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Sesame Milk? The Protein-Rich Alternative That Could Improve Gut and Immune System Health

It's a promising dairy-free option.

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Soy, almond, and oat milk have largely cornered the market on dairy-free alternatives for the last few years now. However, more options are coming up the ranks every day, and there’s one that may sound a little strange but is definitely worth a second look: sesame milk.

Generally, dairy-free milks have a few major setbacks. First, they’re often not environmentally friendly and can take thousands of gallons of water to just produce a single carton, creating new issues around energy usage and water conservation to drive production. Moreover, through their various manufacturing processes, they can lose their nutritional value over time, which means there’s little left health-wise for consumers than water, sugar, and a few other add-ons.

Sesame milk is gaining traction because it can avoid these problems. It’s more environmentally sustainable to make than almond or oat milk due to the amount of water it uses, and it’s full of nutrients like vitamins E and D, magnesium, iron, and more, which are critical for strong digestive health and immunity. In fact, it has more vitamin D than traditional cow’s milk and the same creamy consistency with a slightly earthier taste! Plus, options like Hope & Sesame Milk (Buy on Hope & Sesame, $9.88 for two cartons) include additions like pea protein, which increase the overall protein content of the drink. Hope & Sesame says their beverage has eight grams of protein per serving, which is greater than other options like oat milk.

Like other dairy alternatives though, it does have its drawbacks. If sesame milk is over-strained or over-processed, it loses many of those important nutritional benefits that make it so healthy. And, since it’s plant-based, it won’t contain much-needed vitamin B12 or as much vitamin A as cow’s milk.

If you want to try making your own at home, it requires just 35 minutes and only four ingredients (black sesame seeds, one date, water, and salt), and its process is similar to other milk alternatives in terms of blending and straining the liquid. Might as well give it a go!

This article was originally published on September 8, 2021. It was updated on September 5, 2022.

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