Trends in the consumption of conventional dairy milk and plant-based beverages and their contribution to nutrient intake among Canadians.

Abstract

Current evidence suggests a shift from conventional dairy milk to plant-based beverages (PBBs) for a number of lifestyles and perceived health-related reasons. Using nationally representative cross-sectional data from the 2004 and 2015 Canadian Community Healthy Surveys, the main objectives of the present study were to (i) examine the trend in the proportion of Canadians (≥2years) consuming plain milk and PBBs and (ii) determine the percentage contribution of plain milk and PBBs to daily energy and nutrient intakes. From 2004 to 2015, the percentage of Canadians consuming plain milk significantly decreased from 70.2% to 56.1%, whereas the percentage of PBBs consumers significantly increased from 1.8% to 3.0%. In 2015, plain milk provided almost 50% of the daily vitamin D intake, over 30% of calcium and vitamin B12, and over 20% of vitamin A and riboflavin among plain milk consumers. The top five nutrients provided by PBBs among PBBs consumers were vitamin D, calcium, vitamin B12, vitamin A and riboflavin. Although plain milk was a major contributor to saturated fat (14.5%) and protein (12.5%) intake among plain milk consumers, PBBs provided only 0.2% of saturated fat and 1.4% of protein intake in the diet of PBBs consumers. The consumption of plain milk by Canadians has declined and the consumption of PBBs has increased, which may differentially affect the nutritional profile of the diet.