CaLDRON February 2014 - Valentine's Day Special | Page 75

FACE OFF
People with gluten and lactose intolerance as well as vegans, often miss out the healthiness of dairy products like animal milk. Not to mention the glorious taste of freshly churned butter or the benefits of probiotics in yogurt. However, there is hope for them. Scientists recently
developed plant-based milk, which can be used to make yogurt. Close on the heels of this announcement, a frozen yogurt company, TCBY,
partnered with Silk Almondmilk to create the vegan Silk Vanilla Almond Fro-Yo.
Tassy Gillitwala: Since I moved to Sydney from India in 2013, I started reading
the ingredients of every product I purchased and saw that companies mention
the presence of any allergen, like gluten,
sulphites, nuts, lactose or crustaceans, on
every product pack. It made me realize
that food allergy is a serious issue and
could pose health risks in certain individuals. So, if dairy milk can be substituted
by healthier options like plant-based milk
or non-dairy milks depending on one's
nutritional need and dietary restrictions,
then it is a great idea.

Tassy Gillitwala: I am not lactose-intolerant, nor am I a vegan, neither am
I trying to shed weight. Yet, I tried soy
milk a couple of years ago out of sheer
curiosity. I did not quite like its taste
and therefore I did not make a habit of
having it regularly.
Tassy Gillitwala: As long as there is no
risk attached, I think there will be takers
for such products. These could include
vegans or people who don’t have dairy
products, are lactose intolerant, want
to lower their cholesterol or who like to
make healthy life choices. Though there
are many alternatives like soy milk, rice
milk, almond milk, coconut milk, hemp
milk and other flavoured and unsweetened varieties on the market shelves,
there is still a long way to go before these
products become really popular.

Would you go for plant based
milk?

Have you tried any similar
kind of lab-grown food
product?

Do you think plant based milk
is a fad, nothing more?

Tassy Gillitwala lives
in Sydney, Australia
with her husband,
where she is busy
absorbing the flavors
of the local cuisine
and culture.

Dr Manisha Sharma, Mumbai: Some
non-dairy milk are rich sources of
vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates
with low glycaemic index, antioxidant
compounds and dietary fiber. In terms
of calories, these products have less than
1 percent of the fat found in cow’s milk.
Despite these health benefits, I would
still not want to try this out. This is also
because I am not lactose-intolerant.

Dr Manisha Sharma, Mumbai: I once
tried almond milk and hazelnut milk.
Probably because I am a cow milk
drinker, I did not like the flavor of this
plant-based milk. I found them too
grainy and unnatural tasting. I never had
it after that.
Dr Manisha Sharma: It depends. Right
now, the number of consumers who will
opt for alternative milk is low. But they
are still there. If they convert to regular
buyers of these products then plant-based
milk might just become a trend. Otherwise, it will be a fad, much like how
mock meat was.

A homeopathic
doctor, Mumbai’s Dr
Manisha Sharma believes in maintaining
a healthy lifestyle and
advices the same to
her patients as well.

Vinita Bhatia
CaLDRON February 2014

75