In recent years, dairy alternatives such as plant-based milk and exotic milk – or those that come from non-cow animals – have been rising in popularity. But what are they exactly? Are there different nutritional benefits? How different do they taste when compared to traditional milk? Where can you find such varieties in Beijing? And of course, the million dollar question: How much do they cost?

To find out more, we did a little digging and even conducted our own taste test with kids, just so you can have an idea of how well your own children may react to these milk alternatives.

Scan the QR code to watch kids try out milk alternatives!

Without further ado, let’s mooooo-ve on and discover the exotic cousins to cow milk!

Cow milk

Nutrition: We set the base line with cow milk so that you know how all the alternatives stack up against it. Cow milk is very protein-rich and contains all the vital amino acids needed in the body. It is also great for people who have a vitamin B12 deficiency, which is crucial for brain health. Cow milk is also one of the most consumed forms of milk, mainly due to its calcium-rich content, strengthening muscles and bones which are essential for growth. However, full-fat cow milk may be a concern for people who are wary of saturated fat, hence why skim milk – where the fat is removed – is a great option. Cow milk is not recommended for lactose-intolerant people.

Pricing: RMB 2-RMB 6 per bottle

Availability: Readily available

Taste: Well, you probably already know! Full cream milk is full-bodied, rich, and creamy. Some people find skim milk too thin and watery.

Camel milk

Nutrition: Camel milk is great for people who are diagnosed with diabetes or have a weak immune system. Despite being low in cholesterol and sugar, it is rich in vitamins and minerals, offering large amounts of iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and vitamin C. Surprisingly, camel milk’s protein is different than normal dairy milk, which is why it doesn’t generally trigger lactose-intolerant responses. Take note, however, that the protein and lactose content is also less than cow milk.

Pricing: RMB 40+ per bottle

Availability: Taobao, local neighborhood stores

Taste: Salty-sweet, cheesy, buttery. Of all types of milk, camel milk is most like breast milk, making it a great alternative for babies. However, some people find the sweetness unctuous and cloying.

Buffalo milk

Nutrition: Buffalo milk is the least desirable type of milk for calorie-watchers as it is very high in fat. Regardless, its health benefits are incredible. Buffalo milk lowers blood pressure and promotes bone and heart development. For those who suffer from circulatory issues, buffalo milk could be your new best friend. Furthermore, buffalo milk is rich in protein, phosphorus, vitamin A, iron, and calcium, which all play a prominent role in your immune system.

Pricing: RMB 6-RMB 10 per bottle

Availability: Taobao, Shan Mu grocery store, and local stores

Taste: Sweet and creamy. Some people say that it tastes like sweetened vanilla milk.

Goat milk

Nutrition: As goat milk has a lower lactose content than cow milk, it’s easier to digest and less inflammatory than cow milk. Goat milk also reduces cholesterol levels, and its fatty acids are great for heart health. Surprisingly, goat milk offers more calcium than cow milk. Plus, if you want glowing skin, goat milk is perfect for you!

Pricing: RMB 7-RMB 11 per bottle

Availability: Taobao, MeiTuan, TMall, some local grocery stores

Taste: Creamy, buttery, tangy. Some people find the creaminess slightly unctuous.

Oat milk

Nutrition: Here’s something you may not know about this vegan milk alternative: Although oat milk has more carbohydrates and fewer proteins, it’s packed with vitamin B, iron, and magnesium. Studies have shown that the fiber found in oat milk helps regulate blood sugar and improves cholesterol levels and digestion. However, although oat milk is lactose-free, folks with gluten intolerance should double-check the labels, as some manufacturers may unintentionally cross-contaminate. Lastly, if you are watching your carb intake, oat milk may not be the best option for you.

Pricing: RMB 5-RMB 12 per bottle

Availability: Taobao, Starbucks, TMall, most grocery stores

Taste: Sweet and nutty.

Rice milk

Nutrition: Rice milk is known to contain the least amount of allergens, making it a great milk alternative for the most severe lactose-intolerant cases. Furthermore, it’s great for those with high blood pressure and heart issues, as it’s free of fat and cholesterol. On that note, it also offers the least amount of calcium and protein, while being high in carbohydrates, like oat milk.

Pricing: RMB 6-RMB 14 per bottle.

Availability: Taobao, TMall, some local stores

Taste: A nice sweet taste that comes from brown rice. Some people find it a bit too watery.

KEEP READING: Action and Reaction: How One Beijing Family Raised a Happy, Healthy Child Despite Multiple Allergies

Images: Taobao, Pexels 

In 2008, the Chinese dairy industry hit an all-time low, with 300,000 babies falling ill and six deaths due to the consumption of baby formula tainted with melamine. At the time, 22 Chinese dairy companies were found to have products laced with melamine.

Justice was brought through arrests and sentencing, with some in the scandal even executed, but since then, the Chinese dairy industry suffered major mistrust from consumers.

Even as late as 2013 when expat families with babies moved to China, they were still advised to bring in formula. Hong Kong infamously set a ban on the amount of formula to pass across the border into China in 2013, which was an upset to traders and mainland-based parents alike. In 2016, another formula incident caused mistrust of a different sort, with one imported formula brand being mixed with a domestic brand.

But things seem to have started to turn around for domestic brands. On May 10, the Chinese State Council held a brand awareness poll for consumers. The most recognized brands for dairy products were all Chinese domestic brands  (source Sina).

Sina reported that domestic formula accounts for 45% of the market share, and imported brands take the other 55%. Additionally, in 2015 the China Dairy Association released a report stating that a national sampling of dairy products showed a 99.5% pass rate when tested for melamine and other unsafe additives. Dairy companies are taking quality control seriously, of course with the help of government regulation. In October 2016, China’s food watchdog passed tough regulations for infant formula and its advertising.

Local Fresh Milk Fine
Among parents around the city, many feel comfortable with using fresh milk products provided by domestic suppliers. Carol Waigwa, a mother of one who has been breastfed, said she just uses a local brand for herself. “I don’t feel too fussy.”

Denise Forth of the UK said her 8-year-old son, when at school, drinks a Chinese brand of milk. “The last time I bought a big container of milk, I bought from New Zealand. I see that as good milk plus it was cheaper than the local stuff.”

Jessica Qualls, 27, US, said they use SanYuan milk. “It tastes the most similar to what I’m used to and seems to have been reported as a safe brand in the past.”

She lives in Beijing with her husband Chris, 37, US, and their 2-year-old son Graham, with baby number two expected in August.

“Graham is still breastfed and only recently started having any cow’s milk so it hasn’t been something I’ve been super stressed about.”

Trusty Imported Formula
In comparison, when expats parents decide what to use for their newborns, they turn to imported foreign brands.

Rebecca Shook used imported formula for her son until he was one-year-old, then switched to cow’s milk. “We had a pretty easy way of getting formula here so I honestly didn’t even consider using a Chinese brand,” Shook said.

She would have only chosen to dive into Chinese brands if there was absolutely no other option. “I think there’s just too much fake stuff around and too much of a history with formula here to feel 100 percent confident about it.”

When asked what it would take for brands to turn around their image for expat parents, she said, “I think the mistrust is too hard to reconcile among most expat parents. And my Chinese isn’t good enough to really do the research that I’d need to do to feel confident about it.”

Other expat parents reached out for comment said the same, that they were using imported formula for their children, even if the fresh milk they used later or for their own use was Chinese.

Photos: gxjyzp.com, Vanessa Jencks

More stories by this author here.
Email: vanessajencks@truerun.com
Twitter: @vanessa_jencks
WeChat: vanessajencks

There are a lot of things from home I miss here in Beijing, decent skincare, “normal” toilets, and of course my friends and family. But MOST of all, I miss my home cuisine, and the ingredients that are easy to buy in Western supermarkets. I want to recreate some food that my family miss, share my recipes, and know where to get the ingredients. If you see a blonde lady on a bike with a toddler and bags of groceries, that’s me, on the hunt for little pieces of home.

Another drink that has recaptured my attention (although not a winter brew) is horchata. My Mexican friend in Houston, Texas in the United States introduced me to this drink in college. And while asking around in the Beijing expat community about culinary delights we miss from home, this drink resurfaced. As usual there will be debate on how to make this drink and which version is the best. All the ingredients can be found anywhere in Beijing, but don’t be fooled as horchata will warm your soul like you are on an unpolluted beach.

Horchata comes from Valencia in Spain, where orxata was made from ordi (barley). Although nowadays in Spain horchata is not made with barley but with tiger nuts, water and sugar. Horchata is served as a refreshment with ice. Variations can be made with nuts, rice, seeds, herbs, ground almonds, and lime zest.

Horchata de Arroz (rice) is by far my favorite and I remember my friend taking me to stands by the street in the blistering heat in Texas for a refreshing drink.

Ingredients:

½ cup rice                                                                                                                                                           Half cup raw almonds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon                                                                                                                               ½ teaspoon lime zest
6 cups of water
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Pulverize the raw rice in a blender.
2. Combine the rice powder with almonds, cinnamon, and lime zest in a bowl and cover with half the water. Let stand overnight.
3. Next day blend the mixture in a blender till smooth.
4. Combine the mixture with 3 cups of water and blend again.
5. Strain with cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel.
6. Add vanilla and sugar to taste.
7. Serve over ice!

Pauline van Hasselt has been working for beijingkids since October 2016. Born in Wassenaar, The Netherlands, she moved with her husband and her 3 year-old daughter to Beijing in June of this year. Prior she lived in the Netherlands, Belgium, Paraguay, Texas, and London, studying and working as a chef. Pauline enjoys biking around Beijing, finding markets and new restaurants, reading crime and fantasy books in bed, and most importantly, turning her house into a home for her family.

A couple of months ago, I noticed the absence of unsweetened Silk brand soymilk at Jenny Wang’s. This is the soymilk that my boys and I consume. I didn’t panic since we had several cases of the stuff. It frequently goes missing from store shelves for a few weeks at a time, so I keep us stocked up. As the absence grew longer, we ordered some online and I even found more boxes at Dee Dee’s market out in Shunyi (yes, sometimes I venture to the “Beijing” hinterland).

All this was well and good until we finally drank our last carton. To date, the only Silk on shelves is vanilla flavored. I’ll say it for most of our readers – ick. Both the unsweetened and original have long been absent. Savvy even tried to order more online and was only able to secure the last 12 boxes of original from one online vendor. Unless you like vanilla flavored Silk soymilk (perhaps in coffee?), China is Silk-free.

Of course we could try other brands (we have before and the ones we like are also out), or switch to some other milk substitute, (we won’t), or even go without (we might). With only three weeks to go until our departure from Beijing, I am prepared to abstain from drowning my granola in soy, but the young lads seem to lack the patience of their father. Kids.

The one lesson I’ve learned from this is that there is money to be made with an online shop selling soymilk. Especially when no one else in China has any product in stock. Moo.

Photo: theimplusebuy (flickr)

Breastfeeding is a broad topic, this is where this blog comes in. This monthly series by Le Leche Leader Bec Taylor, who shares her ever growing knowledge on the subject will be beneficial for soon to be parents. 

“I don’t think I have enough milk for my baby!” is one of the most common concerns new mothers have. It is also usually the number one reason mothers offer supplements or give up breastfeeding altogether.

Alongside an increase in your baby’s head circumference and length, there are only two accurate ways to measure if an exclusively breastfed baby is receiving enough milk:
1) increasing weight gain and
2) adequate wet and dirty diapers.

Up, up, up goes the scale!
It is expected that the average, exclusively breastfed baby will gain between at least 170-330grams (on average 8 ounces/245 g) per week after the fourth day of life and regain their birth weight after about 10-14 days.

For an older baby, the average acceptable weight gain per week is as follows:
Ages 2-4 months – 110-330g
Ages 4-6 months – 70-140g
Ages 6-12 months 40-110g
You can see that there is a very large range of ‘normal’ growth.

Count the diapers!
Once your milk comes in, usually on the third or fourth day, your baby should begin to have 6-8 wet cloth diapers (5-6 wet disposable diapers) per day. (An easy way to feel the weight of a wet disposable diaper is to pour 2-4 tablespoons of water in a dry diaper.)

Your baby’s stool will transition to yellow/ mustard-like bowel movements around the end of the first week. Consistently green, watery and foamy stools need to be monitored closely as they may be caused by a low intake of hindmilk, referred to as foremilk-hindmilk imbalance or “oversupply syndrome.”

False alarm!
The following normal baby or maternal behaviors often falsely make mothers doubt their milk supply:
1. Your baby wants to nurse all the time
2. You cannot pump very much milk.
3. Your breasts no longer leak milk and/or usually feel soft and ‘empty’.
4. Your baby is fussy in the evenings and wants to nurse more often.

If your doctor deems it medically necessary for your baby to be supplemented until your supply increases, your pumped milk is the best choice of supplement if you can pump as much milk as your baby needs. You can give your pumped milk by spoon, cup, or with a nursing supplementer so as to avoid nipple confusion in your baby.

Happily, the vast majority of low milk supply issues are easily overcome with better breastfeeding management

Actions to take if you feel concerned about your milk supply

1. Offer more frequent feedings
Milk is created on a supply and demand basis. The more your baby breastfeeds, the more prepared your breasts will be to supply the milk she needs. A newborn baby needs at least 8-12 feeds in a 24 hour period. Mothers are often told to ‘get that baby on a schedule’ or to hold off on feedings in order to ‘make the baby more hungry’. When in fact, the more the baby breastfeeds, the better! If your breasts are not ‘asked’ to create more milk by the baby actively nursing, your brain tells your breasts to stop making milk. Full breasts slow down milk production, frequently drained breasts enhance milk production.

2. Let your baby set the pace
Offer both breasts at each feeding. Allow your baby to stay at the first breast as long as he is actively sucking and swallowing. Offer the second breast when baby slows down or stops. “Finish the first breast first,” is a good general rule. (This technique gives your baby lots of the fatty “hindmilk.”) Your baby should end the feeding. He may do this by falling asleep and detaching from the breast after about 10 to 30 minutes of active sucking and swallowing. Try switch nursing.

3. Check your baby’s latch and your positioning
A baby who is not latched onto the breast correctly or is positioned awkwardly cannot effectively drain your breast. Listen to your baby’s swallowing sounds to make sure they are audible as she is breastfeeding.

4. Avoid supplementing your baby or offering a pacifier
Every time your baby receives a bottle (with water, formula or any other liquid, including pumped breastmilk), it signals to your breasts to produce less milk. Likewise, pacifiers can affect your baby’s latch and decrease the amount of time spent at the breast, both of which can lead to a reduction in milk production.

5. Call an LLL Leader
If you are worried about your milk supply, emailing or calling your LLL Leader can give you a chance to discuss the issue and problem solve together. Even better, come along to an LLL Series Meeting and talk with other mothers to see the wide range of normal babyweight gain and nursing patterns.

La Leche Leader, Bec Taylor, is a woman of many hats – WAHM to two children under 5, Masters of Teacher Librarianship student, scrapbooker, avid reader, wife and a painfully eternal optimist. Australians by birth and travellers by nature, Bec and her educator husband have happily lived and taught overseas for most of their adult lives. Bec is blessed to live in walking distance to both her parents as well as her brother and his family. It is her pleasure and privilege to support mothers through her role in LLL.

Photos: Courtesy of Le Leche League, Mothering Touch (Flickr)

Not long ago, our boys were chugging so much milk each day that I finally gave up buying “locally” and started purchasing in bulk from Jenny Wang’s just for the free delivery. The entire bottom shelf of our overworked LG fridge got packed with bovine juice about every 5 days. Tiring of preparing bottles, I also considered moving a dairy cow into the boy’s room so that they could get their milk direct from the source, but my wife and I didn’t see eye to eye on the matter. Probably for the best.

After months of prepping bottles, day and night, I kept looking for an excuse to reduce their milk consumption. Fortunately for me, I finally had a valid reason when one of the boys started scratching so bad we took him to Beijing United Family Hospital to see Dr. Roo Changizi and had him tested for food sensitivities. Low and behold, he tested aversely to dairy.

Figuring what’s bad for one is true for the other, we cut them off completely from dairy products and started providing them exclusively with soy milk. This led to several positive outcomes. First, they are not so keen on soy, so they don’t consume nearly as much. Second, they don’t want it at all before bedtime, leading to a decline in bed wettings too. And third, we are saving a fortune by not purchasing so much milk. Best of all, the itchy skin syndrome is on the decline.

Good thing I never bought that cow.

Photo courtesy of bertknot (flickr)

In the beginning, life was simple. If a baby was hungry, I gave him to his mama. Basically, mama was feeding babies all the time. She then started pumping so that I could help out on the feeding front. This made her truly empathize with dairy cows. After a while, demand was out-sipping supply and we had to supplement with formula. Whereas our daughter had nursed until somewhere in month 13, the boys seemed to divide this time between them and decided they were done at 7 months. I was personally offended by this unilateral and infantile behavior, as I knew it meant more work for me.

Photo courtesy of bluewaikiki.com (Flickr)