The Role of Plant Milks in Vegan Nutrition

Plant milks provide a humane alternative to milk taken from animals. They can make it easy to ditch dairy and play an important role in ensuring that you don’t miss out on calcium.

Q: Which type of plant milk is a useful source of protein?

A: The quality of soya protein is similar to that of meat and dairy, and soya milk contains almost the same amount of protein as cow’s milk. This makes soya milk a particularly good choice for young, athletic and older vegans, who have relatively high protein requirements.

Non-soya varieties of plant milk tend to contain much lower amounts of protein. You can compensate for this difference by getting more protein from alternative sources, such as other soya products, beans, lentils, peas, cashew nuts and peanut butter.

Q: Why is calcium added to plant milk?

A: When someone decides to stop eating dairy, it can significantly reduce the amount of well absorbed calcium in their diet unless they make smart swaps. The good news is that the calcium content and absorbability of fortified plant milk is similar to cows’ milk.

Be aware that organic varieties lack the calcium fortification that makes other plant milks good alternatives to cow’s milk.

Making your own

Having a go at making plant milk can be fun and produce a great result. If you choose to use homemade or organic plant milk instead of fortified varieties on a regular basis, be careful to ensure that you’re hitting your calcium target. Fortified alternatives to yoghurt, calcium-set

tofu and soya and linseed bread fortified with extra calcium are really rich sources that can be included in your daily diet. If you don’t eat calcium-fortified foods or calcium-set tofu, you can use a supplement to top-up your intake.

Don’t forget about iodine

There was a huge increase in the iodine content of cows’ milk during the 20th century. This was because farmers started adding iodine to animal feed.

Vegans need to ensure that their diets contain a reliable source of iodine. Arguably, non-seaweed supplementation is the best option, and this approach is particularly recommended during pregnancy, breastfeeding and childhood. The Vegan Society’s VEG 1 supplement contains iodine in the form of potassium iodide, and a reduced dose can be offered from one year of age.

If you don’t want to use an iodine supplement, one and a half to two sheets (4g) of nori might provide the recommended daily intake.

Take-away tips

• Include really rich sources of calcium in your daily diet like fortified foods and calcium-set tofu

• The soya variety of plant milk is a useful source of protein for young, athletic and older vegans

• Arguably, the best way for vegans to ensure a reliable intake of iodine is to use a supplement like VEG 1

If you’re keen to find out more about vegan nutrition, check out the resources at vegansociety.com/nutrition, including the new VNutrition app.