What’s in long-life milk?
If the second or third ingredient in your
milk is added sweetener in the form of raw
sugar, cane sugar or rice syrup, how would
you rate the milk? Would you think it was
healthy or flavoured? How about the
addition of limestone to your milk? Is
ground stone an intentional and natural
food for humans?
These are some of the unusual features of
some almond ‘milks’, one of many types of
long-life milk substitutes available in the
supermarket.
What is long-life milk?
Long-life milk is also called ultra-heat
treated (UHT) which is the preserving
method used to make it last a year or so
without refrigeration. Once opened, longlife milk must be kept refrigerated and it’s
life is drastically shortened to about 5
days, much the same as fresh chilled milk.
Long-life milk won’t help you live longer
but it makes life easier because it is
fantastically convenient.
You’ll find more than dairy milks in the
long-life UHT milk aisle: rice, almond,
quinoa, oat and soy to name the main
ones.
How do these non-dairy ‘milks’
compare with traditional cow’s
milk and goat’s milk?
Well for a start they are not really a true
milk at all. They are a created in a factory
to be used in place of dairy milk.
Almond ‘milk’
You now know that the second or third
ingredient in popular almond ‘milks’ is a
some type of sugar and that some
manufacturers add ground limestone.
With up to seven ingredients listed,
almond ‘milk’ is hardly a natural product.
Whole almonds are a reasonable source
of protein and are touted to be a good
calcium source but when almonds only
make up 2% of the ‘milk’, they no longer
contribute much at all to the ‘milk’ except a
hint of flavour.
Almond milk is typically low in protein and
low in calcium compared with cows milk
unless fortified with ground limestone or
another calcium source.
Prepared by Trudy Williams, Accredited Practising Dietitian and Nutritionist for FoodTalk.com.au April 2014
The information is general in nature. Always seek professional health advice for personal concerns.
What’s in your milk. April 2014 FoodTalk Newsletter.!
Oat ‘milk’
Without the deliberate addition of calcium,
oat ‘milks’ are also a poor source of
calcium. Some oat milks contain added oat
bran fibre (beta-glucan) which may help
lower blood cholesterol levels.
Both oat and rice ‘milk’ tend to contain
more carbohydrate per serve than cow’s
milk.
If you’re switching to oat milk because you
have a sensitive tummy, then you may be
disappointed because some varieties
declare the addition on inulin which is a
no-go for people with FODMAP problems.
Soy ‘milk’
Soy ‘milk’ fills the majority of shelf space
for milk substitutes. Organic, light, low fat,
natural ... the descriptors are as endless
as the ingredient lists which can feature up
to 16 ingredients if the ‘milks’ are enriched
with vitamins and minerals in an attempt to
make them match cows milk or are a more
basic blend of water, salt and oil blended
with a few soya beans.
A switch from regular cows milk to soy
‘milk’ helps to reduce blood cholesterol but
so too will a switch to low fat cows milk or
sterol enriched milk.
Soya bean is a source of phyto-oestrogen
which may help reduce some menopausal
symptoms but if you are menopausal then
you also need more calcium and soy
‘milks’ are not automatically good calcium
sources. You may be gambling with an
increased risk of osteoporosis for a small
hit of phyto-oestrogens unless you check
that calcium is added or you include
another rich source of calcium.
2
Soya beans are gluten free but some soy
‘milk’ contain barley, a source of gluten, so
be cautious if you need a gluten free diet.
Surprisingly, sweet sugars are added to
many soy ‘milks’ in the guise of
maltodextrin, cane sugar, malt extract or
raw sugar; sugars are even added into
those soy ‘milks’ with a healthy-sounding
natural name.
Rice ‘milk’
Rice ‘milk’ is the favoured milk substitute
for people with extreme food intolerance
but some of commercial rice ‘milks’ are
unsuitable because they are based on
brown rice or have chick peas, canola oil
and seaweed added.
Rice ‘milk’ is a low protein drink that is also
lacks calcium and other essential nutrients
unless fortified.
Quinoa ‘milk’
Quinoa ‘milk’ is new to the UHT milk aisle.
Gluten free, lactose free and nut free, this
new ‘milk’ might be, but quinoa ‘milk’ is
sadly lacking in calcium, vitamin D and
protein.
Coconut ‘milk’ beverage
Now this is not the coconut milk or cream
used in Asian cooking but rather a drink
positioned beside UHT cow’s milk as a
replacement for cow’s milk. A non-dairy
beverage that’s 20% coconut milk blended
with water and lesser amounts of
sunflower oil, brown rice, salt all held
together and stabilised with guar gum.
With barely any protein and not a hint of
calcium present, coconut milk beverage is
a poor nutritional alternative to dairy milk.
Prepared by Trudy Williams, Accredited Practising Dietitian and Nutritionist for FoodTalk.com.au 2014
The information is general in nature. Always seek professional health advice for personal concerns.
If you have a dairy intolerance and use this
as your main ‘milk’ you will need a calcium
supplement and a top-up on riboflavin,
magnesium and zinc.
Does UHT treatment alter the
main nutrients in cow and goat
dairy milks?
Will milk substitutes help you
lose weight? Not necessarily.
No it doesn’t. Long-life ‘milks’ have the
same main nutrient composition as the
‘fresh’ versions.
Long-life cow’s milk contains the same
nutrients as the fresh fridge version. You’ll
find full fat, reduced fat, lite, skim/no-fat
varieties, some with added vitamin D, and
others lactose free.
All UHT ‘milks’ are a source of kJ (cals).
Non-dairy drinks often contain as many kJ
as full fat dairy milk because oil is added to
improve the mouth-feel of the watery
‘milks’. Sunflower oil appears to be the oil
of choice added to most milk substitutes.
But protein is also important in weight loss
plans and many of the pretend UHT
‘milks’ are very poor protein sources.
If you prefer or need to use a non-dairy
drink, match the nutrition panel on your
product with the following:
per 100 ml
at least 3 g protein
at least 100 mg calcium
If the nutrition panel doesn’t equal or
exceed these values, you need to rethink
your drink.
It is bonus if your non-dairy milk matches
the numbers in the table above and has
added vitamin D.
If weight loss is also a goal, then check the
kJ value is 220 or less per 100 ml.
The 200 ml cartons are handy for school
lunch boxes, for travelers and for those
who find the larger cartons go off due to
low usage.
Some food sensitive people feel much
better when they switch to goat’s milk. The
protein and fat structure are slightly
different to cow’s milk and for some, this
subtle difference means it is more easily
digested.
As far as nutrition goes, goat’s milk still
contains lactose, calcium and protein in
similar amounts to cow’s milk. The UHT
version is as good as the fresh fridge
version.
Written by Trudy Williams,
Accredited Practising
Dietitian and Nutritionist
with FoodTalk.
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Prepared by Trudy Williams, Accredited Practising Dietitian and Nutritionist for FoodTalk.com.au April 2014
The information is general in nature. Always seek professional health advice for personal concerns.