Iodine Global Network (IGN)

Ireland: Do you risk losing key nutrients by switching from milk to non-dairy alternatives?

Once we sloshed cow’s milk over our cereal but now it’s all about choice. But do we risk losing key nutrients by switching to non-dairy options, asks Sharon Ní Chonchúir.

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Iodine is another nutrient that may be missing from the diets of people who give up milk.

“We can get iodine from fish, seaweed or from cow’s milk, to which it is added,” says Keogh. “But if you don’t eat any of those, you won’t get it and iodine deficiency is becoming a big public health issue, especially for pregnant women who need it for the healthy brain development of their baby.”

Even though the move away from cow’s milk towards plant-based milks worries Keogh, she doesn’t think that it will be a permanent one for most people. “The last trend we had was the gluten-free diet and that lasted for five years,” she says. “Now it’s a vegan diet. In five years’ time, it will be something else.”

 

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