This post was written by Laura Freeland, The Plant Milk Project’s editor-in-chief, and researched by Nicole Queliz, our co-founder and resident dietitian.
Can I give my kid oat milk or soy milk instead of cow’s milk?
There are plenty of reasons to give your kids plant-based milk alternatives: morality, food intolerance, the quest to avoid added hormones and antibiotic residue. We get it. We support it. And we want you to consider all the information before you swap dairy for a plant-based alternative.
Plant milks—like oat milk, soy milk, or cashew milk–while potentially nutritious, are not nutritionally the same as cow’s milk. They have less fat, fewer calories, and less nutrition per calorie than cow’s milk. That doesn’t mean you can’t give your kid oat milk instead of T.G. Lee’s finest, it just means you need to know how to supplement your kid’s diet if you want to make a swap.
My baby B, Margot, suffered from chronic diarrhea until she was about 18 months old. She came with a complicated medical history including short bowel syndrome and long courses of broad-spectrum antibiotics that destroyed her good gut bacteria. I hoped that if I focused on rehabilitating her gut microbiome with a fiber-rich, whole foods diet, we might make some improvements in the diarrhea department. But with so much of the girls’ calories still coming from milk around the time they turned one, I knew milk was an important piece to the GI puzzle.
Cow’s milk protein is a common allergen; lactose intolerance is an issue for many people, and saturated fats have been linked to inflammation. Thus, eliminating dairy was my first order of business when my kids turned one.
Under the supervision of their gastroenterologist, I switched my twins from breast milk fortified with high calorie formula to breast milk and Silk full fat oat milk.* There was a marked improvement in the quality of poop following the switch, but it wasn’t good enough for me to think my work was done, so I pressed on in search of a plant-based milk that would meet their nutritional needs and soothe Margot’s irritated bowels.
There are so many ingredients in most full fat, fortified plant-based milks that there was no way for me to isolate which ingredients were contributing to the digestive issues. I had to simplify plant-based milk down to the basics: oats and water.
This was nutritionally insufficient for a kid still drinking 20 ounces of milk a day, so I landed on a homemade oat milk loaded with coconut flakes and flax oil plus some additional supplements to fill in nutritional gaps. But we’re not going to talk about homemade oat milk—yet. Let’s start with something a bit more realistic for most families: storebought plant-based milks.
How does one milk a plant?
Writing about plant milk conjures questions from well-meaning grandparents about how you milk an almond or a soybean. Jokes aside, there are so many creamy drinks labeled milk or milk alternative or beverage in grocery store refrigerators and on the shelves. It begs the question: what exactly is plant milk?
Plant-based milks are beverages made from plants—from soy and almonds to hemp seeds, rice, and even peas. Sometimes the plants are cooked before they are obliterated in a high powdered blender; sometimes they are obliterated raw. The resulting beverage is not that appetizing, so manufacturers doctor it with thickeners, oils, and sweeteners; they strain out the solids and process it into a delicious, creamy beverage that is totally chuggable.
PLEASE NOTE: We do not plant milk with any added sugar for children under two years of age. For children older than 2, we don’t recommend anything with added sugar as part of their daily diet. When we talk about plant milk as a possible option for your children, please assume we mean plant milks with no added sugar.
So I can give my kids plant-based milks instead of cow’s milk?
Maybe, but not all plant milks are created equal. You should always talk to your child’s health care provider before making a big change. And, never give plant-based milks to children under one year of age. They are nutritionally insufficient for infants.
Our concerns about cow’s milk disappear when we swap it out for a plant-based beverage like oat milk. Unlike cow’s milk, oats don’t need antibiotics or hormones to reproduce and grow. While plant milks are far from perfect, they have some benefits you won’t get from a cow.
Oats, for example, are a substantial source of beta-glucans which are an insoluble fiber naturally found in plant milks. Many studies have found Beta-glucans have cholesterol-lowering benefits, antioxidant properties, anti-cancer properties, and immune system benefits.
Beta-glucans are prebiotics that feed the beneficial bacteria in our gut. Research on the gut microbiome is in constant development, and while we don’t know why, we know there is a direct connection between the bacteria in the gut and mood, behavior, and immune system effectiveness. Who does not want a well-behaved toddler in a good mood who can fight off a cold like a champion?
You have a lot of options when you’re a plant milk drinker—hazelnuts, macadamias, oats, hemp, soy, peas, and even potato! (We have not tried and cannot recommend potato milk, but it’s out there.) Gastroenterologist and author of Fiber Fueled, Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, preaches that plant diversity is the best way to ensure a healthy gut. Different plants provide different pre and probiotics for the gut, as well as a variety of phytonutrients.
While plant milk does not have beneficial bacteria (probiotics), it has prebiotics. If your family gets hemp milk, coconut milk, and oat milk throughout the week, the diversity of the prebiotics from the different milks potentially improves gut health and overall health.
Most plant milks come fortified with calcium, vitamin D, DHA, B12, and iron, and now there are even plant milks marketed for kids. Some of these milks, like Kiki Milk** and Ripple Kids are really decent sources of nutrition. Kiki Milk is not fortified with vitamin D, so you would want to make sure you are giving a supplement. While we don’t hate the nutrition facts on either of these marketed-for-kids milks, Nicole and I found them too sweet for our kids. Kiki milk even has added (coconut) sugar. Per the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, we can’t recommend it for kids under two years of age. I give it to my kids when I’m in a pinch. I water it down or mix it with homemade oat milk and I neve give them more than half a serving in a day.
Even with these well-fortified plant milk options, there is still a concern about bioavailability of plant-based sources of DHA and B12. Bioavailable means the body can absorb the nutrient effectively and efficiently. It’s easier for the body to absorb DHA and B12 from animal products, so if you’re getting your DHA and B12 from plant-based product, aim to get more of those nutrients than the daily recommended amount.
Ok, so plant milk is better for gut health than cow’s milk and it’s fortified with the nutrition my kids need; I just need to make sure they get extra DHA and B12. Right?
Not so fast.
While plant milks eliminate the risk of consuming antibiotic residue and it assuages any concerns about the potential effects of saturated fat, plant milks are not nutritionally equal to cow’s milk. And it’s not as easy for the body to use the vitamins and nutrients that plant milks are fortified with.
If your kids are drinking plant-based milks in addition to a balanced diet, your child is unlikely to become deficient in calcium, vitamin D, DHA, B12, or iron. But the naturally occurring calcium in cow’s milk is more bioavailable than what you’ll find in plant milks. (If you read our last post featuring the stuff parenting nightmares of made of, you know why we’re worried about calcium.)
Plant milks are naturally low in calories, which is a plus for adults or kids who need to lose weight, but it can be a drawback for growing kids. Many store-bought milk brands are marketed as full fat because they contain added oils. This can be a good thing—it’s why our gastroenterologist gave us the OK to switch to full fat oat milk—but most of the oils used in store-bought milks are inexpensive vegetable and seed oils that are linked to inflammation. This may be fine if you’re drinking a single glass of full fat oat milk a day and no one in your family suffers from tummy troubles. But if you’ve got GI issues, introduce full fat plant milk slowly and document any changes in the digestion department.
While cow’s milk has eight grams of protein per cup, oat milk and hemp milk have maybe three or four grams. Nut milks—like almond and cashew—have less than one gram of protein per cup. Soy milk is the exception to the rule that plant milk is low in protein. Some brands of soy milk have up to 20 grams of protein per serving.
Soy, however, is a common allergen, and it’s controversial because it’s a plant estrogen and we don’t know if and how plant estrogens may affect the estrogen hormones in our bodies. The estrogen in plants and the estrogen in our bodies are similar but they are not the same. Eating soy does not give you more of the estrogen hormone. However, there are ongoing studies exploring the effect of consistently eating a lot of soy.
What we know for sure is organic, minimally processed soy has lots of health benefits. It’s a protein-rich milk option and a great food option when eaten as part of a varied and balanced diet.
Most plant milks lack omega 3s and omega 6s, specifically DHA which is crucial to brain and eye development in little ones. If you have a cooperative toddler, you can certainly compensate with diet and supplements, but there are nutrients you have to play close attention to if you’re transitioning your kids off of cow’s milk—and DHA is big. You find DHA in dairy products and fatty fish. The only plant-based source of DHA is algal oil, which is less bioavailable than animal-based sources. However, if you’re committed to a vegan lifestyle, you can supplement with algal oil and make sure your family gets plenty of omega 3s from chia, flax, walnuts, hemp seeds, and even brussels sprouts.
If your family eats a wide variety of foods and your toddler has a hearty appetite, the lack of protein or the lower calorie counts in plant milks may not be an issue. But if you’re relying on plant milk for over 50% of your kiddo’s nutrition, you need a plan to fill nutritional gaps before you make a switch to plant-based milks.
Another important consideration before making the switch: store-bought plant milks are full of preservatives, thickeners, and sweeteners. The long-term effects of these ingredients on our health are questionable. For some people, there are immediate effects—like diarrhea, upset tummy, or even constipation.
Ingredients like carrageenan, which is added as a thickener, are hotly debated. Carrageenan specifically has been linked to inflammation, bloating, IBD and IBS, colon cancer, and food allergies—though the data is inconclusive. Other oils and sweeteners are linked to inflammation which can cause digestive distress.
Is nothing sacred?
In short, no, nothing is sacred. We live in a world where convenience, cost, and palatability take priority over nutritious, quality products. The choice between cow’s milk and plant milks is not a simple one, which is why The Plant Milk Project exists.
If you’re set on ditching the unwanted extra antibiotics and hormones that come with cow’s milk, switching your kids to a fortified plant milk is a good option, but we have some recommendations:
We won’t tell you exactly what to do because the best choice varies from family to family. Next week we’re spilling the milk on what we give our toddlers—and you’re going to think we’re a little nuts.
* This is not an endorsement or recommendation for Silk Full Fat Oat Milk
** Affiliate link
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