22 Aug Celebrating World Plant Milk Day
Happy World Plant Milk Day everyone!
The availability of plant-based foods today is astonishing. Most supermarkets stock several brands that make faux meat (chicken, burgers, chorizo, kebabs, you name it), vegan cheese, cream and ice cream, and even vegan egg. 90% of restaurants will have at least one vegetarian or vegan option, and there are some places – Mildreds Soho and Cook Daily, for example – whose menus are almost entirely vegan! It’s never ever been easier to eat a delicious, varied and healthy plant-based diet, and with new products and innovations coming out constantly, it’s only going to get better.
Quorn, one of the most popular vegetarian meat brands, do chicken nuggets, mince, cocktail sausages and sausage rolls to name a few. Their recent innovations include their Lunch Bowls and Smoky Fajita and Spicy Tikka Strips. Tofurkey have their new Pockets and even a Moocho cheesecake made from tofu! Then of course there’s vegan cheese… Sainsbury’s have an impressive own brand range and Violife dairy-free cheese is positively raved about, amongst tonnes of other brands.
And then the thing that started it all – plant milks. The industry is globally estimated to be worth about $16 billion and 1,000 UK dairy farms closed between 2013 and 2016 due to reduced demand for dairy. (1) Almond milk is high in magnesium, coconut is known to strengthen the immune system and soy is packed full of protein. (2) Several brands, including Oatly and Alpro, do chocolate plant milk; there are sweetened and unsweetened versions; vanilla flavour, cinnamon flavour and other variations. The same people saying that plant milk doesn’t taste nice are the same people who still cling to the old “cow’s milk is healthy because of the calcium!!!” argument. There really is something for everyone, but unfortunately many consumers remain wilfully narrow-minded when it comes to the realm of plant-based milk and foods in general.
All plant milks offer far more health benefits than dairy ever has. Doing just a bit of research about the dairy industry and the process behind a glass of cow’s milk is all that’s necessary to make you want to switch to plant milk. Seriously. Not to mention the environmental and ethical concerns that all meat and dairy come with: the industries produce a staggering amount of carbon dioxide emissions and are horribly cruel. Meat and dairy are not good for us as consumers or for the planet, and they definitely aren’t good for the innocent animals.
Switch to plant milk, folks – it’s a simple and effective way to cut down on animal products. Even if we can’t completely make the switch to vegetarian or vegan, everyone can do something small to help the planet – and it is crucial that we do!
(2) http://tomorrows.kitchen/articles/benefits-plant-based-milk