Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives Contribute to a Healthy and Sustainable Diet

Abstract

Plant-based foods are increasing in popularity as more and more people are concerned about personal and planetary health. The consumption of plant-based dairy alternatives (PBDAs) has assumed a more significant dietary role in populations shifting to more sustainable eating habits. Plant-based drinks (PBDs) made from soya and other legumes have ample protein levels. PBDs that are appropriately fortified have adequate levels of important vitamins and minerals comparable to dairy milk. For the PBDs examined, the greenhouse gas emissions were diminished by 59–71% per 250 mL, and the land use and eutrophication impact was markedly less than the levels displayed by dairy milk. The water usage for the oat and soya drinks, but not rice drinks, was substantially lower compared to dairy milk. When one substitutes the 250 mL serving of dairy milk allowed within the EAT Lancet Planetary Health Diet for a fortified plant-based drink, we found that the nutritional status is not compromised but the environmental footprint is reduced. Combining a nutrient density score with an environmental index can easily lead to a misclassification of food when the full nutrition profile is not utilized or only a selection of environmental factors is used. Many PBDAs have been categorized as ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Such a classification, with the implied adverse nutritional and health associations, is inconsistent with current findings regarding the nutritional quality of such products and may discourage people from transitioning to a plant-based diet with its health and environmental advantages.

Fluid and electrolyte balance following consumption of skimmed milk and a plant-based soya beverage at rest in euhydrated males

“…Furthermore, veganism (an exclusively plant-based diet) is a growing dietary/ lifestyle choice, with increasing sales of vegan products across the UK and North America (Sexton et al 2022). For these reasons, as well as those related to personal and planetary health (Craig et al 2023), plant-based dairy-milk alternatives have become common, including derivatives of soya, rice, oat, and various nuts. Soya-based beverages are the among the most popular and well-researched plant-based milk-alternatives (Hidalgo-Fuentes et al 2024), having been used as a milk-alternative for at least 2000 years (Sethi et al 2016).…”

Dynamic sensory evaluation of selected sensory attributes and food‐related emotions during consumption of plant‐based milk alternatives applying temporal dominance of sensations and temporal dominance of emotions methods

“…The surge in vegan milk alternatives, driven by the increasing prevalence of dairy allergy and lactose intolerance (Rangel et al, 2016), is also fueled by ethical and environmental considerations (Leitzmann & Keller, 2020). Numerous life cycle analyses highlight the substantial environmental impact of dairy, making it scoring highest in most categories studied (Craig et al, 2023;McClements et al, 2019). The land required for animal protein is 6-17 times greater than for soy protein (Reijnders & Soret, 2003), and water use for oat and soy drinks is only 1.3% and 0.5%, respectively, compared to cow's milk (Craig et al, 2023).…”

“…Numerous life cycle analyses highlight the substantial environmental impact of dairy, making it scoring highest in most categories studied (Craig et al, 2023;McClements et al, 2019). The land required for animal protein is 6-17 times greater than for soy protein (Reijnders & Soret, 2003), and water use for oat and soy drinks is only 1.3% and 0.5%, respectively, compared to cow's milk (Craig et al, 2023). This results in a carbon footprint 3.3 times greater for dairy than that of soy drinks (Craig et al, 2023).…”

“…The land required for animal protein is 6-17 times greater than for soy protein (Reijnders & Soret, 2003), and water use for oat and soy drinks is only 1.3% and 0.5%, respectively, compared to cow's milk (Craig et al, 2023). This results in a carbon footprint 3.3 times greater for dairy than that of soy drinks (Craig et al, 2023). Consumer concerns about animal husbandry conditions and production practices further contribute to the growing shift towards plant-based alternatives (McCarthy et al, 2017;Regusci et al, 2022).…”

Impact of a Food Rebalancing Program Associated with Plant-Derived Food Supplements on the Biometric, Behavioral, and Biological Parameters of Obese Subjects

“…The literature provides poor objective evidence on the effect of nutritional programs alone or in combination with the recommended phyto-derived food supplements (PDFSs) to facilitate dietary rebalancing [15,16]. Nevertheless, the benefits of human clinical trials using PDFSs have been reported [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25], including improved well-being, loss of body weight, better lipid profile, fewer osteoarticular complaints, lower blood pressure, lower glycemic levels, and reduced respiratory insufficiency and cardiovascular risk. Some of these factors are directly associated with weight control and improved cholesterol profiles [26].…”