Milk is an indispensable part of many people’s diets. Cow and buffalo’s milk have long been consumed as a beverage, used in tea or coffee, and also in many dishes and sweets. For a lot of people, however, milk is a strict no due to personal preferences, dietary restrictions, allergies or intolerances. But now there are plenty of non-dairy alternatives like soy milk, almond milk, oat milk, cashew milk among others available for consumption. And the latest addition to the same is potato milk.
Potato milk attracted everyone’s attention after Swedish company Veg of Lund launched it under the brand DUG. In an interview with The Guardian, Thomas Olander, the CEO, said the drink is “very sustainable” as it takes far fewer resources to make a litre of potato milk than any other milk. He, further, claimed that it requires “half as much land as oat milk and 56 times less land than almond milk for production”.
However, nutritionist Arooshi Aggarwal, said that it is not the first company to produce potato milk and that it was originally launched in 2015 by a vegan brand in Canada and the US.
The nutritionist added, “There is a growing demand for alternatives to dairy products. Therefore, this invention has all the curiosity. Potato milk is not only soy-free, gluten-free and sugar-free but also an excellent replacement to dairy as it is quite similar to dairy milk”.
How is potato milk made?
“Potato milk is made by heating and boiling the potatoes in water and then emulsifying it with rapeseed oil and other foods for calcium, pea proteins and chicory fibre. It is then fortified industrially with different vitamins and minerals,” Aggarwal shared.
Health benefits of potato milk
She added that potato milk is a good source of vitamin D and B12. “They are fortified with other vital vitamins and minerals including vitamins A, C, D, E and K as well as B vitamins, calcium and iron making it as nutritiously dense as cow milk,” she told indianexpress.com.
“It is sustainable and environmentally friendly as it requires less water and land in its production,” she added.
The nutritionist, however, suggested discretion while consuming potato milk. “There is no evidence available suggesting this milk as a good option for people suffering from diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and dyspepsia”
“Since potatoes are not a good source of protein, potato milk made at home will lack protein and other nutrients until fortified,” she said.
