Humans ‘have no need for cow milk’

Following the World Plant Milk Day on Saturday, food awareness nonprofit organisation ProVeg has encouraged South Africans to try plant-based milk as a substitute for milk from animals.

ProVeg South Africa director Donovan Will said the NGO attempted to find distinctive types of plant milk.

He said findings concluded 12 distinctive types of plant milk within more than 70 brands to choose from.

“We have become accustomed to drinking cow’s milk, but why specifically a cow when we can extract milk from any type of animal, in the end harming our environment and the animal,” Will said.

“The global growth in plant milk can be attributed to several key advantages these options weigh over dairy milk, including health, environmental, and ethical benefits.

Recently, taste is also being included in the benefits. “Almond, soy and oat milk were the most common varieties, but South Africans can also choose brown rice, cashew, coconut, hazelnut, hemp, macadamia, quinoa, rice and tiger nut milk.”

He said an important environmental benefit of plant milk was the comparison of how much water was needed to produce a single litre of soya milk to a single litre of cow’s milk.

Soya milk required less water compared to cow’s milk, which would assist in the ongoing concern around water security.

Chiropractor and plant-based nutrition expert Dr Paul Palmer said humans had no need for dairy milk because they were able to get all the nutrients needed from other foods.

“We were told milk helps keep bones strong, but when we look at the studies we find no evidence of this. In fact, those who drink more milk have higher hip fracture rates and lower bone density,” Palmer claimed.

– sonrin@citizen.co.za

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