You may think you’re doing your body a favor when you switch cow’s milk for a plant-based version, but think again.
The latest versions of soy, rice, coconut and almond milk are highly processed and can be full of a nutritional bogeyman far worse than dairy – sugar.
There’s a reason for that, of course. Plant-based milks taste nothing like the smooth and naturally sweet cow’s milk we all know. In fact, most of them taste downright yucky without fillers to give them a comparable texture and sweeteners to improve their flavor.
Health writer and dietician Tamara Duker Freuman counsels her patients who have digestive problems related to dairy to read labels for sugar grams because they can be astronomical. For instance, flavored almond or coconut milks contain between 50-130 calories a cup and 6-16 grams of added sugar, whereas the unsweetened versions clock in at 30-40 calories and no added sugar at all.
Plain ol’ low fat cows’ milk contains 100 calories, 11 grams of naturally occurring sugar and 8 grams of good-for-you protein. Plant-based milk has no protein unless artificially added and non-dairy yogurt has even more added sugar than milks.
Considering the unhealthy additions of fillers and sugars to alternative milks, Duker Freuman recommends organic, lactose-free dairy products for her patients with non-allergic digestive problems. As always, eating real, minimally processed foods is the best option.
Source: U.S. News.com
Pamela Hasterok