To be considering ditching cows milk?

[incognitomum]

I've been hearing so many bad things about it lately and after drinking it, mainly in hot drinks, I'm thinking of giving it up.

Stories of pus in the milk has put me off. Plus the whole way the dairy industry is.

I need to find a decent alternative for coffee though as struggle taking it without milk.

How milks compare

Lets imagine we drink 200ml of milk a day over a year.

Dairy
229kg green house gases
45,733L water

Almond
51kg greenhouse gases
27,042L of water

Oat
65kg greenhouse gases
3,512L water

Rice
86kg greenhouse gases
19,642L water

Soya
71kg of green house gases
15,612L water

Sunshinedayze the link between British dairy and deforestation is animal feed. When cows are brought inside in the winter they are fed, the land used for growing the feed is contributing to deforestation.

@SimonJT that's interesting, where did you get it from?

SimonJT

I hope you go everywhere by foot!
Also - water can’t be wasted. It doesn’t fall out of the atmosphere.

The BBC have an environmental impact calculator for lots of food products

www.google.co./amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/science-environment-46459714

In the UK, as you can only buy fresh milk from UK dairy farms, zero rainforests will have been ‘chopped down’ for the milk to be produced.

It depends what the cows are fed on.

@SimonJT’s figures are a little disingenuous as there are so many variables when it comes to the absolute climate impact - most importantly whether the crop is causing deforestation. If another 5% of the Amazon goes, it will lose the ability to sustain itself and will degrade. And then the fight against climate change is over.

In net terms, grass-fed cattle milk from the UK is probably more environmentally friendly than soy milk from the Amazon or Cerrado. But we as consumers don’t get that level of detail or choice.

Thanks

@Pardonwhat It really can, thats why some areas are suffering huge land droughts due to an overuse of water. Or do you think soil erosion and a loss of humus isn’t problematic?

There are pros and cons with all plant milks (in terms of taste and environmental impact), but all are better for the environment than cows' milk.

There's a useful summary in BBC Science Focus magazine which gives CO2 emissions, land use and water use for dairy and a variety of plant milks.

The BBC news website also had a handy diagram which makes it easy to compare different milks.

I gave up dairy over 30 years ago, because of the cruelty (the environmental impact wasn't so high profile back then). I agree with pp that there's more regulation in the UK than in many other countries. But I don't think that you can get away from the inherent cruelty of taking a mother's babies away from her. Dairy cows, like most mammals, want to care for their young. The male calves are just waste products that are killed at a few days old and the females aren't with their mums for as young as they would be naturally.

Plus the whole concept of drinking cows' milk is a bit weird. It only seems normal because it's what we grow up with. No other animals drink milk past weaning, let alone milk from another animal. The idea of adults breastfeeding makes us cringe (Little Britain?) and we wouldn't go up and suck directly from a cow's udder.

I tend to stick with soya milk but that's just habit because it's the only one that used to be available. There are so many different kinds now that you just need to try different ones until you find the one that's right for you. After drinking plant milk for a while, you'll probably find that cow's milk starts to smell and taste a bit off to you.

water can’t be wasted. It doesn’t fall out of the atmosphere. If you're going to come out with ridiculous quotes like this at least back it up...

SimonJT

But generally, it’s places that have been barren for a very long time.
Anyway - I’ll stick to fresh cows milk and if someone chooses to drink milk substitutes flown half way round the world that’s on them!

@JassyRadlett However cattle are fed soya based feed in the winter in the UK. Free range dairy cows are only on pasture for around 180days of the year in the UK.

The majority of land used to grow soya is for animal feed rather than direct human consumption in the form of soya beans or soya being used as a dairy alternative.

hula008

It’s not ridiculous. It’s a fact. Water doesn’t float off into space. There may be shortages in places at time. Buy water doesn’t dissapeaf.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/07/honeybees-deaths-almonds-hives-aoe

Hemp milk was the only one I actually liked before I gave up caffeine.

Oatly!

@Pardonwhat Lots of places were not suffering land drought for a very long time. For example your dairy cows food is causing direct land drought in other areas of the world.

My oats from North Yorkshire from an organic rotation farm aren’t. Now I know North Yorkshire is a few hours away, but it’s hardly halfway around the world 😂

The issue with water use isn't that it vanishes, but that it needs to be treated.

SimonJT

I said ‘if’ - where did I mention your oats from Yorkshire?
My reference was to the substitutes that ARE from half way around the world

I have tried all the alternative milks and oat is, I think, by far the best.

I stopped using cow's milk because it upset my stomach. I didn't expect DH to change but he likes the oat milk and now only uses that.

We also use it in cooking - sauces, pancakes, yorkshire pudding, custard etc

I'm probably lactose intolerant so onl buy milk occasionally. When I do it is delivered in glass which is reused.

I feel guilty for not supporting farmers more.

OP have you considered buying directly from a dairy / farm? Lots are selling direct to the public, you might feel better about the milk if you can actually see the animals.

YOu could even look for a goat dairy if you want to dump cow's milk.

Going dairy free involves much more than just putting vegetable milk in your coffee. Milk is in a huge amount of foods you buy, sauces and all the rest. It involves a certain planning as some vegetable milks do not have the same nutritional properties cow milk has and you need to adapt your diet accordingly.

Yanbu. Oatly barista, naturli butter or Flora buttery and applewood/ daiya cheese. Nothing is exactly the same as an animal version but your tastebuds will adapt, good luck!

Oatly barista is the best for coffee etc! Definitely do it. I switched when I started breastfeeding my little girl and have never looked back. Now I can't understand how anyone keeps pints of another species breast milk in their fridge 🤢

Oat is my favourite