Dealing with Dairy, Part 1 : Milk and Cream

What is dairy? I know, right now you’re asking yourself, “do they really think I don’t know what dairy is?”, but sometimes we need to break things down to build them back up! Simply put, a dairy product is any product derived from animal milk. This includes products like butter, cream, cheese, yogurt, and of course, milk itself. While cow’s milk and goat’s milk are the most common sources of dairy in the mainstream, buffalo, sheep, and even camel’s milk are used in dairy production/harvesting/processing internationally. Also, in case you’re wondering, eggs are not in fact a dairy product, despite being sold in the same section in grocery stores, and often being lumped in with them in discussions.

Human’s consumption of dairy products (including milk, yogurt, and cheese) is estimated to have begun over 10,000 years ago, however its global ubiquity as an industrial product began in the late 19th century as pasteurization, production infrastructure, and promotion from dairy industry and supporting governments (regarding versatility and supposed health benefits) gained significant traction.

Dairy products have been an important asset to many communities/cultures/civilizations for millennia, both as a dietetic resource and an economic one. However, as is often the case, the most significant issues with dairy and the dairy industry are in relation to the current scales of production and consumption. As dairy production scaled up, issues arose with regard to environmental impact and personal health.

In recent decades, dairy alternatives have risen in popularity and there are more options in many markets than ever before. In most cases, these are products derived from nuts, legumes, or grains, which have been processed and manipulated in ways that allow it to mimic the consistency/form (milk, cheese, cream, yogurt, butter) and flavor of dairy products. For people who consume dairy frequently, these alternatives can act as a way to mitigate health concerns associated with dairy products, reduce the impact their consumption may have on the environment, or simply provide a lactose-free product that still satisfied their needs and desires. Additionally, for those concerned with the morality of using animal products, these alternatives provide an opportunity to use/consume dairy products without having to use animals as an industrial resource. However, not all dairy alternatives are created equal, and its important to understand how all of these alternatives as well as traditional dairy actually compare in terms of environmental impact, health, effectiveness as a food or culinary ingredient, affordability, and accessibility. In this article we seek to outline the different aspects and issues associated with dairy production, and to analyze different alternatives and how they compare.

With so many different metrics through which we can compare dairy products, we’ve decided to separate the discussion into 5 key topics. While we encourage you to read and assess all of the information (in addition to going out and learning more on your own), now is a good time to begin thinking about what kinds of metrics you place the most value on!

Environment

Environmental issues regarding the dairy industry are primarily based around resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). In terms of resources, it takes on average, nearly 144 gallons of water to “produce” one gallon of consumer-ready milk. Additionally, in the US, we allocate nearly 10% of our available agricultural land solely to produce crops intended to feed our cattle. That’s enough land to feed our nearly 10 million cattle 100 pounds of food per day (while the average person eats only 3-5 pounds per day). In terms of GHGs, livestock account for roughly 14.5% (of which, Cattle contribute approximately 65%) of the global GHG emissions annually. To put that into perspective, that’s approximately the same as the amount emitted by all of the cars, trucks, airplanes, and ships on our earth combined. It’s important to note that these statistics vary across countries, however, the above statistics regarding the US dairy industry are of lower impact than the global average.

So, how does animal-dairy compare to some of the popular alternatives? We’ll take a look at Soy Milk, Almond Milk, Rice Milk, and Oat Milk. There are more than a handful of other options, including Pea Milk, Cashew Milk, and Hemp Milk, but for the sake of time and applicability, we’ve focused on some of the most prominent options currently on the market.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46654042

As you can see in the comparative chart above, the impact of these five options within these three metrics vary greatly. Almond milk, which is one of the most widely popular alternatives, actually requires the most water in production compared to the other alternatives, though still beating out dairy milk by almost 40%. So, based on the above information, if you’re concerned about the environmental impact of your choice, Soy Milk and Oat Milk appear to be two of the better alternatives. While they use marginally more land then both almonds and rice, they require substantially less water than almonds and produce less emissions than rice.

It is important to remember that these metrics are all relative. This article is about dairy, and comparing every food to every other food can be futile, but to put some of this in perspective, the avocado used to make your avocado toast this morning required nearly twice as much water to make than one glass of dairy milk. We only mention this to say that if you understand that everything we consume every day has SOME impact, then you should focus more on trying to make a difference on the most impactful part of your diet. If you rarely consume dairy products, maybe this article won’t change your personal impact substantially, but if you drink a glass of milk every day, considering your options is an opportunity to significantly reduce the impact of your food choices.

Health

Prior to the industrialization of food, small-scale dairy operations served an important role in providing communities with proteins, fats, calories, and nutrients that may have been otherwise difficult to fully satisfy. However, as industrialization spread throughout all factions of our global food system, our need for dairy as a dietary staple decreased, but our ability to find and consume it sharply increased. As with the environmental impacts, health-related issues regarding dairy consumption are exacerbated by overconsumption. Frequent consumption of dairy products may offer an excess of calories, saturated fats, and undesirable hormones. Additionally, with over 60% of the world population possessing some degree of lactose intolerance, frequent consumption of dairy can cause mild or significant bodily inflammation and digestive issues.

Dairy alternatives offer avenues through which you can avoid some or all of these potential health-related risks of traditional dairy. That being said, they are certainly not all created equal.

Table of comparisons sourced from https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/a-nutritional-comparison-of-dairy-and-plant-based-milk-varieties/ (per cup)

This table helps illustrate the variance of micro and macronutrients from option to option. For example, it's clear that Almond milk has the lowest density of macronutrients (calories, carbohydrates, sugars, proteins, fats), while rice milk has the lowest density of micronutrients (Vitamins and Minerals). Determining which of these options align with your diet of choice is highly personal. That being said, there are two outliers that present notable drawbacks. The first, dairy milk, has a significant amount of saturated fat and sugar. The second, Almond milk, has a relatively small amount of both micronutrients and macronutrients, and is generally inferior to Soy milk in all listed nutrient categories.

As we mentioned earlier, your choice regarding which alternative most closely aligns with your dietetic goals is very personal, but if you’re looking to replace dairy milk with something that provides similar macro and micronutrients, reduced the quantity of saturated fats and sugars, and is lactose-free, soy milk is one of the better options.

Quality of Product

One of the most valuable assets of dairy milk and cream is the presence of specific proteins, fats, sugars, and carbohydrates that both taste great, and can be utilized as richening and thickening agents in a variety of sauces/stews/soups and baked goods.

Dairy alternatives are seldom as versatile as their traditional counterparts. By that we mean, typically speaking, a dairy alternative you might choose for direct use (drinking, using in cereal or oatmeal, essentially any use that doesn't require significant cooking) might not be the best choice for a format in which it will be cooked. While options for direct use are fairly ubiquitous, options for cooking purposes are less explored, less well known, and frankly demand a lot more from the product! A popular option for cooking purposes (especially as an alternative for cream) is cashew milk/cream. The fats, proteins, carbohydrates, and sugars in this fatty nut offer a milk/cream that is often naturally viscous, rich in flavor, and emulsifies (mixes with other types of liquids) well. This makes it a great option when cooking, and can fortunately be made easily at home by soaking and blending cashew nuts. In my own personal opinion and experience, substituting milk or cream for one of the less viscous and fatty dairy alternatives (typically like soy milk and almond milk) achieves little more than adding water and a bit of corn starch. However, cashew milk (as previously stated), as well as a variety of “barista-focused” oat milk products (surprising, I know, oats?) perform quite well in the heat of the moment (I am allowed one pun per article)!

With many dairy alternatives, a variety of flavors are often added to improve what might otherwise be a bland product. While this can be an asset for direct use (a light vanilla flavor can be pretty nice to drink straight-up or to mix with something like oats), it can often be a liability when used for cooking purposes (I once unknowingly added vanilla soy milk to a pot of macaroni and cheese, needless to say the meal was ruined). If you are choosing a store-bought option, be sure to pay attention to any additional flavorings!

Price

The price of the products available to you will vary depending on where in the world you live, and what types of products you’re purchasing. When compared to standard dairy milk options, most of the aforementioned alternatives typically range from comparable in price to significantly less expensive. Again, this is typical for the standard versions of these products. If you choose an organic, specially flavored, or other optional variant, prices may fluctuate greatly. Additionally, alternative options that are intended to be cooked are typically more expensive than their traditional dairy counterparts, but this should be verified on a case-by-case basis.

Availability

While dairy alternatives are growing in popularity, availability, and abundance (of both quantity and options), they are still far behind the ubiquity of dairy milk. For this reason, not all towns/cities may have grocery stores that offer these kinds of products. Large-scale grocery chains like Wholefoods will typically have these kinds of products on hand, however markets like these might not always be accessible to everyone in all communities.

As we mentioned in the beginning of this article, there are a number of metrics that each individual can use to weigh their options before making a decision, based on what is most important to them and what fits into their lifestyle. We’ve tried to shed some light on a handful of notable comparisons between traditional dairy milk and a variety of common alternatives. While comparisons regarding environmental impact, health, culinary use, price, and availability may be important to you, we encourage you to follow your curiosity and explore more information about the food you eat, where it comes from, and how it plays into the larger picture of our food systems. In this same vein of curiosity, we encourage you to actually go out and experiment with different products! Topics regarding health and environmental impact are difficult to understand without pursuing outside resources like this article, but understanding prices and how these products work for you on an individual level in your own kitchen are factors that you will largely have to explore on your own!

Additionally, as we mentioned earlier, we encourage you to factor in your frequency of use when considering what option is best for you. Impacts are all relative, and should be considered as such.

Finally, we hope that rather than adding any complication or anxiety to your navigation through our food systems and your food choices, this article can be used as a tool to help you comfortably make decisions that are right for you on a daily basis.

Resources:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/04/30/dining/climate-change-food-eating-habits.html

https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/a-nutritional-comparison-of-dairy-and-plant-based-milk-varieties/

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46654042

https://www.worldwildlife.org/magazine/issues/winter-2019/articles/milk-s-impact-on-the-environment

https://www.ediblebrooklyn.com/2019/plant-milks-sustainability/