Plant-based milks continue to expand their share of the milk market.

Some see this shift as a palatable disruption, where people are encouraged to care enough

about the environment, health, and animal welfare to adopt plant-based milks, but ultimately remain consumers of a commodity food.

Do people even need to consume milk, whether plant-based or dairy?

Recent guidelines from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommend that one-to-two-year-old children consume whole cow's milk,

explicitly stating that

plant milk should be avoided with the exception of soy milk. This triggered an outcry in the medical

community with significant concerns about dairy industry influence and the lack of data showing

cow's milk offers any benefit over plant-based milks to young children.

Dr. Greger covered this controversy in detail.

After weaning, milk of any kind is not required,

and in fact should not be relied upon as a main source of calories.

Water is fine, provided it is combined with a healthy, balanced diet.

U.S. federal nutrition policy and dairy industry promotions have long recognized dairy milks as a high-quality source of protein and calcium. However, although cows milk is rich in calcium,

it does not appear to reduce bone fractures. What's more, consumption of cow's milk carries

its own risks, and must be

compared against risks of plant-based milks, which are primarily only problematic when they

are used inappropriately and otherwise unbalanced diets that provide inadequate solid foods.

Some milk products, whether dairy or plant-based, are fortified with vitamin D or vitamin A.

Plant-based milk alternatives could benefit from nutrient density standards,

particularly if individuals rely on them as sources of protein and calcium.

In a survey of plant-based milk alternatives in the U.S. market,

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