After reviewing these stats, you may think oat milk is the best option because it has markedly less sugar than cow’s milk and not much more than the oat alternative, coconut. Keep reading.
How is oat milk unhealthy?
Confused by how oat milk could potentially be a villain in your morning coffee? French biochemist Jessie Inchauspé—the self-proclaimed Glucose Goddess—explains. “When we want to know if a food will spike our glucose, we’re not only looking at sugar content but also starch content, which turns into glucose as it’s digested as well,” she says. “Fat and protein content are also important to factor in since they reduce the spike.” So when it comes to choosing the healthiest milk, it’s not just about looking at the sugar content but rather the entire composition.
Similar to fruit juice, most of the plant fiber is filtered out of oat milk when it’s produced, so it contains little to no fiber, while all the natural sugars remain. Think of fiber as a slowing agent—it slows the speed of sugar entering the bloodstream, therefore flattening the curve. It’s the same reason nutritionists will recommend you eat a breakfast that prioritises protein, fat and fibre – to keep the supply of energy steady throughout the morning, avoiding large peaks and troughs that cause energy slumps, cravings and irritation.
Is regular milk better for you than oat milk?
According to Inchauspé, cow’s milk is markedly better for you. “Milk from cows essentially consists of proteins and fat,” she says. Comparatively, oat milk contains starch with relatively little fiber, protein, or fat to offset the blood sugar spike. “Similarly, milk made from nuts is very low in starch, which makes both cow’s milk and nut milks better options for a balanced glucose content than oat milk.”
Is it okay to drink oat milk every day?
If you can’t bear to give up your oat milk latte habit, there are a few ways to tweak the drink to keep your blood sugar in balance. “Consider having breakfast first, instead of drinking oat milk on an empty stomach, or go for a walk after drinking oat milk,” Inchauspé suggests. Studies show that moving around after eating, such as by going for a short walk, can help improve digestion and regulate blood sugar by nudging your muscles to actually use the sugar (and dampen the spike).
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