Alternative Milks

Coffee shops worldwide have been offering us milk alternatives for a few years, so let’s explore our top 3: Almond Milk, Coconut Milk and Oat Milk.

Below we cover our why we recommend these as part of your daily routine and why we prefer these plant based alternatives over cow’s dairy.

INSERT - tut’s, eye rolls and people saying, their is nothing wrong with dairy.

You may even say, “We need the calcium” - well…

FACT: 100ml Whole Milk contains 125 mg Calcium

FACT: 18 grams Poppy Seeds contains 252 mg Calcium

Read on, by the end, you might just fancy the switch…

Why are we suggesting alternative milks?

Over 10 years of coaching experience has shown us that people respond better to removing dairy completely from their diets for the short/medium term (0-6 months).

Why?

Well people generally start out their coaching journey’s like this:

Poor eating habits - too much sugar, too much processed food, not enough protein, not enough vegetables.
Poor sleeping habits - not enough quality, quantity and no routine around sleep and the importance of it in your life (sleeping is lazy right?)
Over stimulated - we all live on coffee, tea, energy drinks, pre-workouts, yet the impact of these on your adrenals and central nervous system is not even considered - it is always a trade off and always pro’s VS con’s
Zero accountability and continuity - if people treated food (calories) the same way they treated their money, you’d learn very fast what works and what doesn’t work. You have nobody to answer to, are king/queen of your world and don’t need anyone telling you what to do. Problem is - your health sucks because of it and your body is a reflection of your attitude and knowledge.
Finally, poor gut health - due to all the above and more, you end up with daily symptoms such as: bloating, passing gas, burping, water retention, cravings, energy highs & lows, anxiety, poor sleep, poor skin, fat gain, poor muscle tone and many more. You ultimately have all the symptoms of “chronic inflammation” and yet you’ll probably say “it’s normal”.

Your body needs a break, we have seen people achieve faster results from using plant alternatives, therefore, we like it and it’s our preference.

Your Options

Here are our Top 3: Almond milk, Coconut milk and Oat Milk.

Almond Milk

The popular plant based alternative has been in coffee shops for a while and really started to feature in people’s lives as an alternative.

So is almond milk good for you? In addition to supplying a hearty dose of several essential nutrients, almond milk has also been linked to some pretty impressive health benefits.

What are the benefits to my health?

Low in calories - 100ml almond milk is 13 kcal VS 100ml whole milk is 66 kcal
Low in sugar - 100ml almond milk has 0 grams sugar VS 100ml whole milk at 4.7 grams
High in Vitamin E - Almonds are a renowned great source of this and during processing they normally add additional too.
High in Vitamin D - this is an important nutrient for many aspects of good health, including heart function, bone health and immune function. Almond Milk is often fortified with it during manufacturing, so this helps you with your recommended daily requirement.
Lactose Free - often people have sensitivity to lactose, so this provides great relief for your gut health, digestion and bodies systems.

Coconut Milk

Coconut milk is the slightly more calorific option (higher calories) than your Almond milk, but the taste is so good and this beauty is packed with nutrients that are great for your body.

Coconut milk’s properties have been shown to include the ability to build up the bodies immune system and prevent disease.

What are the benefits to my health?

Improves Heart Health - Coconuts are one of the best sources of a fat called lauric acid, this has antibacterial and antiviral properties. Coconuts contain minerals that are important for circulation and controlling blood flow, showing positive impacts on lowering blood pressure and keeping blood vessels elastic and free from plaque build up.
Improves Gut Health - being completely dairy-free, you don’t have the risk of lactose sensitivity as with regular milk. It has also been shown to nourish the digestive lining due to the electrolytes and healthy fats present within the nutrient, improving gut health an preventing conditions like IBS.
Reduce inflammation - Within coconuts we have fats called MCT’s (Medium Chain Triglycerides), now these are amazing for your body. MCT’s have been shown to lower inflammation, which is associated with conditions such as arthritis and general joint and muscle aches and pains.

Oat Milk

Last but by no means last, Oat Milk.

This is lactose free, dairy free and gluten free - due to the manufacturing process you’ll find added vitamins and minerals too in the form of vitamin D, Calcium and Vitamin B12.

Whilst we like this, it is higher calories and due to the manufactring process can be high in sugars.

Some key things to be aware of:

Higher Carbohydrate Content - Of the three we have chosen, this one is higher in Carbohydrates because of it’s origin of Oats - our suggestion is using this either pre or post workout for the most out of this milk.
Not as nutrient dense - compared to the almond milk and coconut milk, oat milk isn’t as qualified on the nutrient front. This is ok, but we recommend one of the other two as a key part of your diet, using Oat milk around workouts.
Not ideal for kids - children require as much nutrient dense food as they can for optimal growth, development and repair. Is Oat Milk better in our opinion that Cows Milk, yes, but is it as good as the other alternatives - NO.

BUT, we do love this for a post workout shake with some vegan protein powder and a tsp of cinnamon powder: