Plant-based milks are becoming more and more popular as people’s milk of choice and with this comes the overwhelming choice of which plant-based option is best.

To help you with choosing the best plant-based milk option for you, let me break down some of the do’s and dont’s when it comes to plant-based milks.

Always Check the Ingredients

Here at Natural Spoonfuls you know that I’m all about knowing what ingredients are in the foods that we are consuming, plant-based milks are no exception.

Consider these points:

There should be minimal ingredients!
If you can’t pronounce it, it’s probably not a real food ingredient
Look out for any numbers listed, usually these are artificial colouring, preservatives or artificial sweeteners

See my article on how to read food labels HERE to wrap your head around what to look out for!

Vegetable Oils

Long story short, vegetable oils are highly processed and not good for us at all (see my deep dive into how bad vegetable oils are for you HERE). I mean when you think about it, why should a vegetable oil even be added to a milk product? Plant-based milks like ‘Milk Lab’ Almond milk and ‘So Good’ Soy milk contain vegetable oils, including sunflower and canola oils. They use oil to create a smooth texture allowing the milk to froth, however, this can be achieved without the veg oil too!

GUMS and Maltodextrin

GUMS, also known as stabilisers, are a common occurrence in a lot of plant-based milks. Gums may be listed in the ingredients as Stabilisers or as the specific gum, e.g., Vegetable Gum (Gellan) or Xanthan Gum. Gums have been shown to have harmful effects on gut health when used as an ingredient in foods.

Similarly, maltodextrin is an ingredient to look out for in plant-based milks. It is a carbohydrate that is HIGHLY processed from vegetable starches. Maltodextrin can spike blood sugar and has very little nutritional value.

Both Gums and maltodextrin can cause cramping, bloating, excessive gas and sometimes diarrhoea.

Let’s face it, no one wants to feel these side effects!!

Sugar - always opt for unsweetened

A lot of plant-based milks are high in processed sugars. I always suggest opting for the unsweetened option when reaching for plant-based milks, however if a sweeter option is more to your liking, make sure you’re choosing an option with a more natural sugar source.

Sugars to avoid include agave nectar, barley malt, cane sugar, caster sugar… the list goes on!!

More natural sugar options, that are less refined include honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, rice malt syrup. You can read more about natural sugars/sweeteners HERE

Nut Percentage (or oat/soy % if thats more your vibe)

When choosing a plant-based milk, whether is it almond or oat, make sure you check the ingredients list for the percentage of nuts that is actually contributing to the milk.

For example, a lot of milks only contain between 2-4% almonds!! If you’re buying these plant-based options, you are basically just paying for expensive water…

When reading the ingredients of any product, the list appears in order of quantity. Look for a plant-based option that has water and almonds listed as the first two ingredients.

Plant-Based Milks to AVOID

Now that we’ve highlighted all the nasties to look out for, let’s have a look at the ingredients lists for a few popular plant-based milk options. Hopefully one glance at these lists and you’ll be able to see all the unnecessary ingredients added!

Milk Lab Almond Milk

Ingredients:

Australian Water, Almonds (3.5%), Sugar, Sunflower Oil, Maltodextrin (from corn), Acidity Regulators (340, 332), Stabilisers (418, 415, 410), Sunflower Lecithin, Salt

Inflammatory oil, low nut % + additives

So Good Soy

Ingredients:

Filtered Water, Soy Proteins (3.5%), Corn Maltodextrin, Vegetable Oils (Sunflower and Canola), Cane Sugar, Minerals (Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium), Acidity Regulators (332, 450), Antioxidants (Ascorbic Acid), Vitamins (A, B12, D2, B2, B1), Natural Flavours

Inflammatory oils (plural), additives + “Natural Flavours, read more on this here.

Vitasoy Oat Milk (unsweetened)

Ingredients:

Filtered Water, Whole Oats (min. 10%), Sunflower Oil, Oat Flour, Gum Arabic, Mineral (Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Phosphate), Food Acid (340), Natural Flavour, Sea Salt

Inflammatory oil + additives

So which Plant-Based milks are the best options?

Here are the plant-based milks I would recommend!

Soy Milk

Bonsoy

Bonsoy is contains mostly real food ingredients with a relatively short ingredients list.

Ingredients:

Filtered Water, Organic Whole Soybeans Min 14% (Certify, Usda, Nop), Tapioca Syrup, Sea Salt, Job’s Tears (Hato Mugi), Calcium Carbonate.

Oat Milk

Oat-ly Organic Oat Milk

The simplest oat milk on the market with a high percentage of oats! I also like that it is organic, reducing exposure to glyphosate.

Ingredients:

Water, Organic Oats (10%), Sea Salt

Oat milk should only be consumed on occasion and not your primary choice of milk, this is due to the high carbohydrate content which will cause a spike in glucose levels.

Almond Milk

Pure Harvest Activated Almond - Unsweetened

Full of whole food ingredients and 10% Almonds!

Ingredients:

Filtered Water, Organic Activated Almonds (10%), Organic Rice Syrup, Sea Salt

Nutty Bruce Activated Almond Milk

Another almond milk option with a high nut percentage and full of real ingredients!

Ingredients:

Filtered Water (84.5%), Activated Organic Almonds (10%), Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Sea Salt

Coconut Milk

Pure Harvest Organic Cocoquench - Unsweetened

Coco-dreams with a real food team!

Ingredients:

Filtered Water, Organic Coconut Milk (20%), Organic Brown Rice, Sea Salt.

Please note that although one product from a brand contains great ingredients, it doesn’t mean all their products will. ALWAYS check, particularly with plant based milks.

As for everything in your diet, get in the habit of mixing things up to ensure you are getting a variety of nutrients, I like to alternate my milk to ensure this!

Now that you are armed with all the things to look for when choosing a plant-based milk you can hit the supermarket with confidence to choose the right milk for you!

And if you’re feeling adventurous, why not try making your own plant-based milk at home!! I have a super tasty recipe for creamy chocolate oat milk that you should try, find it HERE!

Want more?

My Low Tox Food Program is my signature program and honestly my true passion. It will help you get back in touch with REAL food. I go through every food product imaginable, giving you the confidence that what you are adding to your shopping trolley is free of nasties, additives and is actually going to nourish your body.