A Coffee Lover’s Guide to Helping the Planet and Your Body

If you’re like me, you recognize that all weather is coffee weather. Iced coffee, hot coffee, blended coffee – I don’t discriminate. All coffee any size, roast, shape or texture is beautiful. But you know what’s not beautiful? Climate change!

So how could I combine my love for coffee and my love for the planet to make both better? Swapping out my cow’s milk for for a dairy-free option, which is both better for the environment and better for your body.

The Guardian reported that cutting out meat and dairy from your diet is the single biggest way to reduce one’s environmental impact. So that being said, being cognizant of the amount of dairy and meat that you include in your daily diet makes it easier to swap out some of it for the sake of our planet. For me personally, the easiest way to reduce my dairy intake is by cutting out dairy from my daily coffee consumption.

Healthline broke down the difference between milk and non-dairy substitutes and listed the benefits, health aspects and differences in taste. Each milk substitute varies in sweetness, creaminess and what they might mix best with. In my experience, cashew milk is the creamiest and is great for cereal. Coconut, in my opinion, has the best flavor and adds a nice natural sweetness to coffee. There are so many types of dairy substitutes that every person can find the one that works best for them.

Now you may ask, how could going dairy-free benefit you personally? Typically, cow’s milk has a lot of calories, fat and sugar added to it. Most dairy-free options have less calories, sugar and fat. Almond milk, for example, has protein and is very local and low in sugar. Many people who cut out dairy lose weight and see changes in their skin and how their body feels. Studies have found that most adults are not able to digest lactose, which is the main sugar found in cow’s milk. More people will begin to develop a lactose intolerance over time.

But what about price, you may ask. Well, most milk substitutes are more expensive than traditional milk. At most coffee shops, you have to pay an additional fee (like 50 cents) to get a dairy-free option. Most dairy-free milks come in smaller sizes than cow’s milk and are typically under $3-5.

However, despite the price increase, going dairy-free is better. It is better for the planet and better for your body. Check out this podcast from Clean Eating Kitchen to see why going dairy-free might benefit women especially.

My challenge to, you reader, is to try to go dairy-free for a week. Try to not put any milk in your coffee. Try a new milk substitute that maybe you’ve never tried before. If you’re a coconut milk gal, go crazy! Try hemp milk or rice milk. And if you’re a diary-free pro, comment your favorite non cow’s milk so we can all try it and help benefit our bodies and the planet. This is my  favorite dairy free milk to just sip on.

Cheers to helping the planet and our, bodies one sip at a time!