Being lactose intolerant is no walk in the park. Believe me, I’d know because that’s been the case for me for a big part of my life. As much as I like how dairy milk tastes, I’ve come to realize that the consequences that come with it are just not worth it. So, on my quest to replace dairy milk, I’ve come across the unsung hero of plant-based milks; oat milk.
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Before realizing why I was having so many lactose related health issues, I used to use dairy milk for just about everything. From my morning french toast, to my midnight cravings of mac & cheese, I was completely dependent on dairy milk, no matter how many breakouts I suffered within the next two weeks. So you can imagine the joy I felt when I found out that I can just substitute oat milk for dairy milk in all of my recipes.
Now, I’m a woman of science. I like to know the how, why, and what of things. And naturally, I was curious about the health risks or benefits that my milk substitutions might cause. While I was doing my own research on oat milk, I actually stumbled upon some pretty cool oat milk benefits, and it goes a long way beyond being just a fancy add-on to your lattes.
There’s lots of good that comes from using oat milk–from your heart health to digestive benefits. But it’s not just good for you, it’s also good for the planet. So without further ado, here’s 10 of the best oat milk benefits I’ve learned so far that might just make you switch sides too.
1. Oat Milk Is Dairy Free & Lactose Free
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This is actually the main reason why I switched over completely to oat milk. No matter how hard I’ve tried in the past, I have never gotten along with lactose and that’s alway been a bummer because I use dairy milk to make a lot of food. Like a lot of people, I didn’t know I was lactose intolerant until I was older. So in my childhood and teenage years, I had no idea that I’m lactose intolerant. I did however, suffer from digestive issues and worse, really bad breakouts and acne.
Having acne during my teen years took a giant toll on my self-esteem, and I went to about five dermatologists who made me try all sorts of stuff from topical ointments to prescription antibiotics. While these worked for short bursts of time, no one remedy really stuck to me. Then, when I was eighteen, I went to a dermatologist who told me to try cutting out dairy completely. Not just milk, but butter, cheese, yogurt and even chocolate. So for a very sad six months, I did just that and wouldn’t you know it? My breakouts stopped completely.
I’m now in my early twenties and I’ve since resumed my chocolate addiction, but that’s about the only dairy product I eat these days. I’ve completely given up on dairy milk and I did try other plant-based milk alternatives like soy and almond, but for me oat milk really stuck because I think it tastes miles better than any other plant milk.
Plus, from a lot of the research I did, I found out that dairy milk isn't really too good for your health anyway. According to research done by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, dairy products, including milk, rank as the primary provider of saturated fat in the American diet. This high intake has been associated with elevated risks of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, research indicates a connection between dairy consumption and an elevated likelihood of developing breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers.
I wish I could’ve switched to oat milk years ago, but just the fact that I no longer have such terrible breakouts is really great. And honestly, it is never, ever too late to do something for yourself if you know it’s going to be better for future you.
2. Oat Milk is Rich in Nutrients
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This particular benefit has been very, very important to me. In the past, I’ve had the doctor tell me one too many times that I need to change my diet to be more nutritious. I thought that meant eating more green stuff and filling up on protein, but that wasn’t enough. What I needed was those sneaky little vitamins and minerals that make a big difference in fighting health problems.
So I did a bit of digging and I found out that oat milk is loaded with nutrients that are really important for our bodies. It’s got a mix of fiber, essential minerals like magnesium and phosphorus, and vitamins such as vitamin B. Vitamin B, found in abundance in oat milk, plays a crucial role in energy metabolism, and I’m not just making that up. I found out how important B vitamins are to metabolize energy from research conducted by Bridgewater State University.
It helps convert the food we eat into energy, ensuring that our body functions the way it should. B vitamins are also important for the health of our skin, eyes, and nervous system. I’m not an expert in nutrition, but I did feel pretty great about drinking my oat milk, knowing that it’s so much more than a nice, simple drink.
3. It’s Good For Heart Health
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Oat milk’s got a lot of good in it, but one that we need to talk about is how good it is for your heart. Oat milk is rich in something called beta-glucans. I’ve actually never heard of this before my oat milk research so I’m actually very excited to impart this information to you. So beta-glucans are a type of soluble fiber found in oats, forming a gel in the digestive tract. This gel has the remarkable ability to bind to cholesterol, particularly the "bad" LDL cholesterol, reducing its absorption in the intestines. This process contributes to lower cholesterol levels, a key factor in promoting heart health. Because of this particular fiber, oat milk becomes an unassuming ally in supporting cardiovascular well-being by aiding in the management of cholesterol levels. So if you’ve ever read about oat enthusiasts having healthier cholesterol levels on a health blog or on someone’s fitness Instagram page, now you know why.
Plus, research shows that beta-glucans are not just useful to prevent cardiovascular diseases, they're also very helpful in treating diabetes, as eating foods with beta-glucans has been proven to lower the chances of developing diabetes and its related issues, offering benefits for treatment.
Now I’m not saying that oat milk is a magic potion that’ll fix everything health-related. But every benefit it provides is a small, tasty step in the right direction, and lots of small steps can take you a good distance.
4. It’s Good For Your Bones
You know how the first thing that dairy milk advertisements have is that it’s good for your bones? I don’t think I’ve seen one dairy milk ad that didn’t show a little kid running around or an elderly person drinking it with some CGI of their skeletal system getting stronger. Now don’t get me wrong, I think that’s great, but not all of us can have dairy milk. I’m not going to mention how I’m lactose intolerant again because I imagine you’re tired of seeing that throughout this whole article. But guess what? I’m lactose intolerant.
So let’s talk about oat milk and bone health. Oat milk is good for your bones because it’s been fortified with calcium & vitamin D, both of which are really important if you want to maintain strong and healthy bones.
Calcium plays a fundamental role in building and maintaining strong bones and teeth. Adequate calcium intake is essential for bone density, especially during periods of growth, such as childhood and adolescence, and for maintaining bone health in adulthood. So if you think oat milk isn’t good for your kids because you saw a dairy milk ad with some kids in it, guess again. Oat milk is good for growth and bones as well.
Oat milk also has phosphorus, which is really important for forming and maintaining strong, healthy bones. It works with calcium to support bone structure and function. Another key player in bone health is vitamin D, and it works together with calcium. Vitamin D is also found in oat milk and it helps the body to absorb and use calcium. So in a nutshell, vitamin D helps you to make the calcium strengthen your bones and it goes a long way in preventing health issues like osteoporosis. What’s that, you ask? Don’t worry I asked that same question earlier, and apparently, osteoporosis is a medical issue where your bones are weaker because of low bone density, which makes it easier to encounter bone fractures. It’s quite scary actually, but fortunately for us, oat milk helps to prevent osteoporosis.
5. Oat Milk Helps With Digestion
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Remember when I told you about beta-glucans which help your heart out? Well, it turns out that they also help you with digestion as well. That doesn’t come off as too surprising because beta-glucans are fibers, they’re found in the cell walls of grains like oats. The beta-glucans in oat milk are fortunately soluble fibers, and they promote regular bowel movements and keep things moving along smoothly, if you happen to catch my drift.
But that’s not all they do for your gut. They also create an environment that fosters your gut’s good bacteria, helping to maintain a healthy balance in your gut. That may not seem like much, but this balance does wonders for you because it can prevent gut inflammation, and the good bacteria in your gut even acts as a natural defense mechanism against the overgrowth of harmful bacteria and pathogens.
Oat milk also offers a balanced combination of macronutrients, including carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. This is good for you because it gives you sustained energy levels and also prevents digestive discomfort which can be rampant due to highly processed foods, or imbalanced diets. Also, by nature, oat milk is mild and soothing, so it’s great if you have a sensitive stomach because it’s less likely to cause any tummy irritation. So, while beta-glucans take the spotlight for digestive support, oat milk comes with some added benefits that contribute to your gut health.
6. Oat Milk Helps With Weight Loss & Management
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I’ve done a lot of comparing when it comes to oat milk and dairy milk, and one more aspect in which oat milk prevails as the better option is with its calorie quantity. Oat milk is less in calories than dairy milk, and while it’s not a very dramatic difference, it can still amount to a lot if you’re trying to lose some weight or even maintain your weight.
This difference can really show if you use oat milk as an alternative to dairy milk. For example, having your cereal with oat milk every morning instead of the usual dairy milk would allow you to consume less calories throughout the whole week overall. You can do the same for coffee. Try using oat milk instead of dairy milk for your morning coffees and lattes and trust me it tastes the same if not better, and when I started doing that, I felt a lot less guilty about my food choices.
But I’ll be 100% honest with you because this is where we keep it real. Oat milk isn’t some sort of a magic potion that helps you to shed pounds like clothes and lose weight overnight. There’s a lot more to it than that. Oat milk is just a very mindful choice for good health, and it just so happens to help out with your calorie intake too.
7. Oat Milk Is Low In Saturated Fats
So before I tell you the how and why of this particular benefit, I want to touch up on what saturated fat is and why it’s bad for you. Saturated fat is a type of fat found in foods, and it's often solid at room temperature. Think of it like the fat in butter or the marbling in meat. Saturated fat is considered less healthy because it tends to raise levels of LDL cholesterol, often referred to as the "bad" cholesterol, in our blood. High levels of LDL cholesterol can lead to the buildup of plaque in our arteries, narrowing them and increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. So, it's like that friend you want to keep an eye on – a bit is okay, but too much might not be the best for your heart.
Choosing foods low in saturated fat, like oat milk, is yet another way to be a bit kinder to your heart without making too many drastic changes. Filling up on oat milk, or alternating it for dairy milk in your food is just a very small, subtle choice you can make that’ll do a lot of good.
8. Oat Milk Helps To Boost Your Immunity
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I am once again talking to you about the beta-glucans in oat milk. And this time, I’m gonna have to go a little bit more into detail, but it’s only because I want you to know what you’re getting into with oat milk and how good it can be for you.
Now the beta-glucans found in oat milk play a role in immune support by interacting with our immune system. They’ve been observed to stimulate some key immune cells like macrophages and neutrophils, enhancing their activity in identifying and engulfing pathogens.
Beta-glucans also influence the production of cytokines, which are signaling molecules that coordinate immune responses. Studies suggest that they may possess antiviral properties, contributing to the body's defense against viruses. If that wasn’t enough, our trusty beta-glucans also support phagocytosis, which is the process of immune cells engulfing and digesting foreign particles. And I’ve actually mentioned this before, but beta-glucans help maintain a balanced immune system, preventing overactivity or excessive inflammation.
So there you have it. Based on everything I’ve learned about beta-glucans, I’m really glad oat milk has them. While they’re not a cure for everything that can go wrong in my body, I still feel a lot better with how oat milk can help me out with stuff I don’t even think about normally, like my immune system. I should probably think about that more though.
9. Oat Milk Is Good For Planet Earth
Okay, this one’s fun because it doesn’t have anything to do with health or digestion, or even beta-glucans. So it turns out that oat milk might just be the most eco-friendly choice in the milk aisle. When I first found this out about oat milk, it got me thinking about how our little choices can add up collectively and become something that’s much bigger than we realize.
Oats are pretty efficient when it comes to using resources. Unlike dairy farming that takes up a lot of water and needs a lot of land, oats are way more laid-back and easy to deal with. They need less water and land, and this automatically makes oat milk a more sustainable choice for the planet.
It's a simple yet impactful choice that aligns with a more eco-friendly approach. I’ve always been someone who likes to see change, but simple stuff like oat milk being that much better for the environment makes me feel a little bit better about the positive impact I can have on the planet. I might not be able to funnel billions of dollars into solar panels & wind turbines, or buy a Tesla, but I can still try within my means to help out.
10. Oat Milk is Vegan & Vegetarian Friendly
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This one’s for anyone reading who might be a vegan or a vegetarian. I personally do not subscribe to either of those lifestyle choices, but I’m always really inspired by those of you who do, because I think it’s a good choice that requires a level of effort and I applaud that.
As I’ve said before, oat milk is 100% plant-based. It’s cruelty-free and vegetarian friendly. It skips the whole dairy scene so you can rest assured that no animals are being bothered with the production of oat milk.
I’ve found that oat milk is very versatile. It can be used in the place of dairy for just about anything, so it very seamlessly slipped into my everyday routine. That showed me that I didn’t have to sacrifice on flavor to switch to something healthier and better for me. So whether you’re a vegan, a vegetarian, or just trying it out, oat milk has your back.
Image by Oatbedient
There you have it, ten of the very best oat milk benefits you can get. From heart health to planet sustainability, oat milk proves to us that our choices show for the better in more than one way. Plus it doesn’t compromise on taste, which is a benefit that goes without saying. So I invite you to try oat milk out for yourself. But make sure to choose a good brand of oat milk like Oatbedient, who already covers the bases like having plenty of vitamins, sustainability, and good production practices, plus no harmful fillers.
