease. Research has also shown that soya is helpful in warding off breast cancer and in preventing osteoporosis in menopausal women. "It is a low-fat food and a good source of protein for vegetarians and vegans," Frankie Phillips, of the British Nutrition Foundation, says.
Raw
"Unpasteurised" milk straight from the cow is being touted as a cure-all for ailments ranging from psoriasis and high blood pressure to chronic gut problems among health-conscious New Yorkers. And the trend is catching on here. Proponents claim that pasteurising milk destroys good bacteria, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, as well as bad, thereby negating the gut-protective properties of whole milk. Heat treatment also results in a 10% drop in B vitamins and folate while vitamin C levels plummet by a quarter. Heat treatment also changes the protein composition of milk. You can buy raw milk in England and Wales - it's sold in green-topped bottles - but only through restricted outlets such as farm shops. It cannot be bought in supermarkets and in Scotland it has been banned.
Sheep/Goat
Both are becoming more popular with people who are lactose intolerant. Goat's milk has a slightly salty taste that won't suit all palates. It is nutritionally similar to cow's milk, but contains a substance that binds with vitamin B12 to prevent it from being absorbed. A vitamin B12 deficiency, with similar symptoms to iron-deficiency anaemia, has been found in some young children fed on it. Sheep's milk has a rich, bland, slightly sweet taste. It contains up to twice as many minerals, such as calcium, phosphorus and zinc and the important B group vitamins, as cow's milk. It is higher in fat and calories than cow's milk. For stockists go to sheepdairying.com.
Buffalo
It may be drunk widely in Asia, but it is not what you might expect to find on supermarket shelves in Leighton Buzzard. Yet buffalo milk from a Bedfordshire farm has become so popular since it went on sale in a local Waitrose that customers now travel miles to buy it. The reason, in addition to its allergen-friendly composition, is that it is highly nutritious, with 11.5% higher protein, more vitamins and minerals (including calcium and iron) and 43% less cholesterol than cow's milk. Visit buffalogold.com.
Rice
It is perhaps not the most obvious source of milk, but fortified rice milk (made from brown rice) contains as much calcium and as many vitamins as cow's milk, and less fat than soya milk. Its main health benefit comes from fibre, which helps to reduce cholesterol and keeps blood-sugar levels constant. It has a consistency similar to skimmed milk and is a good replacement for cow's milk in cooking, although it tends to have a sweeter taste. Most commercial rice milks (such as Rice Dream) are fortified with calcium, vitamin D and vitamin A, so they are good for building bones. And they are low in calories, with only 278 a pint compared with 370 a pint in whole milk.
Coconut
Considering that coconut oil is high in saturated fat, the fresh, sweet-tasting milk from the heart of the coconut is surprisingly low in calories (it contains 228 a pint). Coconut milk sold in supermarkets is not usually fresh and is produced instead by squeezing liquid from grated coconut flesh and water. Its nutritional and calorific value is lower than the fresh stuff. Coconut milk can be served as a drink, although it is more often used as a marinade in cooking. Its protein content is very low compared with cow's milk.
-----So far, I've tasted Rice and Soya Milk. But I'll soon try oat's milk because I've heard it tastes good.----------
Soymilk and cancer? Yeah right. "Milk" can be made out of just about any nut. There is hempseed, almond, rice milk and a million others.
What's unethical about cows milk? I guess organic? I don't know.
breastfeeding
There is also rice milk readily available at most health food markets. But it is not nearly as tasty as soy milk. Find it on the same isle.
um my fave is condenced milk... or you can buy the powdered stuff lol
I've just recently discovered OAT Milk, i find it really good compared to soya, from an ingredients point of view....with soya milk they add sunflower oil and other combo of stuff to give it that milk like consistency...Oat milk, is so simple, just oat fiber, water, and a tad of sea salt...no oil etc nothing....really good for lowering cholesterol, has the same milk consistency...you actually think your drinking milk. And yes, soya does have phyto-oestrogenic effects, so its not uncommon to be concerned unwanted health effects from taking things in excess. Everything in moderation.
Oat milk, like most of these non-cowmilk milks, doesnt make your tea white lol, however, does give it that less concentrated feel ...for those who don't like strong teas.
I personally love soymilk (the health concerns circulating are just speculation), but I've tried almond milk (Almond Breeze) and it was a lot closer in taste and texture to dairy. Almond milk is fabulous when substituted for cow's milk in dessert recipes. It gives a delicate almond flavor. The nutmilks are a lot more neutral taste-wise and don't have the chalkiness of soymilk. I wouldn't recommend ricemilk - it's starchy, and although it's low in fat, it doesn't compare nutrition-wise to the nutmilks. If you like the taste of oats, go for oatmilk. Compared to soymilk it has a very mild, though distinctively oaty flavor. On the contrary, I strongly advise against coconut milk. Although this stuff has a nice flavor, just thinking about the amount of saturated fat in it gives me the willies.
If you're going for ethical alternatives, don't even think about reaching for the goat's milk. Although the demand for goat milk products are significantly smaller and objections to utilizing these creatures as machines are less vocal, you'd better believe that these goats are living the same nightmare as their bovine counterparts.
Everyone has different preferences though, so I would ultimately recommend just trying every single brand you come accross (and I warn you that you will most likely hate 80% of what you try, but keep plugging along!). It's wonderful that you want to switch over to non-dairy. Good luck in finding a good alternative.
almond milk, rice milk
For those out there who don't know why dairy milk could be considered unethical, you probably don't live near a dairy. If you have, you would laugh at the pathetic (although cute) commercials in the states saying that great cheese comes from happy cows, and happy cows come from California. Dairy farms tend to be miserable, muddy, smelly cess pools, where the animals stand outside in filth for hours or are locked into small cramped stables. You can smell one for about a mile around. And like any mammal, the only way to make them produce milk is to keep breeding them constantly. Now I don't think that the cows miss their babies like a human will, especially after she has made dozens of them, but what happens to the calves? The females are used to create more dairy cows, the males are either used as studs or could be slaughtered to produce rennet, the ingredient that makes milk curdle into cheese. Besides, it is a proven fact that dairy cows produce more methane green house gasses than anything else on this planet. Give a cow a break and drink a milk alternative when you can.
Soy doesnt cause cancer. Animal products, not plants, makes ppl sick,.. Dairy industry tries real hard to turn ppl away from alternative products. But just think about it, logically, cows milk is for baby cows, it is not meant for humans, so how can it possibly be good for us? I reccomend organic soy milk, but there are also other types like almond, rice and oat milks.
Rice milk is also available.
The health concerns with soya milk are not proven, something worth recalling.
almond milk, peanut milk, rice milk, oat milk, hazlenut milk, etc.... my favorite is almond. also, the "health concerns" surrounding soy milk are usually nothing more than propaganda from the dairy industry. soy milk is actually very healthy!
there shouldnt have to be an alternative to cows milk...most people dont know it because they are only seeing one side...but dairy cows live the best lives..and when you get a group of cows together, or any animal for that matter, you are going to be able to smell them..of course dairies arent going to be hospital clean..the cows wastes have to go somewhere..so they pump it into aeration lagoons..which allows some of the smell to go away and it cures enough to be able to spread on the fields..and in turn the fields provide some of the food for the cows...the cows do not stand outside for hours in anything but green grass or a cooling pond...and if they are inside then they are given plenty of room to lounge about in either sand or specially built beds...if dairy farmers do not make the cows happy and comfortable they wont give any milk...and yes the heifers are used as replacement calves most of the time...sometimes they go on to live an even better life as a show calf...and the bull calves may be either be used for slaughter (they are not slaughtered just to produce rennet..they are slaughtered for their meat..but as a by product we recieve ingredients for rennet, leather, coats, instrument strings, luggage, baseballs, softballs, asphalt, medicines, paint, soap, tires, china, piano keys, candy, knife handles, combs, gum, cosmetics, and camera film) or kept as bulls to reproduce more cows...no one, i repeat NO ONE, should make it sound as if dairy farmers are overpopulating the world with cows...dairy farmers are being shut down and they are losing their family farms everyday..because city people move to a small town..but they dont want to deal with what goes on in a small town..they want to get rid of all the farms and animals and they want to develop it so that it is no longer a small town...but what no one understands is that cows as well as all other animals are vital to our existence...all vegetarians, and vegans say that they dont eat or use dead beef...but you do..EVERY day of your life...so there shouldnt have to be an alternative...people should support the family farmer...and farms should be starting every day instead of being lost to land that is going to be destroyed and paved over...which destroys habitats for not only cows, but birds, worms, cats, raccoons, rabbits, skunks, turtles, bats, and a multitude of other animals...so support the farmers..dont look for alternatives that will kill them
Almond milk, hempseed milk, rice milk, oat milk, coconut milk, peanut milk, hazelnut milk. Almost any nut can be changed into milk. I also like the answer "breastfeeding", but that's not as reliable ;-)
Goats milk is quite nice try it
What about rice milk?
In truth, as you have been weaned, you don't need to have milk at all.
Depends why you find cow's milk unethical. You could try organic milk, where the cows are allowed to graze more naturally and hormones and antibiotics are not used.
yes soya milk