What’s in a name?

Milk is a part of most people’s life from infancy but along the way we develop allergies or discover that we are lactose intolerant. Luckily, as an infant you can’t speak so you are able to get the benefits of colostrum which has a huge amount of nutrients, proteins, carbs, and fats that help your immune system develop.

Dairy milk has a huge amount of nutrients and helps your bones as you age. Milk has nutrients such as calcium, A, D, B, protein, and more. As you can see there are many reasons why kids are given milk and why adults drink it too. 

A tip: Your body needs Vitamin D to absorb calcium (hence why milk is so good) so if you think you are getting enough calcium in your diet but still might be having aching bones, perhaps you are Vitamin D deficient.

With the population aging and many being intolerant to lactose, new age milks are emerging. One of my favorites is A2 Milk. A2 Milk is milk without the A1 protein that makes people lactose intolerant. It is still cow’s milk but from cow’s that only have the A2 milk protein. Definitely tastes great and like milk since it is cow’s milk! Another one of my favorite milks is Ripple milk. Ripple milk is made with pea protein and has 8g protein in 1 cup and is dairy-free!

A slew of other options are available and there is a raging debate as to whether these should be called milk or not, what do you think? Should hemp, almond, flax, coconut, soy, cashew, rice, almond, and even cockroach milk be called milk? 

Having tried most of the aforementioned milk, I will say my go to is always almond because the price point is good and you can get gallon sizes now. It is definitely fortified but tastes good. Soy milk, coconut, and almond are all available in most US coffee shops now so that makes getting your favorite drink even easier but remember even if you buy these milks, make sure to check the sugar level as though you may be thinking you are having something healthy, the sugar may lead to an expanding waistline. Cashew milk is one that I’m not a fan of because I find it expensive and it doesn’t have a very creamy mouthfeel but maybe I just haven’t tried the right brand. Hemp milk is another one of faves because of it’s creamy mouthfeel and is very similar in nutty taste like almond milk plus it is full of necessary omega-3 fatty acids.

Two upcoming trends are walnut milk and cockroach milk. Walnut milk will take traction with those consumers who like nut milks but cockroach milk? I’ll try a lot of things but just the name is enough of a turn off, no matter how nutrient rich it may be!

So that brings us back to the debate of-are these milk alternatives truly milk? Most of these milks list as their first two ingredients filtered water and the respective nuts followed by 2% or less of various fortified (added) nutrients. Plus, one can see why the dairy industry would not be happy to include these alternatives into the milk category as the farming industry would suffer if that were too happen. On the other hand, consumers like alternatives and these alternatives are not going away. Hopefully, a compromise will be reached by both sides.

Truly, what’s in a name?

Disclaimer: this is an opinion post and should not be taken as an endorsement or lack of for any product by me or my employer.