Health
The Best Milk Alternatives For Better Health
These days the fear of cholesterol is beginning of wisdom.
Gradually many people are discarding stuffing themselves with fat laden nutrients. Many people are reaching for non-dairy milk these days. The trouble is, when you scan a store shelf or cooler and see soy milk, macadamia milk, oat milk, pea milk and more, it can be hard to know which alternative to dairy milk is the best choice for you.
To help sort through the sea of alt-milk facts, we spoke to some environmental and nutrition experts, who shared some details that will make your decision a bit easier. We got the scoop on nutrition content, as well as important environmental factors to consider, such as greenhouse gas emissions, water use, land use, where a crop is grown, transportation and how crops are processed.
Here’s what you need to know when choosing a dairy milk alternative:
Oat Milk
Among the dairy alternatives, oat milk is a pretty climate-friendly choice with fairly low water use, land use and greenhouse gas emissions. on this topic right now.
As for nutrition oat milk is lower in fat and protein and higher in carbohydrates than other alternatives. It also has a neutral flavor and creamy consistency, making it a popular choice in cafés. Overall, nutritionists say oat milk is a good option, especially for people with soy and nut allergies.
Almond Milk
There’s a lot of buzz around the amount of water that goes into farming almonds, and that’s a valid concern — almond milk takes a lot of water to produce.
From a nutrition standpoint, almond milk is a good option in many cases. There is nothing about almond milk that sends any red flags from a health perspective,” Wolfram said, but this definitely isn’t the right choice for someone with an allergy to tree nuts or almonds.
Almond milk is low in calories, fat and protein, the consistency is thin, and the taste is fairly light and neutral, making it a good choice for mixing into smoothies. Wolfram suggests choosing a variety that’s fortified with calcium and Vitamin D.
Coconut Milk
Nutritionally, coconut milk isn’t ideal when compared to many other milk alternatives because it’s high in saturated fat according to researchers. There’s some debate over whether saturated fat from plant sources — like coconuts — is less harmful to the body than saturated fats from animal products, but experts recommend reducing consumption of saturated fats overall. It can be included in a healthy diet, but should be limited, they said.
Tyger nut Milk
Tyger nut is fast becoming a common snack these days. These small light dark brown nuts are packed with lots milk laden water that is nutritious and healthy. With lots of potassium and little sodium, tyger nuts is good for the heart, high blood pressure and stomach. Recent research has also shown that the milk in tiger nuts has less fats and lots of fibre.
To extract milk from tyger nuts requires much efforts from blending lots of them in a blender and filtering. The downside is that without adequate preservation tyger milk can sour. To get the best from it, add small sweetner either in tea or pap to taste.
Soy Milk
Soy milk can be a great alternative to dairy milk, but you’ll want to pay attention to where it comes from, as some soybeans drive deforestation in the Amazon while also displacing indigenous peoples and small farmers.
There are other issues to consider, too — some soybeans are genetically modified to withstand pesticides. Soy milk also encourages monoculture, Bergen said, which has negative effects on soil and the climate. She recommends organic soy milk as the best option.
From a nutritional perspective, soy milk contains around six or seven grams of protein per serving (comparable to cow’s milk) and is less processed than many other nondairy milks. The key is to look for unsweetened varieties, said registered dietitian Amanda Baker Lemein.
Pea Milk
Nutritionally, unsweetened pea milk is low in calories, high in protein and contains little or no saturated fat, making it a solid nondairy alternative. It usually has added oil and is fortified with vitamin B12 and other vitamins and minerals. But watch out for added sugars. “Once you get into flavors or sweeteners, then it changes how healthy it is.
Adapted From HUFFPOST
Two United States scientists who unraveled the human micro RNA have won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024.
Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the coveted prize for their work on microRNA as their discoveries help explain how complex life emerged on earth and how the human body is made up of a wide variety of different tissues.
MicroRNAs influence how genes – the instructions for life – are controlled inside organisms, including humans.
Every cell in the human body contains the same raw genetic information, locked in our DNA.
However, despite starting with the identical genetic information, the cells of the human body are wildly different in form and function.
The electrical impulses of nerve cells are distinct from the rhythmic beating of heart cells. The metabolic powerhouse that is a liver cell is distinct to a kidney cell, which filters urea out of the blood.
The light-sensing abilities of cells in the retina are different in skillset to white blood cells that produce antibodies to fight infection.
So much variety can arise from the same starting material because of gene expression.
The US scientists were the first to discover microRNAs and how they exerted control on how genes are expressed differently in different tissues.
The medicine and physiology prize winners are selected by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute.
They said: “Their groundbreaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans.
“It is now known that the human genome codes for over 1,000 microRNAs.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has begun acting to curb effects of antibiotic pollution.
The new guidance on wastewater and solid waste management for antibiotic manufacturing sheds light on this important but neglected challenge ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) taking place on 26 September 2024.
The emergence and spread of AMR caused by antibiotic pollution could undermine the effectiveness of antibiotics globally, including the medicines produced at the manufacturing sites responsible for the pollution.
Despite high antibiotic pollution levels being widely documented, the issue is largely unregulated and quality assurance criteria typically do not address environmental emissions. In addition, once distributed, there is a lack of information provided to consumers on how to dispose of antibiotics when they are not used, for example, when they expire or when a course is finished but there is still antibiotic left over.
“Pharmaceutical waste from antibiotic manufacturing can facilitate the emergence of new drug-resistant bacteria, which can spread globally and threaten our health. Controlling pollution from antibiotic production contributes to keeping these life-saving medicines effective for everyone,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for AMR ad interim.
Globally, there is a lack of accessible information on the environmental damage caused by manufacturing of medicines.
“The guidance provides an independent and impartial scientific basis for regulators, procurers, inspectors, and industry themselves to include robust antibiotic pollution control in their standards,” said Dr Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, WHO. “Critically, the strong focus on transparency will equip buyers, investors and the general public to make decisions that account for manufacturers’ efforts to control antibiotic pollution.”
In a concerted effort to curb brain drain, the Kebbi State Government has harmonised medical doctors’ salaries to be at par with their colleagues in the federal government’s tertiary health facilities.
Kebbi State Commissioner for Health, Musa Inusa-Isma’il, disclosed this at the handing over of ambulances to the state-owned health facilities at the Ministry of Health in Birnin Kebbi yesterday.
Inusa Isma’il, according to a statement by Ahmed Idris, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said the essence of the harmonisation was to retain the existing medical doctors and attract more to the services of the state.
According to him, the doctors across the state had already started enjoying the new salaries from August 2024.
He said the release of the vehicles was in fulfilment of Governor Nasir Idris’ promise to uplift health care services in the state.
“His Excellency said I should inform you, the beneficiaries of this gesture, that the vehicle should be strictly used for the intended purpose. It should not be used for anything else.
“If there is no referral case, each of the vehicles must be parked at the hospital by 6 pm. The governor said you should warn your drivers against reckless driving as well as violating the instructions.
“We should also do everything possible to reciprocate the gesture by working according to the terms and conditions attached,” he advised.
The benefiting health facilities included Sir Yahaya Memorial Hospital, Birnin Kebbi; State Teaching Hospital, Kalgo; General Hospital, Argungu; General Hospital, Yauri; General Hospital, Zuru; and General Hospital, Bunza.
In his speech, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Dr Shehu Koko, recalled that the ambulances were handed over to the ministry last Friday by the governor for the onward handover to the benefiting hospitals.
He observed that the ambulances would go a long way in improving the referral system in the state, adding that delays in reaching the secondary and tertiary facilities would be eliminated.
The permanent secretary attributed the high rate of maternal mortality in the country to delays in getting to the health facilities for proper medical care.
“We believe with the provision of these ambulances, part of the gaps we have in our referral system will be addressed, whereby patients who require secondary healthcare could be easily transported to secondary and tertiary health centres, where they can get such help,” he said.
In a goodwill message, Commissioner for Information and Culture Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed expressed gratitude to the governor for the support he has given to the ministry to excel.
While advising the beneficiaries to use the vehicles judiciously, the commissioner advised that services and maintenance of the vehicles must be prompt to derive the maximum benefits from the vehicles.
The commissioner also highlighted some achievements recorded by the government in the last year, including beautification of the state capital, completion of a multimillion-naira ultramodern state secretariat, road construction, construction and renovation of classrooms and upgrading of some health facilities, among others.
