Health Coach Ms. Neha Ranglani Discusses How Dairy-Free Milk Alternatives Can Help In Better Health

Ms. Neha Ranglani is an Integrative Nutritionist and Health Coach and a vegan for the past 5 years. In this interview, she talks about her journey as a vegan and how dairy-free alternatives can help in better health.

Simran: Since how long have you been a vegan and have you benefitted from the diet?

Neha Ranglani: I've been vegan for about five years now, and what I've benefited from being a vegan is that I feel very light in my gut. I don't have any gut issues like constipation and bloating, which I used to have earlier.There's a lot of energy when I wake up in the morning, there's no pain or aches in the body, there's no swelling or stiffness, which usually happens due to inflammation with a lot of dairy products and also my skin and hair feel a lot better.

Simran: Do you include plant milk in your diet daily?

Neha Ranglani: Yes, I do include plant milks in my diet, especially for my porridge, kheer and for my white sauce pastas and much more.

Simran: What are the types of milk you consume?

Neha Ranglani: I consume almond and coconut milk. These are the two milks I play around, because these are very easy, convenient, and they're just very healthy. And I love them.

Simran: Around 60% of the world population is said to be lactose intolerant, what symptoms can people notice in themselves?

Neha Ranglani: Yes, A lot of people are lactose intolerant because, after the age of three or four, we practically don't have any lactase to digest that milk. Lactose in the milk, causes a lot of bloating, gas, constipation, bad breath, and a lot of gut issues. Then you'll see a lot of hair fall and acne. So a lot of symptoms are there because of not being able to digest milk and the milk affects our gut in a lot of
ways.

Simran: Plant milk is a great milk alternative for people who are lactose intolerant, but can this milk benefit in general?

Neha Ranglani: Yes, plant milk is a great alternative for people with lactose intolerance. And they can benefit the general public as well because plant milk has all the nutrients without chemicals and toxins as your normal milk has. When you make a good combination of plant milk like almonds and sesame, it becomes very rich in calcium. You can do oats and sunflower seeds milk that is low in calories because of the lesser calories in oats. So you can play around with different seeds and nuts and grains to make your milk, which actually becomes a great option for all the nutrition that you need without the damage dairy milk does to your body.

Simran: Almond milk has been seen as a very popular milk alternative nowadays, what are the nutritional benefits? Does this milk suit everyone?

Neha Ranglani: Yes, almond milk has been a great popular alternative nowadays, the nutritional benefits are that it's great in vitamin E, rich in zinc and magnesium, and has a lot of bone-friendly minerals like calcium and phosphorus. And it's also a good source of good fat, so it just makes a good drink for the body. Yes, Almond milk suits everyone, unless you have a nut allergy or a specific almond allergy. Almonds don't create any problems because it's usually the most commonly eaten nut and most people can do very well with them.

Simran: Can almond milk help in weight loss and diabetes control?

Neha Ranglani: We don't consume any one particular food for weight loss or for a particular problem, because not any food, in particular, can cure any problem. It's your complete lifestyle, diet, and integration of your mind, body, and soul. But almond milk can be a great option for people who want to lose weight or control diabetes, especially because dairy milk increases insulin resistance and almond milk does not.
But if you want to lose weight, I would suggest oat milk or rice milk as better options for your weight loss journey.

Simran: There is common thinking that going plant-based may lead to protein deficiencies, do you think soy milk being one of the greatest sources of proteins can help?

Neha Ranglani: Going plant-based does not lead to protein deficiency even if you're a vegetarian or vegan. In fact, you have protein and amino acids in all your food. If you eat a balanced meal, you get all the amino acids that you need for your body to kind of make the protein that it needs. Soy milk is a great source of protein, But again, the soy that we get in our market today is highly GMO and non-organic and has
a lot of toxins. So if you get organic, non-GMO soy it's a great thing. But I would still suggest don't only solely depend on soy milk, you can try different kinds of milk to get nutrition in your body.

Simran: Generally, plant milk lacks Vitamin B12, what are the other plant-based sources for Vitamin B12 that people can include in their diet?

Neha Ranglani: Yeah, Plant milk lacks vitamin B12, because it’s only found in animal foods because their gut makes it, and that's how we get it from their products. However, the sources of vitamin B12 for vegans are very minimal. You can consume mushrooms and greens but you won't really get the B12 that you need, you need to consume a good quality B12 supplement. B12 deficiency doesn't happen because you're a vegan or a vegetarian or you've moved to plant-based milk, even nonvegetarians have B12 deficiency. And that's a lot to do with the intrinsic factor in your gut and the way you process these nutrients. So if there's a problem with your gut you will not absorb the vitamin B12.

Simran: If you had to pick the best 3 plant-based alternatives what would they be? And Why?

Neha Ranglani: If I had to pick the best three plant-based milk alternatives, they would be almond milk, oat milk, and coconut milk. I think these are great because coconut milk has very good fats, and it’s very good for the liver and the gut. Almond milk contains all the minerals and oats are low in calories and have a lot of compounds that help to feed the good bacteria in the gut. So that's why these three would be my best picks. 

Like this? Read: Milk Is Unhealthy. Here's Why!

Read More: Things You Experience When You’re The ONLY Vegan In The Family!