[LifeStyle] These are the benefits of different alternative drinks to milk

[#Steeven.™]

By associating wellness and health with the consumption of vegetables, these options continue to gain ground.

Caffeine-free coffees based on chicory root, hamburgers without meat and with shiitakes and drinks based on cereals, seeds and nuts are the essentials of the new paradigm of well-being associated with greener food alternatives and that, with the advent of the pandemic , they gained more ground than the functional foods (or superfoods) of the day had already paid.

From açaí to ginger, through quinoa, moringa, turmeric (and the list goes on), the revelation ingredient changes every year but retains its vegetable soul. And the figures corroborate the rise of a manifesto that locates vegetable drinks (or seed milks and cereals) as the success story of the family basket.

According to the report ‘The unstoppable rise of plant-based alternatives’, by Euromonitor International in March, the challenge that alternative drinks faced for years was the low number of vegans and vegetarians on the planet.

Hence, the current success of these depends more on the followers of flexitarianism - who restrict some foods of animal origin, without being strictly vegan or vegetarian - who, according to the study, reach 50% of global consumers.

Blanca Hernández, an expert in the future at the market trends forecasting agency WGSN Latin America, says: “Although we are talking about consumers who are beginning to look for alternatives to improve their well-being, several of them are not looking for a radical change. But the gradual change in eating habits can lead them to be more curious to experiment with alternatives to food and reduce the consumption of animal products without completely eliminating them from their diets and that in turn improve their health ”.

 

For the health ... of the environment
The advent of the pandemic accelerated the conversion of many towards these food alternatives. “After the Covid-19 outbreak, consumers looked for options to improve their lifestyle and strengthen the immune system. More and more people are eliminating or reducing the consumption of animal proteins, partly due to the zootechnical origin attributed to the coronavirus, and also due to the impact that these foods have on the environment, ”says Hernández.

For this reason, the one that was for years the owner of the vegetable ‘milk’, the soybean, lagged behind the bank.

'Dairy free and soy free', say the most desired labels in this new social order, as demonstrated by the 10.6 billion dollars raised in global retail from the sales of soy-free drinks during 2019, according to Euromonitor International, being those of seeds, nuts and cereals the most sought after alternatives by those who demand transparency from the seeds, non-allergenic ingredients and processes with a low carbon footprint.

Now, if the reason for joining an alternative diet is environmental care, it is essential to document the effect of the production processes of cruelty-free food, for example. “Or if these can generate an impact similar to the one we seek to counteract through food. If I am going to have to supplement myself with proteins, vitamins and minerals, there is no use being strict with veganism, since the supplements are not natural ”, concludes Ovallos.

At the moment, environmental care is in the background when looking for the triggers for the purchase of vegetable ‘dairy’ drinks. However, the multifunction of its formulas and their combination with technological advances that optimize their nutritional profile without altering them biologically are postulated as the future of this prolific niche.

 

The #dairyfree effect
The fertility of the land for food and vegetable ‘milk’ is due to the virality of the cult of the body and the various notions of well-being that social networks grid with numbers of diets, fitness challenges and trends imposed by the food industry.

Dietitian nutritionist Daniela Ovallos assures that neither Facebook, Instagram nor Netflix are reliable sources and many ‘gurus’ tend to demonize food in defense of their choices. “There is mani[CENSORED]tion of the results, because they only show the side they want. These channels do not show the harmful effects generated by vegetarian diets that are not done correctly ”, he maintains, and emphasizes the need to seek professional advice when making dietary changes.

 

Continent ‘healthy’
According to the study 'Trends in the consumption of plant-based and vegetable-based foods in Colombia and Latin America', developed by the Ingredion company and the Opinaia consultancy, more than a third of Latin Americans identify with an alternative diet (37% adherents to veganism, vegetarianism, flexitarianism or pescetarianism), as they consider them healthier (80% of those surveyed), key to preventing diseases (44%) or ideal to vary their food sources (39%).

And despite the fact that almost a third of Latinos have not consumed plant-based foods, there is a high predisposition to choose them (89% of those consulted), especially in Colombia (93%), Brazil (90%) and Peru (89 %).

Jorge Ignacio Zapata, Ingredion's general manager for the Andean Region, says: “There is a consensus on the importance of food in the quality of life. When consuming food and beverages, health benefits are sought, even over taste and economic accessibility, while there is interest in knowing the origin of the ingredients ”.

In fact, the preference for less processed products has been a growing trend in the last four years. According to Nielsen, since 2016 Colombians have shown interest in finding food with 100% natural ingredients in supermarkets (70% of buyers from Éxito stores), low in sugar (59%), without or low in fat (58%) , free of colorants (52%) and without artificial flavors (49%).

"67% of Colombians indicate they pay attention to the ingredients they consume, and in 99% of households there is at least one healthy product," says Edna Milena Rico, director of Grupo Éxito's Vida Sana fair, who highlights that As of July 31, 2020, products with nutritional benefits reached a 23% share in the portfolio of its supermarkets.

“Taeq, our own brand, has more than 350 products of this type, and by the end of the year there will be more than 400, including organic, vegan (lentil burgers and chickpea meatballs) and local, such as chocolate bars with natural cocoa ”, He adds.