Oat milk is tasty plant-based milk that’s been slowly taking over restaurants, shops, and cafes. This vegan alternative to cow milk is delicious, and it’s possibly not going anywhere soon. Oat milk is made of oats and water by blending them and straining the pulp with cheesecloth. The leftover contains protein and fiber; however, the resulting milk also contains micronutrients and macronutrients.
Oats absorb water, and we get macronutrients and micronutrients, which provide us with creamy, nutritious, and dairy-free milk.
With so many different kinds of milk types available on the market, it’s almost expected to wonder what they’re good for. You might have looked at almond milk in your local grocers and wondered what it actually was. As a relatively new and popular expansion, the alternative milk market might confuse newcomers initially but is very easy to grasp. And that is what we will be covering in this post.
In this article, we will be focusing specifically on oat milk. We’ll provide a simple understanding of what it is and how it is made, in addition to why and when you should switch over to it from regular milk. By the end of this article, you will be sufficiently knowledgeable about oat milk and might even consider giving it a try. So let’s begin with what oat milk actually is.
What Is Oat Milk?
Oat milk, much like soy milk, is a type of plant milk. It is derived from whole oat grains with water, and then the remaining solid chunks are drained. Quite simple to make, oat milk comes in a variety of different kinds on the market. As with other alternative milk types, oat milk has the option of being unsweetened or vice versa as well. Much like how almond milk has a nutty flavor, oat milk has a distinctive oatmeal-like taste, which some people love to drink. We’ll talk about why oat milk is a good alternative to regular milk and why people like to drink it over regular milk.
Health Benefits
1. A Great Option for Lactose Intolerant People
Like most alternative milk types, one of the biggest selling points of oat milk is that it is an option for those that are lactose intolerant. Nowadays, lactose intolerance is merely a nuisance, what with so many other options available. And with oat milk’s rising popularity in bakeries and coffee houses, lactose-intolerant people have more and more options opening up to them every day.
2. Can Be Gluten-Free
Maybe you have an allergy and cannot consume gluten. Not to worry; there are a ton of different oat milk brands that are providing gluten-free products. Though some oat milk brands have cross-contamination and thus have some gluten present, those don’t mention it on the product. So you have a milk type that’s delicious, nutritious, and free of gluten, opening up yet more possibilities.
3. Vegan Friendly
And of course, like most other alternative milk types, oat milk is the way to go for vegans and do not want to give up milk. With oat milk, you can continue to have your delicious milkshakes and protein shakes while being completely content about the origins of your milk. No reason to give up cereal breakfasts with oat milk by your side.
4. It’s Just As Nutritious
Some people may be turned off of giving oat milk a try because they might think that oat milk would lack nutrition. Not so; thanks to companies fortifying their alternative milk, you have the option of buying oat milk that has just as much nutrition as regular cow milk. You won’t lack vitamins if you switch to oat milk. Furthermore, thanks to having been extracted from oat grains, you receive a lot of the benefits you would normally get from consuming oats. So in some cases, it’s actually better for you than regular milk.
5. Good for Avoiding Heart Disease
Oats are full of a type of fiber named beta-glucan. Beta-glucan is known to reduce cholesterol levels in people. This means that if you drink oat milk, there is a high chance that you’ll be lowering your cholesterol levels in the process. And, of course, with lower cholesterol comes the benefit of a lower risk of heart disease.
6. Less Calories than Regular Milk
Another major reason to consider oat milk, and most other forms of alternative milk types, is that it has fewer calories than regular milk. So if you’re looking for a quick solution to the number of consumed calories in a day without having to make major changes to your diet, switching over to oat milk is a perfectly viable option. This way, you can continue to drink your milkshakes and lattes with a sudden drop in daily calorie intake. Remember not to increase consumption; otherwise, you’ll be drinking more milk than before and be right back where you started.
7. You Won’t Be Lacking In Calcium
If you’re still not convinced, how about this; you’ll still be getting your recommended calcium intake. That’s right, regular milk isn’t the only type of milk that is rich in calcium. Thanks to the fortification we mentioned before, many brands take the liberty of enriching their oat milk with calcium as well as all the other nutrients and vitamins. So if you were worried about weak bones or something, relax and help yourself to a refreshing glass of delicious creamy oat milk.
8. It’s Rich in Iron
If you’re vegan and worried about potentially developing anemia, oat milk is the right choice for you. Just one glass of oat milk is enough to provide you with 10% of the daily recommended iron intake. So now, oat milk is an even more attractive choice out of all the possible alternative milk types, especially for vegans.
4 Ways to Use Oat Milk
Here’s how you can use oat milk in four different ways:
1. Make Hot Cocoa
Oat milk lattes are trendy nowadays – and oat milk is equally well-suited to other hot winter drinks as well. You can try different lattes; however, it is too good to pair them with antioxidant-rich hot cocoa. Mix warm oat milk with cocoa powder and maple syrup for easy, quick, dairy-free hot cocoa. Further, add espresso and a pinch of cinnamon to make it a mocha.
2. Baked Food Recipes
You can replace cow milk with oat milk in any baked food recipe. This unsweetened oat milk is a better option since other sugar-coated milk risks making your bread, muffins, cakes, and pudding too sweet. The oats work well in baking items since you know baked food items contain grains like flour; that’s why you can use them instead of other high-calorie ingredients.
3. Creamy Soups
You can use oat milk in place of heavy cream to thicken your soup. It will give a good and different taste to your soup. The oat milk’s flavor goes well with any ingredients, from butternut to tomato.
4. Make Smoothies
People who love smoothies can use this milk as an alternative to cow or goat milk. If you want creamy and vegan-friendly milk in your smoothies, give it a try; you will love it.
Conclusion
And that concludes our post on oat milk, its uses, and its benefits. Convinced yet? Maybe give it a try yourself. Who knows, you might just make the switch based off of the taste alone, seeing as many people can’t bear to stand the taste and smell of regular milk. Interested in learning about another type of alternative milk? We have an article up on almond milk too. Or, if you’re looking for something completely different, here’s our post on the different types of syrups.