Sonja Vlaar
That most people in Central Europe today can digest milk, we owe a gene mutation. Because the human ability to split milk sugar (lactose), was originally intended by nature only for infants. The enzyme lactase, which is necessary for it, develops back in the course of time.
Although animals such as cattle, sheep or goat were domesticated in the Middle East and Anatolia around the ages of 11.000 in order to digest their dairy products, they only had to be made compatible through special processes such as cheese or yoghurt production. When these early farmers then made their way to Europe, they met hunters and gatherers. About 8.000 years ago, shortly before the first peasants settled, the genetic mutation occurred. It ensured the long-lasting production of the enzyme lactase, which in the course of time allowed more and more adults to digest dairy products. Scientists from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and University College London assume that the milk compatibility in the area of today's Hungary, Austria or Slovakia has emerged.
milk
Milk is an emulsion of proteins, milk sugar and milk fat in water; in other words, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and trace elements are dissolved in the water. The proportions of the individual ingredients vary from animal species to animal species. Milk consumption is stagnating in Europe, with China and India being the growth markets. In 2012, 754 million tons of milk (Austria: 3,5 million tons, 2014) were produced worldwide, 83 percent of which was cow's milk.
Milk & CO2
Unimaginable 65 billions of livestock are "produced" annually worldwide. They chew and digest and produce tons of methane, a climate-damaging greenhouse gas. Taken together, all of these factors make the burden of meat and fish consumption on the Earth's atmosphere much greater than that of global road traffic. Although the calculations for what percentage of greenhouse gas emissions is responsible for the global meat and milk production in the end fluctuate. For some it is 12,8, others come on 18 or even more than 40 percent.
So we can benefit today from the natural product milk. "The cow uses a nutrient (grass) for us and makes it edible. This makes milk an important source of protein and calcium, "says Michaela Knieli, nutrition expert for" die umweltberatung "in Vienna. Austrian fresh milk is GMO-free and is merely homogenized and pasteurized. "Essentially, that's what's coming out of the cow. You do not give anything. "From a sustainability point of view, it is important not to import the feed. As is the case with organic products, for example, where the circular economy requires the feed to come from the farm as a rule. It is especially recommended if the cows are on pastures.
Hay milk: from natural circulation
More and more farmers are using hay milk, where feeding follows more of the original natural cycle. In summer, hay milk cows are allowed to feed on grasses and herbs from meadows, pastures and alpine pastures, and in winter they are fed with hay and cereal meal. There is no fermented feed. The organic hay flower milk from "Ja! Naturally". According to the company, 365 days a year free run for the cows on the program, of which at least 120 days on pasture and the rest of the year in the playpen with outlet to the outside, tethering prohibited. Hummingbird farmers from "Back to the Origin" grant the dairy cows 180 days stay in the open air, including 120 days grazing.
On the other hand, in addition to ethical considerations, fattened cows kept in the barn are an ecological problem as well, according to Knieli. It is not just about the manure problem (Infobox). "High-yielding cows are fattened with protein feed. That could be soybean meal from the rainforest. By the way, he ends up much more in animal stomachs than in the stomachs of vegetarians. "
The alternative
When it comes to soy milk, many are also the first to think of the topic of the rain forest problem and genetic engineering. That this is not the rule for the soya drinks available in Austria is shown by a review by the magazine Consumer: "In seven out of twelve soy drinks tested, the soybeans come from Austria. I honestly would not have thought that, "said Nina Siegenthaler, nutritionist at the Verein für Konsumenteninformation (VKI). Traces of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) were also found in none of the tested soy drinks.
Apart from one supplier of Italian soybeans, the other four producers are silent about the source of their raw materials for the soy drinks. The rice and almond drinks tested by "Konsument" had no information on the countries of origin of the main ingredients. It would be important to be able to judge how sustainable milk replacement products really are. A few manufacturers, such as Joya, whose oat milk has not been studied, state that Austria is the source of the oat. "If soy, spelled or oats from Austria, then the plant milk cuts off very well in comparison to fresh milk. I do not have to feed and keep any animals, which leads to high CO2 emissions, and I hardly have transport routes, "says Knieli of" die umweltberatung ".
Rice milk: many disadvantages
If it is a rice drink or a milk substitute imported product, then extreme transport routes and, in the case of rice, CO2-intensive cultivation are added. In addition, barely known: wet rice produces large amounts of methane, which always occurs when microorganisms decompose organic plant material - not only in animal husbandry.
In addition, high levels of arsenic are repeatedly found in rice, which in its inorganic form is toxic to humans and carcinogenic. Although four out of five rice drinks investigated were below the average value established by the European Food Safety Authority, the magazine Consumer advises caution and considers rice drinks unsuitable for infants and toddlers. The process of fermentation makes the rice drinks particularly sweet. That was well received by the testers. "But the absurdity is: Due to the production, rice drinks contain more sugar than some soy drinks, to which sugar has been added!", Says Siegenthaler. "From an ecological and nutritional point of view, rice milk is a thorn in the side. When wet rice cultivation produces much climate-damaging methane, in addition, rice is transported around half the globe, "says Knieli. This rice milk would have many benefits for allergy sufferers. Because unlike drinks made from spelled, oats or other cereals, a rice drink is naturally gluten-free.
Almond milk: not quite so natural
What about the almond milk? Incidentally, they have been around since the Middle Ages. Does she have much to do with today's almond drinks bottled in tetrapaks? The list of ingredients is comparatively long, consumers found thickeners, emulsifiers and stabilizers in half of the drinks tested. In addition, all were sugared (although unsweetened almond milk is available). "Can we still speak of a natural product? Milk is a lot more natural, "says Siegenthaler. Almond milk is also problematic from an ecological point of view: "Almonds would do quite well on the CO2 issue. But most come from the US and are produced as monocultures with high pesticide and water use. Almond drinks should therefore be treated with caution! "Says Knieli.
By the way, the almond drinks tested by consumers contained just two to seven percent almonds. "These drinks contain a lot of water. You should be aware that water is actually being transported here all over the globe, "says the expert of" die umweltberatung ".
So what's better, milk or vegetable milk? One thing is certain: the perfect product does not exist. All have advantages and disadvantages. Knieli: "If you make milk from oats or spelled, it cuts better than fresh milk. However, plant milk has disadvantages in the nutrient composition. Organic grape milk is also recommended. But that does not help you if you can not stand it. "
intolerance
Lactose intolerance is widespread in our latitudes. In Central Europe, only about 60 percent of the population today can digest milk sugar, while in northern Europe, such as Scandinavia and Ireland, 90 percent. In Southern Europe, this figure is only about 20 percent, and in Asia very few people tolerate dairy products. If the enzyme lactase is missing, the milk sugar can not be split and remains in the colon. There is a processing by bacteria to, for example, lactic acid and carbon dioxide, which in people with lactose intolerance can lead to abdominal pain, cramps, flatulence or diarrhea.
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