I don’t remember exactly when I switched to plant-based milk. I’ve had a lactose intolerance* since college and switching away was originally to enjoy cereal without an upset stomach. I suspect this was in 2012 or so.
Back then, the only types of plant-based milks that I was aware of were soy and rice milks. I noticed that there was a difference in taste and texture between the different brands. I didn’t really like soy milk in cereal, but I liked it in coffee.
Then almond milk came into my purview. I preferred the consistency and taste of almond milk to soy milk for cereal.
A couple of years ago I discovered Milkadamia and as you may guess, it is made from macadamia nuts. My understanding is that the production of almonds is rather water-intensive and I really like Milkadamia. (Nuts in general are water-intensive to grow, but the majority of them are grown in California where droughts are common. NOTE: Growing nuts is still significantly less water intensive than raising farm animals).
Additionally, for many California almonds, bees are often shipped in from elsewhere to pollinate the trees. Many bees die in the process so I seek out alternatives to almond when I can. I find, however that Milkadamia or almond milks are too thin in my coffee.
The plot (and non-dairy milk) thickens:
My husband was willing to try non-dairy milk and decided that he liked some of them a lot. His preferred brand is Califia Farms creamer in his coffee. We also learned about a new company called Not Milk. Not Milk is a plant-based milk that was engineered to act and taste like dairy milk. It is pretty darn close. My husband loves the 2% and is totally satisfied using that in his morning cereal. The 2% Not Milk works well for me in my coffee, and we no longer use dairy milk in our home!
The whole food plant-based experts from Cornell’s plant-based nutrition program suggest using plant-based milks that aren’t overly engineered or contain added oils like the Not Milk. But at the end of the day, it’s all better than dairy milk** and we should delight in all the plant-based options now available to us.
There are always other environmental issues to consider when choosing a product. We can spend all day researching each brand (which I sometimes do, but not always.) I try to use as many organic products as I can too.
In a nutshell, these are the brands we currently prefer:
Milkadamia (I prefer unsweetened vanilla flavor)
Do you have a favorite?
*Humans are the only animals that drink another animal’s milk once they are weaned. Our systems really aren’t set up for milk past the age of too and our bodies retaliate in the form of upset stomach, and possibly acne.
**According to research in The China Study, casein, the protein found in milk also causes cancer.