For me, this has been a year of trying new things- anything that could bring me out of my comfort zone or improve my quality of life all together. I was having flare ups with my allergies and eczema because of the presence of dairy in my diet, so I started to search for a substitute to add to my grocery list. One of the things I stumbled upon when I was trying to find a non-dairy alternative to milk was oat milk.
As a person with food allergies, finding oat milk was like a dream come true. The oat milk I swear by is Planet Oat OatMilk and it’s dairy, nut, soy, gluten, and lactose free, with no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives added. This was important to me because I could not drink other non dairy alternatives such as almond or cashew due to my nut allergies. Soy milk wasn’t even an option in my mind because of the effects soy has on the body. I just didn’t like rice milk because it was too watery. Oat milk is and will always be the best alternative milk to me.
It didn’t take me long to get accustomed to the taste of oat milk; it’s rich and creamy and tastes similar to the milk left in a bowl after you finish eating cereal, but not in an overbearing way. Besides the taste, there are also multiple nutritional benefits to switching to oat milk. Planet Oat is vegan and contains fiber, protein, and more calcium than what is found in cow’s milk. They also have a multitude of vitamins in their oat milk including: vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B12, riboflavin and calcium. They are also kosher and non-GMO.
As I stated before, oat milk is vegan, but it’s also environmentally sustainable. Out of all the milk alternatives, oat milk is the one that uses the least amount of water, energy, and 80 percent less land to produce. Due to its low environmental impact, oat milk is among the elite of non dairy beverages. There are multiple variables discussed on what milk is the best for the environment, but ultimately oat milk is the best option because it’s the most sustainable and tastes great!
Oat milk has become a popular substitute, as it’s being introduced into major food and drink establishments, such as Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts. This popularity could stem from the increased “oat milk craze” on social media or just because oat milk is that good. I personally feel better for having it in my diet, both physically and environmentally. I’m doing my part to decrease my impact on the world through switching to oat milk and it also has helped me as far as health issues. So if you’re looking to try something new or just want to try it to see what the hype is about, I highly suggest it.