NEWSWEEK – The tides seem to be turning against oat milk.
Once the pinnacle of plant-based wellness culture, TikTok influencers are now turning away in their droves from the milk alternative, either back to cow’s milk or towards other plant-based options such as almond or soya.
TikTok creators have accused oat milk of being too high in starch, containing inflammatory seed oils, and even causing acne in women.
So, Newsweek approached two nutritionists to get their opinion on whether this criticism is justified.
“Plant milks are extremely useful for people who are unable to, or choose not to, consume dairy products,” Melissa Smith, a nutritionist at the Alliance for Natural Health, told Newsweek.
“We need to remember that plant milks are highly processed, often containing a range of ingredients you wouldn’t find in dairy products such as seed oils and emulsifiers. Plus, they’re often fortified using synthetic vitamins, which can mean you may end up having too much of a nutrient.”
An emulsifier is a substance that helps blend two or more liquids that typically don’t mix, like oil and water.
Smith added that non-organic oat milks were also likely to be grown “using intensive agricultural systems, exposing them to multiple agricultural chemicals,” which could harm the environment—and, as many content creators on TikTok pointed out, could affect health too.
Nutritional therapist Katie Sheen, from Soul Nutrition, told Newsweek that while plant milks were helpful for people with an allergy or intolerance to dairy, they were “lower in protein, fats and a range of micronutrients” so might not be a healthy switch.
Sheen said she was aware of the criticism circulating about oat milk, saying: “The main thing that is being discussed on social media is the effects of oat milk on blood glucose levels, due to its comparatively low levels of protein and fat” …
