Why Is Oat Milk So Trendy?

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In today’s world, many people are consciously trying to put less strain on the earth through the mindful practice of recycling and eating alternative, sustainable diets. On the latter front, oat milk is one of the newest trendy dairy replacements. Here’s why oat milk is so trendy.

Health benefits

While some would never abandon their life-long loyalties to dairy, some people are ready to try anything new. In the last twenty years, there have been all kinds of plant-based milk substitutes, including oat milk.

Naturally free of lactose, nuts, soy, and gluten (if made from certified gluten-free oats), oat milk is a safe choice for people with allergies and intolerances. Compared to fortified almond milk, oat milk has more vitamin B, while almond milk usually has more vitamin E. These soaked, blended, then strained oats contain beta-glucans, which help with bone and heart health. 

Notably, oat milk contains more calories, carbs, and fiber than almond, soy, or dairy. It also contains less protein than soy and dairy. However, oat milk is low in fat, with no saturated fat at all.

Oat milk is now hailed as the most sustainable milk alternative, whereas research has shown that almond farming is much more environmentally detrimental. This distinction is highly meaningful: Milk is a staple worldwide for cereal, protein smoothies, and more. For these reasons and more, it remains important to develop sustainable dairy milk substitutes. 

Sustainability-minded veganism and vegetarianism

Genuine changes in ideology will mean changes in consumer habits and spending. For example, over the last decade in the U.K., the number of people following a vegan and vegetarian lifestyle and diet has nearly quadrupled. Many people have made these lifestyle shifts since, through the internet, advertising has led to greater product accessibility for vegan products including oat milk.

Part of why oat milk may have become popular is that word of mouth has never been louder or faster than in the internet era. Trends and waves have never been more make-or-break for products in today’s world. As consumers change their interests, recipes have changed along with them – for example, vegan pancake recipes using oat milk are increasingly common.

Oat milk has gone from an underdog in the milk substitute world to rivaling almond milk, which remains the most popular and accessible plant-based milk alternative. Thicker and tastier than almond milk, oat milk is now more commonly referenced in vegan baking recipes online. People often enjoy that oat milk can froth and mix more like dairy milk. For this reason, oat milk has taken the sustainability and health-conscious coffee and breakfast scene by storm.

Can you make your own oat milk?

You can make your own oat milk, and it only takes a few minutes. In a blender, combine a half cup of rolled oats, three cups of rolled oats, two teaspoons of maple syrup, a half teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a small dash of salt. Blend for 30 seconds until smooth. 

Next, use a fine-mesh strainer to remove any grainy textures from your homemade oat milk. Don’t press the pulp to get more liquid through the strainer (doing so will make your oat milk gritty). Strain your oat milk again for an ultra-smooth texture. If you want sweeter oat milk, add a little bit of maple syrup. If you like your milk cold, chill your oat milk in the fridge for a few minutes. Enjoy!

Do you like oat milk? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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