We’ve all seen soymilk, almond milk and rice milk but now it’s time for oat milk to take over our supermarket shelves. It’s actually a lot tastier than it sounds so let us tell you some more about it.
Oat milk is a vegan alternative to dairy and is made by blending steel oats and water, then straining out the solids. For a thicker texture, it is recommended that you soak the oats for at least 30 minutes before, or even longer for the best texture.
One cup of oat milk contains between 90-120 calories, around 20g of carbohydrates and 4g of sugar with no saturated fats or sugar. Of course, it is more nutritious to eat oats on their own but oat milk itself contains vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin B12, calcium, potassium, and iron. Since it is 100% whole grain, oat milk is full of a fibre called beta-glucan that provides probiotics to help friendly bacteria survive. Consumption of oat milk is also linked to reducing the risk of heart disease due to the presence of beta-glucan which improves cholesterol levels, immunity and gut health.
When compared to cow’s milk, oat milk contains similar number of vitamins and minerals and both provide contribute about 20% of your daily value each. Because of the amount of minerals, calcium and vitamins added to both the commercially available milks, cow’s and oat milk balance out in terms of nutrition. However, oat milk has more carbs and fibre but lesser protein. Cow’s milk will, however, keep you fuller for a longer period of time since it prolongs the digestion and absorption process. That’s why you should always check nutritional labels before buying anything to fit into your diet.
Having compared it to the dairy version, it seems only fair to compare oat milk to lactose-free milk as well. When picking between almond and oat milk you need to ask yourself, are you buying the unsweetened version? How good it is for you depends on whether there is any added sugar in the milk or not. Secondly, if you’re drinking it for losing weight, almond milk is lower in calories than oat milk, which can probably add up if you’re having a lot of it.
At the end of the day, whether you wish to switch to oat milk or not, the choice is yours. It’s pretty easy to make if you’re looking to test it out at home, or just go out and buy it!
