Make the Switch Today

 

The trend for drinking plant milk in place of cow milk is on the rise, but why should you, specifically, make the switch?

Firstly, there are many cons and setbacks to drinking cow milk. Dairy production largely affects climate change due to emissions of many greenhouse gases including methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide. Many dairy operations can also be harmful to air emissions, water pollution, and soil degradation. Furthermore, cows in the dairy industry are treated terribly. They suffer their entire lives just to be slaughtered and even go through tragedies such as braiding, dehorning, and tail docking. Also, dairy doesn’t even benefit us as much as you would think. In the past, experts have advised us to drink cow milk to build stronger bones and prevent fractures. However, this theory has actually been disproven, and there’s no longer strong evidence to show the benefits of drinking dairy to reduce fracture risk. Lastly, about 70% of the world's population is actually lactose intolerant, which means drinking cow milk can be harmful to our bodies since most of us lose the ability to break down lactose as we grow older. 

On top of that, there are many benefits to drinking plant milk. There are so many types and variations of plant-based milks. Almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, cashew milk, coconut milk, rice milk, and macadamia milk are just a few of the ones you could try! They are usually pretty flavorless unsweetened, but they also come in different flavors that, in my opinion, taste way better than cow milk. Plant milks are also very healthy. They are very rich in vitamins and minerals, low in fat and sugar (the unsweetened ones), and do not contain cholesterol. Some even contain more calcium than cow milk! In the environmental perspective, plant-based milks leave a substantially smaller carbon footprint than dairy milk. And last but not least, price is another big factor when buying milk. Yes, some high quality plant-based milks are steeply more expensive than dairy, but some are also around the same price or even cheaper. Soy milk is a great, affordable, plant-based alternative to cow milk if price is important to you. However, if you can afford it, I definitely recommend splurging on some plant milk the next time you go to the grocery store to make the environment, your body, and your taste buds happier!