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And I’m not alone, as the ever-growing shelves in the supermarket with plant-based milk alternatives prove. There is a wide choice of soy, coconut, almond or hazelnut, but most (and frankly the most popular) drinks are based on oats. Oat drinks are now also a regular part of the drinks menu in most cafes and for many a must in their morning coffee on their way to work.
Coffee with oat milk in the morning
If you like lattes with oat milk as much as I do, hold on tight: you may not be making yourself happy with them. Or rather, your blood sugar. For years, measuring that was considered only relevant to diabetics, but is currently causing a stir everywhere. And rightly so, because an unbalanced blood sugar level can be the cause of craving, little energy and fatigue, acne, poor sleep and brain fog. On Instagram, biochemist Jessie Inchauspé – aka the ‘Glucose Goddess’ – illustrates this very clearly. She also gives her three million followers tips for stable blood sugar every day.
She is also talking about the effects of oat milk on our body, among other things. As a lover of oat milk, I immediately stied my ears and took a look. “Harmelk is made from oats, oats is a grain and grain is starch. So if you drink oat milk, you actually drink cereal juice, which contains a lot of glucose. This again leads to high peaks in glucose levels,” Inchauspé explains in a video. As with fruit juice, most plant fibers are filtered from oat milk, so that it contains little to no fiber and only the vegetable sugar remains.
Alternatives
Especially on an empty stomach, sugary oat milk causes an extreme increase in blood sugar levels, which then drops again, which can lead to appetite and fatigue during the day. I know it’s hard, but a coffee or matcha latte with oat milk is not a good idea, especially not in the morning to start the day. According to Inchauspé, cow’s milk and nut drinks are better alternatives. “Milk from cows consists mainly of protein and fat. Milk made from nuts contains little starch, making it a better option for a balanced glucose content,” she continues.
But if you absolutely don’t want to give up your beloved oat milk, there are a few things you can do to keep your glucose levels somewhat in control. “Consider not drinking oat milk on an empty stomach, but rather after breakfast. Or go for a walk after drinking oat milk,” the biochemist suggests, for example.
I’ve tried a few milk alternatives and unsweetened soy milk is my favorite – I almost always drink it in my coffee now. Especially in the morning I try to pay attention to this with the result that I am really less hungry by lunchtime. That doesn’t mean I don’t drink oat milk cappuccinos at all anymore; during a brunch or in the afternoon it remains my favorite drink.
