Know in one minute about oat and almond milk
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Introduction
Recently, people have tended toward plant-based milk due to the trouble digesting lactose, and milk allergy arising from cow’s milk. There are various milk beverages on the market, including almond milk and oat milk spread rapidly around the world. The following article is about oat Milk vs. almond milk. These milk is rich in phenolic compounds, unsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants, and bioactive compounds. These properties make this milk substitutes an excellent choice.
What is oat milk?
Oat milk is nutritious, lactose-free, gluten-free, soy and nut-free milk. This milk is a good choice for vegan people, can be used in anything from coffee to cereal and baking (1).
How to extract
It is made by soaking, blending oats with water, and then strained with cheesecloth or a special nut milk bag to separate the milk from the oats.
Benefits of oat milk
This milk is a good source of carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins with a mild, neutral flavor. Daily intake of this milk is reported to treat diabetes, obesity, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and eczema. It is also effective to increase satiety, suppress appetite, and improve digestion. This milk helps to lower blood glucose and cholesterol levels (2).
Side effects of oat milk
- Oats are a nutritious food, but drinking oat milk nutrients are lost in the processing and storage. It contains less calcium and is high in carbohydrates which may be a concern for people.
- Therefore, oat milk to be fortified with nutrients like calcium, potassium, iron, and vitamins A, B12, and D3. Moreover, if you are allergic to oats should also avoid oat milk. Also, anyone who has celiac disease makes sure to buy oat milk that’s labeled gluten-free (3).
What is Almond milk?
Almond milk is one of the most popular plant-based milk for children and adults who suffer from allergies or trouble digesting lactose. It is low-calorie milk, has a creamy texture, nutty flavor, and sweet taste.
Almond is protein milk and it’s fortified with nutrients such as calcium and vitamin B12. Almond milk is sold commercially in flavored varieties such as natural unsweetened or sweetened to improve the flavor and texture.
How to extract
Almond milk is prepared by soaking and blending almonds with an excess of water. The milky white liquid is obtained after the solids are filtered and enhances the taste by adding extra flavors (4).
Almond milk benefits
Almond milk is an excellent source of naturally present vitamin E. This vitamin cannot be synthesized by the human body. It also contains fiber magnesium, calcium, potassium, manganese, zinc, copper, and phosphate (5).
Almond milk is a good option for a person with diabetes or those looking to cut carbs from their diet. It also contains a high amount of unsaturated fatty acids that keep the heart healthy and good for weight loss (6).
The side effect of Almond milk
- A person who has a nut allergy should not consume almond milk because it may cause itching, swelling diarrhea, vomiting, and runny nose.
- Also cause eczema or hives, nausea, abdominal pain, wheezing, trouble breathing and can be as complex as fatal anaphylaxis.
- Almond milk does not contain the same amount of protein as whole almond and sometimes this protein may cause allergic reactions in patients (7).
- Moreover, this milk has no calcium, and B12 thus it can be fortified with calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin D.
Difference between oat milk and almond milk
Oat milk and almond milk are both nutritious, ready-to-use, and lactose-free dairy milk alternatives. However, there are the following differences in their nutritional value (8, 9).
| Compound | Amounts per 100 g. | |
| Almond milk | Oat milk | |
| Energy | 17 Kcal | 38 kcal |
| Protein | 0.42 g | 1.25 g |
| Total lipid (fat) | 1.25 g | 0.42 g |
| Carbohydrate, by the difference | 0.83 g | 6.67 g |
| Fiber, total dietary | 0.4 g | 0.8 g |
| Sugar | 0.42 g | 2.92 g |
| Calcium | 42 mg | 146 mg |
| Iron, Fe | 0.15 mg | 0.15 mg |
| Potassium | 79 mg | 162 mg |
| Sodium | 75 mg | 42 mg |
| Riboflavin | 0.18 mg | 0.25 mg |
| Vitamin B-12 | – | 0.5 µg |
| Vitamin A | 208 IU | 125 IU |
| Vitamin D | 42 IU | 33 IU |
| Fatty acids, total saturated | 0 g | 0.67 g |
| Fatty acids, total monounsaturated | 0.83 g | 0 g |
| Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated | 0.21 g | 0 g |
Content |
Oat milk |
Almond milk |
| Origin | Oat milk is cereal-based milk | Almond milk is nut-based milk |
| Calories | Oat milk usually has a higher calorie count | Almond milk tends to have lower calories than oat milk thus best for losing weight. |
| Flavor | Oat milk has, mild, usual oatmeal-like neutral flavor | Almond milk has a nutty flavor and sweet taste. |
| Color | Both (oat and almond milk) have slight brownish color due to the presence of natural pigments. | These colors were found unappealing by some consumers to use as a milk substitute (10). |
| Fats | Oat milk has high-fat content in the form of saturated fat. | Almond milk contains unsaturated fatty acid, and zero amount of saturated fatty acid, which are cholesterol-free (11). |
| Carbohydrate | Oat milk contains a higher amount of carbohydrates than almond milk. It breaks down into sugars that result in increased glucose and insulin in the blood. | Almond milk contains less carbohydrate than oat milk |
| Vitamins | Oat milk contains vitamins A and D but in fewer amounts. It also contains vitamin B12 and riboflavin better than almond milk. | Almond milk is naturally a good source of vitamins, especially vitamin E (12). These vitamins are the same as reflected in almond milk (6). |
| Calcium | Naturally, oat milk isn’t as nutritious as whole oats. Oat milk contains less amount of calcium thus fortified with calcium because is an essential nutrient required for growth and development. | Although both kinds of milk have a low content of calcium, it is much lesser in almond milk (12). |
| Protein | Oat milk is an alternate source of protein which is higher than almond milk (13). | Almond milk contains less amount of protein than oat milk |
| Functional compound | Oat milk contains fiber like beta-glucan which helps in slow digestion, increase satiety, and suppress appetite. It is also associated with the reduction of blood glucose and cholesterol level. Thus, in turn, reduce your risk of heart disease. | Almond milk contains alpha-tocopherol that is a powerful antioxidant. Vitamin E in the form of alpha-tocopherol protects the body against harmful radicals and boosts immunity. |
| Price | Almond milk is cheaper to make than oat milk. | Oat milk is more expensive than almond milk. |
| Texture | Oat milk has thicker and creamier consistency like cow milk because it absorbs more water than nuts. This soaking gives a creamier texture without added ingredients. | Almond milk has also a creamier texture but less than oat milk |
| Anti-nutrients | Oat milk contains phytic acid, an anti-nutrient that slows down nutrient absorption like zinc and iron (14). | Almond milk contains carrageenan, one type of thickener and emulsifier. This carrageenan may cause gastrointestinal problems such as intestinal swelling (15). |
| Allergy | Oat doesn’t contain lactose, nuts, or soy, thus a better option for an individual who has a nut allergy. Moreover, Oats are also gluten-free, just choose certified gluten-free oats, it’s a safe option for those with Celiac disease. | Almond milk is a very good option for lactose intolerant or allergic people but is not appropriate for those with nut allergies. |
| Environmental
impact |
It’s a much more ecologically friendly choice than milk or even almond milk (11) | Almond milk is not as ecologically friendly as oat milk. |
| Liking | One research study reported that the overall liking of oat milk is greater than almond milk (10). | Almond milk is lower in terms of liking than oat milk. |
Summery
In conclusion, both kinds of milk have some unique benefits depending on your tastes and health needs. If you avoid dairy and are on a low-calorie diet, almond milk is best. This milk has balanced nutrient content and a pleasant flavor. Alternatively, oat milk is nutritious and easy to make as a substitute for the person who has a nut or cow milk allergy. Moreover, they can be fortified with protein, calcium, vitamin A, D, and B12 as well as other nutrients (12).