Stop Drinking Cow’s Milk: 7 Essential Tips

If we are intolerant to cow’s milk or if it is not good for us, it is important to know how we can obtain calcium and other nutrients from other foods in order not to suffer from any deficiency.

You may have to stop drinking cow’s milk because it doesn’t make you feel good at all. Maybe you suffer from some intolerance or allergy, or you want to eliminate it for personal ethical beliefs.

There are some questions that we can delve into to find out how not to suffer from nutritional deficiencies and how to continue cooking recipes that include milk among other ingredients.

Discover in this article the 7 fundamental tips to stop drinking milk and continue to have a balanced and nutritious diet, without calcium or other nutrients deficiency.

We also give you some simple and original ideas to replace milk in your usual recipes of yogurt, sauces and other types of dishes.

1. Try the plant-based drinks

Even if we stop drinking animal milk, today we have a wide range of plant-based drinks to choose from. They are made with dried fruit, cereals and fruit. Here are some of the most consumed:

• Coconut: coconut milk is the one that most resembles cow’s milk in terms of texture and flavor. It is very nourishing and remineralizing.
• Oats: one of the most popular vegetable drinks, rich in fiber and very suitable for rebalancing the nervous system to obtain energy and vitality.
• Rice: With a mild flavor and a sweet touch, the rice-based drink is suitable for those with a sensitive digestive system or looking for a neutral-tasting milk.
• Almonds: one of the most nutritious and creamy drinks is the one based on almonds, rich in calcium and vitamin E.
• Soy: We do not recommend consuming this drink as it cannot be digested well and can cause hormonal disturbances. We should always consume fermented soy. 

We can also try many other beverages based on hazelnut, spelled, kamut, ground almond, millet, etc.

2. Milk-free smoothies

If you want an alternative to drinks with milk for breakfast or snack, we propose below some healthy smoothies made with fruit and vegetables. You will get an  extra dose of vitamins and feel full for hours.

Try this delicious smoothie, for example.

Ingredients

• 1 ripe banana
• 5 very ripe strawberries
• ½ beetroot
• 1 glass of vegetable drink (200 ml)

What needs to be done?

• Blend all the ingredients well until you get a homogeneous consistency.
• If you want, you can sweeten with honey or stevia.

3. Discover the delicious tahini

For those who are worried about the lack of calcium that may suppose the elimination of cow’s milk from their diet, we emphasize that there are foods of plant origin with a high content of this mineral. 

One of these is sesame, which we can consume in different ways: raw, toasted, in oil, in vegetable drinks or in a spread, known as tahini or tahini.

4. Avoid what makes you lose calcium

In addition to consuming foods rich in calcium of plant origin, we should also reduce what prevents the assimilation of this mineral or even takes away what we already have in our body:

• White sugar
• Refined salt
• Coffee
• Chocolate
• Carbonated drinks

5. Process your yoghurts

If you are a yogurt lover, there are two ways to prepare them with vegetable drinks:

• Solidifying the vegetable drink through the agar-agar seaweed.
• By letting the drink ferment with probiotics (such as those you take as supplements) at a hot temperature, like you would with cow’s milk yogurt.

Furthermore, we can also add fruit and nuts to these yogurts and obtain surprising and delicious results.

6. Season with brewer’s yeast

For dishes that are usually flavored with cheese, we recommend choosing a vegetarian alternative, without animal milk that will give a similar touch to your recipes: brewer’s yeast.

This nutritional supplement not only gives a salty and toasted cheese-like flavor to pasta dishes, pizza or creams, but also provides us with a large amount of vitamins and minerals.

It is a very beneficial superfood for the skin, hair and nervous system, as it calms states of anxiety and improves the mood in case of depression.

7. Bechamel with oat milk

Another of the most common problems in the kitchen when you want to replace milk is the elaboration of the famous bechamel. We can, however, safely use oat milk.

This drink not only combines very well due to its flavor, but also gives the proper texture and creaminess to the sauce. In this way we will have a much more digestive and healthy béchamel.