Plant-based milk vs animal-based milk: What’s the difference?

Years ago, you could only think of drenching your cereal in whole cow’s milk, to serve your breakfast. But could you sit back for a moment and think about the last time you bought a pack of whole cow milk? What type of milk do you buy for personal use or for your food and beverage business? 

If you have recently made a change in your lifestyle and your business’s produce by picking plant-based milk alternatives like almond milk or soy milk, we’d say, “the dairy aisle is changing”. Interestingly, plant-based milk like soya milk or almond milk are also known and labelled as soya beverages or almond beverages respectively due to the absence of actual dairy factors. 

But the question is – “Which of these is healthier and should there be a shift from animal-based milk to plant-based milk?”. 

Our Director, Mr Akshit Gupta presents his views below. 

Why do people make a shift to plant-based milk? 

1. Covid-19 has accelerated the trend for food safety and the need for pure sources of nutrients. 
2. Due to lactose intolerance
3. Change in lifestyle and opting for veganism
4. Because of the low-fat concentration, the market share of plant-based milk has risen to 40%. 

How is plant-based milk produced? 

Plant-based milk is manufactured by grinding a bean or nut (as per the ingredient) and then adding water, flavours, vitamins and minerals. 

What is the nutritional value of animal-based milk vs plant-based milk? 

This is one of the most critical information to look for while deciding your milk type. Animal/Cow milk is a plentiful source of necessary nutrients like vitamins and minerals whereas in plant-based milk, depending on the variety of milk, the nutrient quotient changes.

1. Protein: Protein content in almond milk is much lower than cow milk. Quintessentially cow’s milk contains 8g of protein. 
2. Calcium: Calcium content in Calcium-fortified soy milk is the closest to cow milk ~ 300 mg calcium. 
3. Sugar: Plant-based milk is typically a better option if a consumer wants to opt for a low-sugar option. For eg, almond milk is completely sugar-free. 
4. Calories: Many plant milk like coconut milk are comparably low in calories. For eg., it contains about 45-50 calories per cup whereas cow milk contains about 120 calories. 

Basis the recipe and offers – like for a diet-conscious recipe or as a baker, you can choose the milk that gives the highest protein and calcium while being low on calories and sugar. 

Being industry experts, we suggest our esteemed clients to always look out for nutritional value and the nature of their offering in order to make a choice of plant-based milk vs animal-based milk.