If you like cappuccino or latte, you almost certainly tried it with alternative milk, which is plant-based milk; and it doesn’t contain any lactose which is a safe option for people who are intolerant to dairy. In this day and age, when there are a lot of people passionate about the environment, some non-diary alternatives can easily take the credit for saving the environment as it uses up much less resources when it is produced and emits fewer gases into the atmosphere. Non-diary alternatives are offered in different varieties such as unsweetened and sweetened, flavoured with vanilla or chocolate; and it also can have a different fat content.
Soy Milk
The soy milk is extracted from soybeans; it can rightfully be the most popular non-dairy milk in the market. The product is rich in nutrients; it contains Vitamin A and D, riboflavin and calcium; it also includes at least 8 grams of protein. However, this milk can result in severe allergic conditions to people who suffer from a soy allergy.
Coconut Milk
The coconut alternative’s texture is close to that of cow milk. The product is high in concentration of fats. It also has a nice nutty flavour for whose who likes nuts. It contains more potassium content than cow milk.
It has a very low environmental impact. The farms are eco-friendly and use small amounts of water to produce coconuts. Coconut trees can also filter out carbon dioxide, which is great for combating greenhouse gases. The transportation and processing are the only environmental impacts to consider in the production of coconuts.
Almond Milk
The milk comes with a creamy texture, which is sweet and similar to that of dairy milk. It contains a lower content of fats and calories; the milk contains a lot of vitamin E, along with a variety of minerals and nutrients, including Zinc, Magnesium, potassium, calcium, copper, and Iron. It can cause severe allergic conditions for people who suffer from tree nut allergies. Almonds require a lot of water to yield (more water than any other dairy alternative), consuming 130 pints of water to produce a single glass of almond milk.
Rice Milk
Another great alternative to dairy milk is the rice milk that is an extract from boiled rice, brown rice starch, or brown rice syrup. Most of the preferred ingredients include the genetically modified type of rice. It has a texture that is close to that of cow’s milk, which comes with a naturally sweet taste.
To grow rice, it needs a lot of water, and therefore, it impacts negatively towards the environment.
Hemp Milk
The hemp milk is an extract from the hemp seeds which have high content of proteins and healthy fatty acids.
Apart from the milk, every part of the hemp plant is useful. Therefore it minimizes the waste products and hence considered as environmentally friendly.
Another way to ensure sustainable choices is to choose milk alternatives made from what Emery describes as “niche crops” such as hemp and flax. They are grown in relatively small quantities in the northern hemisphere, which makes them more environmentally friendly compared with a monoculture operation. Both plants produce seeds that make for a milk rich in protein and healthy fats.
Flax Milk
Another alternative to dairy milk is the Flax Milk extracted from the non-GMO flax. The flax milk contains high fiber content that helps improve your digestion system; it also contains alpha-linolenic acids which are useful in preventing and treating heart as well as blood vessels related diseases. Such diseases include heart attacks, high blood pressure, hardening of blood vessels, and high cholesterol levels.
Oat Milk
It’s an extract from the oat seeds, which many people believe that is only good for the livestock.
Oat milk contains a lot of vitamin B,
Growing the plant needs less water to mature, and therefore it’s an environmentally friendly plant. Also, Oat plants do emit reduced levels of the CO2 gas into the atmosphere at thus reduces cases of global warming effects.
Hazelnut
For consumers who want the nutritiousness and tastiness of a nut milk but without the environmental impacts of almond farming, the hazelnut is a rising star. Like all nuts, hazelnuts grow on trees that pull carbon from the atmosphere and help reduce greenhouse emissions rather than increase them. Hazelnuts are environmentally superior to almonds in that they are pollinated by the wind rather than commercial honeybees and they grow in moist climates, such as the Pacific north-west, where water is less of an issue.
Pea Protein Milk
It contains protein content that is as much as the protein in dairy milk. it requires a reduced amount of water, and also has a small carbon footprint and therefore reduces chances effects of global warming.
In conclusion, it is fair to mention that the dairy industry has an overall negative affect on the environment. It takes up a massive territory land, lots of fertiliser and water to grow food for the cows. It also takes a lot of energy to process raw milk. Cows generate loads of methane, which is more harmful to the environment than carbon dioxide
