On my recent trip to the US I came across a plant-based milk that was a revelation: Ripple is made of pea protein (8 grams of protein per serving!) and as of this week is now available at Target nationwide in the refrigerated case. Yes, Target! Which means is is widely accessible to the general public. This is huge. And wow - is it delicious!!
When I saw this good news on their Instagram feed it got me thinking about the journey I've taken away from cow dairy and all the experiments I've had in making my own "mylks", and the various ones I've tried on my travels. I learned a few years back that I can no longer digest cow dairy - the size of its protein is different to that of sheep, goat, buffalo, etc. I still recall a friend first handing me a small bottle of almond milk that she had made and I looked at it with great trepidation and suspicion. Does that sound like you, too?
I believe we are all different and while some people thrive on dairy there are many of us that would do better without it. There are dozens of reasons to consider reducing your consumption of cow dairy. Consider just a few:
*milk consumption increases exposure to antibiotics and hormones (dairy accounts for 60-80% of estrogens consumed by humans)
*a glass of dairy milk takes more than 60 gallons of water to make. Plant-based milks take much less
*one serving of 2% (semi-skimmed) milk has the same amount of saturated fat as a serving of french fries.
*dairy consumption is linked with certain cancers (Harvard research and others)
*animal milk is considered to be an acne trigger
*drinking milk does not reduce fractures (British Medical Journal, Nurses Health Study and others)
*dairy has been linked with allergies, sinus problems, recurrent ear infections, IBS, etc.
*by reducing your dairy consumption you can take a stand against animal cruelty
*not to mention that milk is designed to fatten up calves to turn them into giant cows. Why would we do that to ourselves???
I'm not such a fan of soy milk for a variety of reasons (that's a post for another day) but you can now find so many different sorts of non-dairy milk on the market. I've tried milk made from almond, cashew, quinoa, coconut, hemp, oat, rice, and I have seen others made from millet, farro, chia, sesame, buckwheat, etc. A couple of things to keep in mind: some plant-based milks have questionable added ingredients (maltodextrin or carrageenan, for example) plus added sugar. Read the label and go for the fewest, simplest ingredients possible. Also, while you don't have the negative impact from cow dairy by choosing to drink these you may be missing other important nutrients. Be sure to eat lots of leafy greens for calcium and add in a bit of protein with each meal. Again, that's what makes Ripple so wonderful - more protein per serving than in an egg and 50% more calcium than milk. Please, oh please bring it to the UK!
