Are alternative milks harming your gut health?

Alternative Milks Unhealthy?

When I find a nut milk, the first thing I do is look at the ingredients. And for good reason… they usually are pretty long list, and have about 10 ingredients that I have no idea what they are! While I am very thankful that alternative milks are easily accessible, they may not always be the most healthful option. Grocers, Cafes, Smoothie shops, etc… pretty much always carry alternative milks nowadays. However, many of the options seem to be low quality. Especially if you are someone with chronic inflammatory condition, or GI issues, paying attention to the ingredients in your milks is uber important. Of course context always matters, if it’s something that you are consuming daily or frequently, you definitely want to pay attention.

Low Quality:

When I say low quality- I am getting at the fact that these milks may contain high amounts of additives that may actually be disruptive to our health.  All nut milks on the market have been processed to some degree, however some milks have added sugars, gums, flavorings, chemicals, industrial oils, etc… to make their product creamier, sweeter and more shelf stable. So read your labels!!

See below for some of the top offenders ⬇️

Added sugars:  Many alternative milks “original blends” of almond, coconut, oat, etc.. contain added sugars, unless you specifically get the unsweetened version. Ok— so you all probably already know that! When you go to a cafe, or smoothie shop, most places actually use the sweetened versions, or a barista blend. ICCKKKKKK!!! These are almost always filled with lots of added sugars. I get it, if it’s a once in a while occurrence— but I know there are a lot of habitual coffee/cafe goers who maybe have the same order every day. Drinking sugar is one of the fastest ways to raise our blood sugar and insulin. Consistently drinking sugary drinks can lead to insulin resistance, and increase fat storage. Not to mention, sugar is another food that feeds our dysbiotic gut bacteria and can promote the overgrowth of it, leading to GI and other inflammatory issues.

Just a quick search on some common alternative barista blends shows the amount of sugar ⬇️

⚪️Oat : Silk Oat milk barista blend 9g sugar/ serving 

⚪️Almond : Silk almond milk 7g sugar/ serving 

⚪️Soy: Silk soy barista is 9g sugar / serving 

⚪️Coconut: Pacific foods barista blend 9g sugar/ serving

If you’re going to a cafe or coffee shop, they use a lot of these barista blends. Sometimes they do offer an unsweetened option though so always ask. Or you can go to the extreme like me, and pack your own! 🙈

Inflammatory Oils: 

One of the reasons that oat milk is not my favorite alternative milk is that most oat milks have added canola, sunflower or safflower oil to them. Another big ICKKKKK!!! Inflammatory oils are SOOOOO prevalent in the standard American diet, and we know that these are pro- inflammatory, and are heavily associated with diseases of chronic inflammation and metabolic diseases. These types of oils have been processed with bleach, heated to high temperature and solvents.

Here’s why we want to avoid Industrial Inflammatory Seed Oils ⬇️

• Increase Omega 6: Omega 3 ratio creating a state of pro-inflammation (which is the root cause of many inflammatory diseases)

• Heavily processed and are rancid oils

• Oxidize easily, and create oxidative stress in the body

• Produced from GMO crops

• Contain Harmful Additives

• Create trans fatty acids when heated — associated with heart disease, and chronic inflammatory conditions

I find that mostly oat-milks have the added oils, however some brands do add the oil to their almond, coconut and soy, so be sure to check the labels. They also are more commonly found in barista blends, so again- if you go a cafe or eatery, see if they have just regular unsweetened milks.

⚪️Silk oat milk: contains sunflower oil 

⚪️Earths own: contains sunflower oil

⚪️Miners figure: contains sunflower oil 

⚪️Califia oat milk: contains sunflower oil 

⚪️Oatly oat milk: contains rapeseed oil

⚪️Silk Almond Milk: contains sunflower oil

Gums and stabilizers:

Again— the cafe’s and eateries commonly carry the barista blends and these typically have added stabalizers and emulsifiers. Some of these have not been researched long enough to know the impact they may have long term. BUT— there is one that we know is bad. Carrageenan is a known cancer causing agent, and it is still used in nut milks and dairy alternative products to act as an emulsifier. Ensure that your alternative milk and milk products DO NOT contain this ingredient. It is associated with an increase in intestinal permeability. Research also has linked carrageenan to stomach cancer and ulcerations. (Tobacman, 2001) Crazy that it’s still being used in many products!!

Glyphosate:

Non organic oats, soy, and nuts are crops heavily sprayed with glyphosate.(round up) If you are not buying these organic— you should try to!! Glyphosate is another known carcinogen, and is now recognized as a health risk. It’s a large disruptor to our gut microbiome and gut integrity. We know that glyphosate is linked to lowered fertility, lymphomas, GI inflammation, and more. And yet— is also still used ABUNDANTLY in agriculture. And then this ends up in our cups. That’s why we want to always look for organic non-gmo milks.

Does this mean alternative and nut milks are bad for me?! 

NO- thank goodness!! There are some quality nut milks out there!! Just be careful to read the labels, look for minimal ingredients, no added sugars, no added oils, no stabilizers like carrageenan, make sure it’s organic, and real food ingredients! And if you do suffer from chronic inflammatory conditions, pay attention to what smoothie shops, cafes, eateries, etc… are adding into your drinks! If you experience gut issues and inflammation, this could be one of the culprits adding to dysbiotic overgrowths and increased intestinal permeability.

I’m personally a very big fan of nut milks as we have dairy sensitivities in our household and they are so accessible now! They provide a dairy free option that still makes coffee, smoothies and recipes creamy. We just want to make sure we are using a high quality option :) My heart flutters a little when the list is short with only 3-4 things, and I know what each of the ingredients are!

Heres what to look for:

✅Organic and Non-GMO

✅No added sugars

✅No added oils

✅No Carrageenan

✅Minimal Ingredients that you recognize

Follow along on instagram @marissavictoriahealth to learn more on ways top optimize your dietary habits and gut health!

References:

Tobacman JK. Review of harmful gastrointestinal effects of carrageenan in animal experiments. Environ Health Perspect. 2001 Oct;109(10):983-94. doi: 10.1289/ehp.01109983. PMID: 11675262; PMCID: PMC1242073.

https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php