For Better Gut Health, Turn To This Milk Alternative

From cashew milk to flax milk and more, there's a wide array of plant milk options available on the modern market, and none of them are created equal. Today's expert tip comes from Angel Luk, a registered dietician who sat down with Tasting Table to let us in on her gut-healthiest tips — and, according to the pro, the best dairy alternative for promoting gut health is soy milk. Specifically, plain, unsweetened soy milk is the best candidate for the job. 

Soy milk, says Luk, contains "prebiotic fibers including beta glucan, which are excellent for gut health," and "also provides essential amino acids, including threonine, which helps maintain the integrity of the gut barrier." Threonine cannot be synthesized by the body, and therefore needs to be obtained from food. This powerful little agent supports the immune system by producing antibodies, as well as promoting central nervous system health (a plus for foodies struggling with depression or anxiety) and supporting the lungs and liver. In short, threonine does a lot — and soy milk is full of it. For reference, a one-cup serving of cooked soybeans contains roughly 1.8 grams of threonine.

From a culinary standpoint, plain, unsweetened soy milk also offers an ultra-similar flavor, texture, and appearance to cows milk, not imparting any notably different tastes of mouthfeels (unlike, say, inherently sweeter and thinner almond milk). Soy milk is also a rich source of vitamin A, vitamin B, and potassium, which can help regulate blood pressure and cholesterol levels. 

Plain, unsweetened oat milk is Luk's runner-up choice for boosting gut-biome health. Like soy milk, she says, oat milk also contains that beta glucan prebiotic fiber — which affects more than just your tummy. "More and more research is pointing to our gut health affecting multiple organ systems, so it's important to pay attention that truly 'we are what we eat,'" Luk tells us. The body's systems are all interconnected, and a healthy gut is an essential base for health overall.

Access to alternative food options — like soy and oat milks — helps folks meet their nutritional needs without disrupting the crucial balance of their gut biome. "Many people live with different health conditions that make cow's milk dairy difficult or impossible to digest," says Luk. "Having dairy alternatives provide ways to increase nutrient intake (i.e. beta glucan is in oat milk, but not cow's milk) without negatively affecting bowel habits in dairy intolerant individuals, as well as the general public."

Depending on your unique health goals, soy or oat milks might offer other benefits, as well. In addition to its gut-friendliness, soy milk can help plant-based eaters get their daily protein intake, as one cup of soy milk packs 7 to 9 grams of protein compared to cows milk at 8 grams. Oat milk, by contrast, contains just 2 grams of protein per cup, but it's still a solid choice for foodies who find it uncomfortable to digest lactose.