Drink to Your Health, Milk Alternatives Are Here to Stay

Summer is known to make me sluggish. My mood and my stomach seem to have a slower pace. I try to eat healthy. Seasonal, check. Hydration more than just water, check. Fresh and cooling foods, check. Yet, I don’t feel like a warrior. Then, someone brought it up. ‘How do you start your day?’-‘With a tall glass of cold coffee’- ‘Try almond milk.’

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve made the switch and I’ve become quite a fan of the sweet and nutty flavour. I also feel lighter and my gut is happier. But I’m not ready to give up on dairy still. How do you know which milk is right for you?

“Ideally, infants should be fed their mother’s milk for the first three years. After the age of three, they stop producing an enzyme called lactase which is required to digest milk. Their bodies lose the ability to break down the milk proteins (casein) which inhibits the absorption of calcium from milk,” says Meenu Nageshwaran, Vegan Chef and Healer.

It makes sense, then, to believe that animal milk is not giving you the right nutrition you need because about 82% of milk protein is casein. In their 2013 study published in the journal JAMA Paediatrics, Pediatrician Dr. David Ludwig and Harvard nutritionist Dr. Walter Willett urge us to regard milk as a dietary choice and not a nutritional requirement. In countries where people consume no dairy products, osteoporosis rates don’t appear to be higher, possibly because people are getting their dose of calcium from other sources, they claim.

"70% of the Indians are actually allergic to milk and they may not even know it. You could have skin breakouts, acne or any mild symptoms that often go unnoticed. Broccoli has more calcium than milk. Soya has more protein than milk. So, you don't really have to depend on milk for these nutrients," says Sakshi Hari Khanna, Founder of All Nut in New Delhi that offers milk alternatives.
 
This has become a matter of debate and the jury is still out. According to Dr. Rupali Datta, Chief Nutritionist, SmartCooky, “Milk provides complete nutrition. It is one of the best sources of calcium and good quality proteins. In fact, dairy is an important food group in a balanced diet. I have come across many patients who find milk hard to digest or feel bloated after drinking it; in such cases I suggest you have it with cereal, in the form of a porridge or yoghurt. Having it lightly brewed with Tulsi leaves also makes it easier to digest."

A lot depends on the quality of milk you buy but there are fears surrounding the extreme commercialization in modern dairy. “In an attempt to increase productivity from the cow, the dairy industry puts immense stress on them by impregnating them again and again; this leads to the release of the stress hormone “cortisol” which is then consumed by humans. They are further treated with antibiotics that are also then consumed by humans through their milk. All of these hormones and antibiotics create an acidic pH in the human body and also wreak havoc with the endocrine system and hormonal balances within the body, leading to a number of chronic health problems and allergies,” says Devika Modi who’s been off dairy for eight years now and runs Shuddha Foods in New Delhi known for its vegan beverages.

To make matters worse, studies have found that pasteurization renders much of the calcium contained in raw milk insoluble. I don’t really feel guilty about breaking up with milk and this is not the first time. Two years ago, I was diagnosed with a Vitamin D deficiency and I took to drinking soy milk. I have to confess I couldn’t tolerate the taste. During this time, I learned that most of the soy crop might actually be genetically modified – a fact that made me spit out my Soy Latte in alarm. Better to skip than sip unless your carton of milk speaks otherwise.