A Bite-Size Read for Your Health and Your Waistline
Plant-based milk alternatives are more popular than ever. Oat milk has taken both grocery store shelves and coffee shops by storm. Many people choose oat milk over almond or soy milk because it’s creamier, froths beautifully for coffee, and makes a delicious ice cream if I do say so myself. But is oat milk really healthy compared to other dairy-free milk options?
Let’s step back for a moment. Oat milk was developed in the 1990s and is made by milling the whole oat, mixing it with warm water, and treating the mixture with enzymes. Food manufacturers don’t always specify which enzymes they use. Afterward, the mixture is heated to thicken, strained, and then vitamins and minerals are added along with sweeteners, thickeners, and flavorings before packaging. This process shows that many of the nutrients in oat milk are added, not naturally occurring. So what else should we consider when choosing your dairy-free milk?
Reading labels is key. Each manufacturer will have different ingredients in their oat milk. For example, Oatly’s oat milk has 160 calories per cup, 9 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 15 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein. The vitamins and minerals include vitamin D, calcium, vitamin A, riboflavin, vitamin B-12, and phosphorus with a bit of iron and potassium. It’s important to ask yourself which of these vitamins are coming naturally from the oat and which are added during fortification. Probably not much from the oat itself. This doesn’t make oat milk unhealthy, but it’s good to be aware.
The ingredient list gets even more interesting. It includes oat base, low erucic acid rapeseed oil, and 2 percent or less of dipotassium phosphate, calcium carbonate, tricalcium phosphate, sea salt, dicalcium phosphate, DHA algal oil, sodium ascorbate, tocopherols, riboflavin, vitamin A, vitamin D2, and vitamin B12. A few things to notice: the vitamins are added, vitamin D3 is preferred over D2, and rapeseed oil is essentially canola oil.
So is oat milk better? It depends on what you’re looking for from your dairy-free milk. Want added protein? Soy, almond, and cow’s milk generally have more. Fewer carbs? Not with oat milk. Gluten-free? Oat milk can contain gluten depending on where it’s produced. A more environmentally sustainable choice? Yes, oat milk is better there. More vitamins and minerals? That depends on which vitamins matter to you. Oat milk has more B vitamins, while almond milk has more vitamin E. How you plan to use it also matters. For coffee, it’s perfect if you want creamy froth. For baking, oat milk may give better results than other milk alternatives.
The takeaway is to consider your use case, your health goals, and your preferences, then read the labels. The next time you’re wandering the grocery store aisles or adding milk to your morning coffee, take a moment to make a thoughtful choice.