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Oat-ly Oat Milk Barista Edition | Chewsday Review

My Chewsday Review of Pea Protein milk gathered a lot of interest. It’s a good one for children with cow’s milk protein intolerance and soy allergy. But lots of you were concerned with the lack of froth-ability if you had to use it in your coffee. So, today’s review features another popular milk alternative- Oat-ly Oat Milk Barista Edition (this is different to regular Oat-ly milk). How does this compare to cow’s milk and pea protein milk? Let’s see…

Ingredients

Oat base (water, oats 10%), rapeseed oil, acidity regulator (dipotassium phosphate), calcium carbonate, calcium phosphates, iodised salt, vitamins (D2, riboflavin, B12).
Rapeseed oil is another name for canola oil. This would be one of my preferred oils given the high unsaturated fat content. Dipotassium phosphate controls the acidity of the milk to keep it shelf-stable.
Common allergens include: none.

Positives

Equivalent fat content to cow’s milk- and about 50% more than pea protein milk. Fat is an important nutrient for growing children, and most plant-based milks don’t have enough fat. Most plant-based milk have inadequate amounts of fat for kids. This Barista milk actually has double the fat content of regular Oat-ly milk (which means it froths nicely).
As above, it FROTHS. Perfect if your whole family is dairy and soy free (but you might need a second job to pay!)
Sodium content is within healthy guidelines, and similar to cow’s milk. This is better than the pea protein milk.
Fortified with calcium at 120mg/100mL. This is essential to look for on any plant-based milk.
Unsweetened. Many plant milks have added sugar, so this is good to find one without add sweetener.
Added Vitamin D and B12 which are tricky nutrients for vegetarians and vegans to get enough of.

Negatives

About 1/3 the protein of cow’s milk or pea protein milk- this is one of my main concerns about plant-based milks. Whilst kids don’t need heaps of protein, most of the alternative milks have almost none. This one provides 2.5g/cup which provides about 18% of a toddler’s daily protein requirements.
This milk is super expensive compared to cow’s milk at $4.50/L. That’s more than double the cost of cow’s milk. It’s more expensive than other plant-based milks but it’s more nutritious than almost all of them except soy milk and pea protein milk.

Marketing

Alternatives

This has more fat but less protein than pea protein milk (and more energy overall which can be important for growing children). I think this is a great option if your child has a cow’s milk protein allergy or intolerance. I would always recommend getting this properly diagnosed before trying to eliminate cow’s milk without any guidance.
Nutritionally, soy milk is a comparable option. Many people are wary of giving their children soy milk because of pervasive rumours about phytoestrogens. I’m happy to recommend soy as a drink, alongside this and pea protein milk.