Incorporating plant drinks into your diet instead of milk has a lot of benefits, but only if you choose a good plant drink that fits your lifestyle. While the composition of different brands of cow’s milk hardly differs, there is a huge amount of variation between plant drinks. Physically active people should opt for a completely different drink to those with a sedentary, static lifestyle. PS: I intentionally use the terms “plant milk” and “plant drink” interchangeably.
Plant milk, or rather a plant drink for an athlete, must meet specific requirements. Unfortunately, it is not enough to choose a plant milk that you like. You have to pay attention to other criteria.
Composition of plant milk for physically active people
Protein in plant milk
The first ingredient you are bound to think of when asking yourself “what to look out for when choosing plant milk for an active person” will probably be protein. True, this is a good lead. Classic milk is an excellent source of well-absorbed protein (on which most protein supplements are based). Plant drink should therefore contain a similar amount of protein to regular milk (approx. 3.4 g). The amino acid composition of the protein also matters.
Here is a list indicating the protein content of various plant drinks. Of course, the protein content can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer; it is always worth looking at the label and finding the protein in the nutritional table.
- soya drink – approx. 3.4 g of protein,
- almond drink – approx. 0.6 g of protein,
- oat drink – approx. 0.7 g of protein,
- coconut drink – approx. 0.1 g of protein,
- cashew nut drink – approx. 0.5 g of protein,
- hazelnut drink – approx. 0.4 g of protein,
- rice drink – approx. 0.3 g of protein,
- yellow pea drink – approx. 1.6 g protein.
In terms of protein content, soya drink is by far the best. It also has the best amino acid profile, closest to that preferred by the human body. A pea drink can also provide a lot of protein. However, you do not have to reject other plant drinks because of their low protein content. You can always boost it by using a protein nutrient, or protein powder.
Sugar and carbohydrates in plant milk
Physically active people are not necessarily looking for a sugar-free plant drink. Cow’s milk naturally contains sugar in the form of lactose. A milk substitute can also contain added sugar and be a valuable product. If you are an active person, this will not be a big disadvantage for you. A plant drink will give you more energy and enrich your diet with carbohydrates. When choosing plant milk for physically active people, do not take the “sugar-free” label as the main criterion for selecting the ideal plant drink. Some drinks contain a lot of carbohydrates naturally (e.g. rice or oat milk), others based on nuts and legumes will have less sugars.
It is also not worth exaggerating in the other direction. Daily use of chocolate plant milk will not be beneficial even for physically active people. Opt for sugar content in the range of 3-13 g per 100 ml.
Plant drinks with a higher carbohydrate content are all those to which sugar has been added, as well as the following:
- rice drink: approx. 11.3 - 13.4 g
- rice and coconut drink: approx. 8.9 g
- oat drink: approx. 6.7 - 7.8 g
Plant drinks that are low in carbohydrates in their sugar-free versions include:
- soya drink: approx. 0 - 3.2 g
- yellow pea drink: approx. 0.3 g
- coconut drink: approx. 2.3 - 2.7 g
- almond drink: approx. 2.5 - 3.7 g
- cashew nut drink: approx. 2.6 g
Definitely pay attention to the carbohydrate content of a plant drink. You can go for higher carbohydrate plant drinks in your pre-workout coffee or post-workout shake. Choose low-carbohydrate products if you have insulin resistance or are trying to lose weight.
Calorific value of plant milk
Do you play sports and want to lose weight at the same time? The most important criterion for you in choosing a plant drink will be that it is low in energy but high in protein. The differences in the number of calories provided by plant drinks are really significant. Rice milk has 3 times more calories than coconut milk! The calorie content of popular plant drinks is as follows:
- unsweetened soya drink: approx. 39 kcal/100 ml
- sweetened soya drink: approx. 50 kcal/ 100 ml
- unsweetened rice drink: approx. 60 kcal/100 ml
- unsweetened oat drink: approx. 44 kcal/100 ml
- unsweetened coconut drink: approx. 20 kcal/100 ml
- unsweetened pea drink: approx. 25 kcal/100 ml
- coconut and rice drink: approx. 60 kcal/100 ml
- sweetened almond drink: approx. 30 kcal/100 ml
- sweetened cashew nut drink: approx. 23 kcal/100 ml
Calcium in plant milk
Calcium is an important mineral for bone and tooth health, which Poles mainly get from milk and other dairy products. It is also one of the more common deficient elements in plant diets. If you are going to give up or reduce the amount of milk you consume, you need to look for alternative sources of calcium in your diet. What is the easiest way to ensure proper calcium supply to your body? Opt for calcium-fortified plant drinks.
Usually, manufacturers boast about the addition of calcium (and sometimes vitamin D, magnesium or vitamin B12) to the plant drink on the packaging. You can also check it in the composition of the drink in question. Among the ingredients, look for: calcium carbonate, calcium citrate, calcium from algae. The calcium content can also be indicated in the nutritional table of the product. It is good to choose plant drinks with a calcium content of approx. 120 mg/ 100 ml. Also remember to always shake the carton of the plant drink before use as the calcium dissolved in plant milks
Additives in plant milk
Plant drinks made fresh at home can only be made from nuts + water, oats + water, soya + water, etc. However, most commercially available plant drinks have other additives in them, which are hard to avoid in a plant drink recipe if they are to be a good replacement for classic milk.
However, not all food additives are bad! Even the “E” label does not necessarily mean that a product has an “artificial” and “unrecommended” composition. It is worth knowing exactly what lies behind these designations. In plant drinks you will find:
- Colourings: plant drinks are sometimes dyed to take on a creamy hue. Natural colourings in plant drinks include turmeric and curcumin, carotenoids and riboflavin.
- Acidity regulators: as the name suggests, they regulate the taste of plant milk. The most common are citric acid and potassium phosphate. In small quantities, they are not harmful to health.
- Thickeners: they affect the final texture of the plant drink, are not harmful, but are also not essential in plant milks. These include, for example, corn starch, rice starch and carob. However, controversy surrounds the addition of carrageenan to plant drinks; it is safe, but some scientists call for monitoring of its consumption. Possibly, it exacerbates existing allergies, so many people prefer to avoid it.
- Emulsifiers: they serve to mix the fat phase with the water phase. They are approved for use, i.e. safe, but have raised controversy and suspicion about their impact on the gut microflora. If you have a choice, avoid buying plant drinks which include them.
The best plant drink for physically active people
Calcium-fortified soya milk can be considered the best and most versatile drink for physically active people. It has a lot of protein and a moderate amount of calories.
For very active athletes with a high caloric requirement, a soya drink with added sugar can be chosen. Rice milk, the most calorific of all plant drinks, is also a good option and will boost the daily calorie intake. However, rice milk will not provide protein.
If you are adding plant milk to a meal that already has other sources of protein, choose an oat drink, cashew or a light almond drink. Make sure that the drink you choose has added calcium.
Use soya milk or pea protein milk as the base of your post-workout shake, which have the highest protein content of any plant drink.
If you are doing physical activity for a slimming effect, compare the calorie content of plant drinks and choose the one with the lowest number of kcal per 100 ml, e.g. coconut drink (approx. 20 kcal/100 ml) or almond drink (approx. 25 kcal/100 ml). A pea-based plant drink is also an excellent choice, which has more protein than most plant drinks, yet is low in calories (approx. 25 kcal/100 ml). Try to avoid calorific rice milk (60 kcal/100 ml) and flavoured, sweetened versions of plant drinks.
Taste – an important criterion for choosing a plant drink
Apart from all the health aspects, the importance of making plant milk tasty cannot be ignored. Don’t be discouraged from a particular type of plant milk after trying one company’s product. You may find that you don’t like the taste of soya milk from company X, but company Y has a product that will suit you perfectly. Do your own sampling and choose the drink that best meets the criteria listed, but also your individual and ultimate taste bud test.