Fresh milk - Niryas

It's said that there are alternatives to everything. So, in that context, is there an alternative to dairy products such as fresh milk for tea (niryas.com)? Well, there are, but the next question that comes to mind is "are these alternatives equal to or better than fresh milk in terms of health benefits?" If you go by claims made by certain companies, then yes, the alternatives are better. However, if you dig deep and look at research studies, you will find that natural food items such as full fat organic milk or organic full cream milk fare better in terms of health benefits. The most common alternatives to fresh milk available today include highly processed items such as soy milk, coconut milk, almond milk, formula milk, etc. Let's take a look as to why these products don't match up to the benefits available through fresh milk.

Added sugar - Most alternative milk sources are plant-based products. These do not have the natural sweetness of dairy products such as full fat organic milk or organic full cream milk. So, in order to make plant-based milk taste better, a significant amount of sugar is added to them. Now, we all know how unhealthy sugar is and the host of diseases it causes such as diabetes, weight gain, cardiovascular problems, etc. There's already a global campaign against sugar, which is even supported by the World Health Organization (WHO). Just the added sugar thing should be reason enough to avoid these plant-based milk products.

Chemical processing – Plant-based milk products are highly processed, which significantly reduces their nutritive value. To compensate for the loss, a large dose of synthetic nutrients are added, which is something that cannot be said to be healthy, as research studies have not been conducted to ascertain their effect in the long-term. Moreover, these are loaded with chemical preservatives, which again may not be healthy. In comparison, dairy products such as full fat organic milk or organic full cream milk only go through the process of pasteurization and don’t have any preservatives.

Lack of nutrients – Plant-based milk products lack various nutrients that the human body needs on an everyday basis. In comparison, when we look at dairy products such as fresh milk, we can see that it is highly nutritious and loaded with a wide variety of essential nutrients such as calcium, protein, iodine, potassium, phosphorus and vitamins B2 and B12. These are 100% natural and are sure to provide you the energy you need to take on the challenges of life.

 Keep these factors in mind and you will easily be able to answer the question – “are there alternatives to fresh milk?”