3 Reasons to Ditch Dairy (And What to Replace it With)

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The future of dairy isn’t looking good as more consumers opt for plant-based alternatives. Is it time to ditch dairy once and for all?

You may find it hard to imagine your favourite treats without dairy, whether it’s a melt-in-your-mouth mozzarella pizza, a creamy latte or a tub of addictive ice cream.

The good news is going dairy-free has never been easier, thanks to plant-based alternatives popping up everywhere. Why should we consider ditching dairy for good?

Most people don’t realise how cruel the dairy industry is. You can hardly blame anyone for this. Adverts sell us images of happy cows chewing grass on idyllic, family-run farms. In reality, dairy cows endure a horrific ordeal before they meet their untimely end. This is conveniently left out of marketing campaigns for dairy products.

Firstly, farmers masturbate bulls and impregnate multiple female cows with the bull semen (eww). Farmers then forcibly impregnate dairy cows over and over again so they produce milk. Like humans, female cows are mammals who only lactate when they give birth. They make milk to feed their babies, just as humans do.

Calves are taken from their mothers shortly after birth, a traumatic experience for both mum and baby. Cows are pregnant for around 9 months, so imagine how painful this separation must be.

Female calves join their mothers as dairy cows, while males are either killed hours after birth or raised for veal. This also happens on organic farms – male calves can’t produce milk so they’re considered a waste product, whether they’re factory farmed or organic. Steps have been taken in the UK to make veal more “ethical,” but we’re hardly doing calves a favour by giving them some extra straw bedding before sending them to the slaughterhouse.

This process happens repeatedly until the dairy cow is "spent" – in other words, she’s no longer useful and she’s killed for her flesh. Cows can live up to 25 years, but in the dairy industry they have a lifespan of just 5-6 years.

The dairy industry is based on exploiting the female reproductive system and is inherently cruel. Stealing calves from their mothers so we can drink their milk cannot be a kind or humane process. Sometimes I think about that old Cravendale advert that says, “Cravendale tastes so good, the cows want it back.” No shit.

Humans produce milk for baby humans. Dogs produce milk for baby dogs. Giraffes produce milk for baby giraffes. See where I’m going with this? Cows' milk contains the nutrients baby cows need to become grown-up cows.

We’re constantly sold messages about drinking milk being natural, that we need it for calcium and strong bones. Well, guess what? We can get those nutrients elsewhere, without the high levels of fat and cholesterol (not to mention traces of growth hormones and pus).

Here’s a handy flow chart from Mercy for Animals to help you figure out whether you need cows' milk or not.

No other species drinks the breast milk of another species. Just let that sink in. There are plenty of non-dairy milks on the market, including soya, almond, hazelnut, cashew, rice, hemp and oat. There’s absolutely no need for humans to drink anything that comes out of a cow’s tit.

There's a growing body of evidence suggesting that eating more plant-based foods can help the environment. A recent study stated that avoiding meat and dairy is the best thing we can do to help the environment.

The study shows that meat and dairy only provide 18% of calories and 37% of protein, yet production uses a whopping 83% of the world's farmland. Meat and dairy have hefty greenhouse gas footprints too, accounting for 60% of the total emissions produced by agriculture.

A Greenpeace report also warns that meat and dairy consumption in Europe must be halved by 2050. As well as emitting huge amounts of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, animal agriculture results in loss of biodiversity and causes pollution.

While some plant-based options can still cause environmental issues (e.g. almond milk and palm oil), it’s clear that our demand for meat and dairy is taking its toll on the planet. And our planet deserves better.

Ditching dairy doesn’t mean you have to give up your favourite desserts or snacks. There are so many widely available dairy-free alternatives, most of which taste exactly the same as the regular version.

Plant-based milk is estimated to surpass $34 billion (£26 billion) by 2024, so it’s safe to say it’s not disappearing any time soon. Look out for these brands in your supermarket:

Whether you love halloumi, cheddar or mozzarella, there’s a vegan cheese for you:

You can still get your ice cream fix from these brands:

Supermarkets and restaurant chains are doing a better job of catering to vegan pizza lovers:

Yogurts are handy for breakfast and make great little snacks. Here are some brands offering vegan-friendly yogurts and desserts:

Whether you enjoy generously buttered toast, classic crumpets or you're an avid baker, you'll find a tasty dairy-free margarine in your supermarket:

Many supermarkets also have own-brand vegan margarine, so look out for those.

See? Going dairy-free is a breeze and you won't look back. Plant-based business is booming, which means we can expect to see more products in the near future. There’s really no reason to continue contributing to the dairy industry anymore.

Check out my post on where to find the best vegan chocolate too.