Oat milk has become a very popular alternative to milk.
Oat milk has most of the properties and benefits of oats, a cereal whose intake is highly recommended. However it is not always so. This article explains everything there is to know about oat milk (composition, properties and benefits, how to prepare it, etc.)
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What is oat milk? What is its composition?
Oat milk is theoretically a drink with a very simple composition: water and oats . Or at least this should be in essence, because it shouldn’t take much more than these two ingredients.
Commercial oatmeal drinks that are more true to the original idea include both of these ingredients, and perhaps a little vegetable oil and sea salt for flavor.
Occasionally, other interesting ingredients (coconut, hazelnuts, etc.) are added to cereal-based vegetable drinks, although this is usually done with the rice.
However, sometimes those who produce the vegetable drink want to make the product more profitable, so they add other products to the drink. Some of these ingredients are more acceptable than others, so look at the label to be well informed.
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Why look at the label on oat milk?
It is not difficult to find oat milk with more ingredients in the composition . These ingredients generally do not contribute anything to the consumer; they serve to monetize costs (or improve appearance due to this), and they do not contribute anything or are potentially harmful to health.
Of the ingredients that certainly should not be in this drink, sugar stands out. Sugar gives flavor, but at a very high price (even if it is cane sugar). It is a high-calorie ingredient but with no more nutrients than simple carbohydrates, so the body gains calories without any added nutritional value.
Examples of other ingredients that do not provide benefits or that could even have potential harm are: glucose, corn maltodextrin, caustic caramel (E-150a), calcium phosphates or calcium orthophosphates (E-341), carrageenan (E-407), monostearate polyoxyethylene sorbitan (E-435) or sodium carboxymethylcellulose (E-466).
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Properties and benefits of oats
The oatmeal drink is an interesting resource to prepare breakfasts and snacks . The properties and benefits of oat milk are due above all to the fact that it is made from this highly recommended cereal. However, this food product also has some characteristics that are worth commenting on.
1. Combines very well with other foods
Oat milk is a very versatile resource to prepare breakfast . It’s ideal for smoothies, porridge or just take it alone. In addition, it is a great resource to dilute powdered foods such as chlorella, spirulina, maca or pure cocoa.
2. It can help lose weight
Replacing milk with oat milk is a measure that can help you lose weight . Milk is a high-calorie food, and it is rich in protein, fat and also contains lactose, the natural sugar in milk.
3. It is a light drink
Oat milk is very easy to digest . Unlike milk, it never carries heavy digestions, and it is that basically there are only the carbohydrates of the oats. Its water content is very high and it does not contain fat or protein.
4. It is suitable for everyone
People who are intolerant to gluten, lactose or cow protein can drink oat milk without any problem . It is a drink to which many people resort when they cannot drink milk, which does not prevent them from having a breakfast similar to that of other people.
5. Contains all the properties of oats
Oatmeal is one of the most recommended cereals . It is a cereal that is consumed more in Anglo-Saxon countries for example, but it is certainly much more advisable than wheat. This article explains the main properties and benefits of oats.
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Why prepare oat milk at home?
Despite the fact that oat milk is a very interesting product, the truth is that it is not very worthwhile to buy it, since it ends up being more expensive than it might seem.
The sale of oatmeal drinks has experienced a commercial boom in recent years , and there are several reasons. To begin with, that it is associated with a healthy alternative to milk is a message that has penetrated deeply into the population, but this has also been promoted through important marketing campaigns.
Companies in the food industry realized that selling oat milk was a big business. Keep in mind that the amount of oats (or rice, soy, etc.) does not reach 20% of the total composition of the vegetable drink.
In the best of cases, only 18% of the product is oats, and it can be less than 10% of the weight of the product. This means that the consumer pays a very high price for 80%, since it is nothing more than water.
Considering that the average box of oat milk (without sugar or other additives) is worth significantly more than 1 euro, and that 1 kg of organic oats can cost between 2 and 3 euros, it is easy to conclude that the industry takes advantage of the consumer.
- It might interest you: “ Organic food: what they are, and 6 benefits of consuming them ”
How to prepare oat milk at home?
As we have seen, it is obvious that oat milk can be expensive . If the cost of oat milk is calculated economically, the numbers can be a bit discouraging.
In fact, the fact that 80% of the weight of the product is water implies that oat milk is not very nourishing. This does not have to be a bad thing, but it is important to understand what you are buying. When a person drinks milk he has many more nutrients because there is more food.
Keep in mind that perhaps the biggest advantage when buying oat milk in the supermarket is convenience; people who feel that it has a price can continue to buy it. Although it is also necessary to assess those that may weigh transporting it.
For those who are not very satisfied with this, there is another solution. Many people decide to make their own oat milk at home, and it doesn’t take much more than water, oatmeal, and a mixer or blender.
It is enough to experiment with the measures that are preferred. The most common is to find that supermarket oat drinks have 10-15% oats, but at home it is possible to increase the concentration.
Obviously you can also add a little sea salt, vegetable oil or other healthy foods (for example powdered, like ginger, turmeric, etc.). It can also be sweetened a little with honey or stevia, and it is possible to store it in the fridge for a few days.
- Maybe you want to read: “ The 15 medicinal plants with the most properties and benefits ”
Bibliographic references
- Arendt, E.K., y Zannini, E. (2013). Cereal grains for the food and beverage industries. Sawston (Cambridgeshire, RU): Woodhead Publishing.
- Mäkinen, O.E., Wanhalinna, V., Zannini, E., y Arendt, E.K. (2016). Foods for Special Dietary Needs: Non-dairy Plant-based Milk Substitutes and Fermented Dairy-type Products. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 56 (3), 339–349.
- Sethi, S., Tyagi, S. K. y Anurag, R.K. (2016). Plant-based milk alternatives an emerging segment of functional beverages: A review. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 53 (9), 3408–3423.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.