Its obvious oat milk is having its moment all over the world right now. It may be plant-based, dairy-free and a great option for those who are lactose-intolerant or allergic to milk, but personally, I don’t drink oat milk and I wanted to share why as a nutritionist.
As always, I think it’s so important to understand exactly what you’re consuming and the possible effects it has on your body. And for that reason, I’m sharing the three reasons why I choose other plant-based milks below:
Oat milk is typically made with vegetable oils like rapeseed, canola and sunflower oils, which cause inflammation in the body, owing to their high omega 6 concentration. Adding fats like this is known to increase the texture, but I like to avoid inflammatory oils as often as possible. Here are some brands I like and recommend that don’t include seed oils: Pure Harvest, Nutty Bruce, Coles Brand Coconut Milk.
The process that turns oats into oat milk includes enzymes that break down the oats, turning them into maltose, a high-glycemic sugar that’s responsible for the sweet taste. High-glycemic foods can cause increased blood sugar levels and it’s something we should be on the lookout with our favorite food & drinks. A way to alleviate the rapid increase in blood sugar would be to combine the oat milk with nutrient-dense foods that are rich in protein, healthy fats, and/or fiber. You know I’m a big advocate for keeping added sugars to a minimum in our diets, so if you have the option, I’d recommend an alternative milk that’s higher in protein, like almond or cashew, but again, these options are only slightly better from a macronutrient point of view(making them from home helps increase their protein content, too!).
Oats are widely sprayed with glyphosate, a heavily-used chemical and weed killer, otherwise known as Roundup. Glyphosate is carcinogenic, meaning it’s a cancer-causing pesticide, it disrupts your microbiome, and is banned in certain countries due to these findings. Unless you know you’re consuming organic oats (far less exposure to glyphosate), this is something to keep in mind when you’re grocery shopping / ordering a coffee.
The Bottom Line
While this does not mean you have to give up your favourite oat milk entirely, you can look for a good quality oat milk that doesn’t contain all the heavy fillers (my picks are Pureharvest oat milk, Coles organic oat milk and Oatly Oat Milk – any others are pretty poor quality)additives and sugars that most oat milks on the shelves contain. Also it can help making room in your diet for other plant-based milks. Almond milk, for example, is relatively low in calories and contains lower amounts of carbs than cow’s milk. Soy milk is a great source of protein (as are the soybeans it is derived from) and can also be used as an alternative to cow’s milk. Still though, from a nutrient perspective, cows milk trumps all for nutrition!
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