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Nutrients in milk – plant-based vs cow’s milk

A note of caution for those of you who prefer plant-based milk, such as almond or oat, to cow’s milk. The New Scientist reports on an analysis undertaken by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) into the composition of these new sources of milk.

They analysed the amounts of four important nutrients – phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and selenium and compared the results to cow’s milk. The levels were al significantly lower than cow’s milk apart from open based milk (not sure I’ve seen that one).

Plant milks are generally naturally lower in calcium and iodine, and the producers may add such elements to fortify the milk, but the levels of these other elements are not usually displayed on the labels.

Almond milk, for example, has about tenth of the phosphorus of cow’s milk. Phosphorus is needed for growth and tissue repair, as well as helping the body use substances such as vitamin D.

All of these nutrients can be obtained from other aspects of our diets such as nuts, but the important thing is to be aware and not to rely on plant-based milk for these nutrients. They taste good but we just need to have our eyes open about what nutrients they can provide for us.