logo
Nutritionists reveal how plant milk stacks up against dairy

Nutritionists reveal how plant milk stacks up against dairy

Independent16-07-2025
UK Government nutritional experts have concluded that no plant-based milk available in the UK is 'nutritionally equivalent' to cow's milk.
Concerns have been raised regarding the nutritional value of plant-based drinks for children aged one to five, especially those on a vegan diet, due to potential inadequate micronutrient intake.
The report highlights a potential toxicological concern for young children on a vegan diet who consume high amounts of soya, linked to naturally occurring isoflavones.
Experts noted that plant-based drinks can contribute to higher intakes of added sugar across all age groups.
Nutritional concerns may be lessened if consumers opt for unsweetened plant-based drinks fortified with essential vitamins and minerals.
Children under five at risk from only consuming plant milk, say experts
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

UK has got ‘fat' on decades of free labour by women, says MP Jess Phillips
UK has got ‘fat' on decades of free labour by women, says MP Jess Phillips

The Guardian

time32 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

UK has got ‘fat' on decades of free labour by women, says MP Jess Phillips

Labour MP Jess Phillips has said the UK has got 'fat' from the free labour of women for decades. The minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls said the country has relied on women providing charity, adding it was a 'fundamentally sexist' practice that meant the government was less willing to provide the service itself. She said she 'hated' the title of her role and added that safeguarding against gender-based violence should be 'business as usual in every single government department'. The Birmingham Yardley MP also suggested there was an issue in Whitehall where government departments viewed violence against women and girls as solely a Home Office issue. Phillips said she had to push for the safety of women and girls to be a 'mainstream concern', which she said had not always made her 'popular as a government minister'. Asked what pushback she had received from ministers or civil servants, she said: 'People directly say things like, 'That's the Home Office's job'. 'Why is it my job to do healthy relationship education in schools? Why is it my job to provide mental health support for whatever reason it is that you ended up in that [situation]?'. 'Do you know what it is? Free labour of women is where it comes from. 'It comes from a fundamentally sexist place in that women didn't have these services, so a load of women across the country got together and made these services and offered them to other women for free, and they didn't get paid for their labour. 'So they put down a mattress and made a refuge. They set up counselling services and got people who were trained to be therapists and got their voluntary hours and set it up for free.' Phillips said people do not recognise how heavily the UK has relied on women providing support that previously did not exist. She added: 'Nobody offered diabetes medicine for free. Pharmaceutical companies didn't go, 'Wow, this is really important. People will die without this. We'll just give it away for free'. 'That is what the women in our country did in the 1960s and 1970s and 1980s and we got fat on that expectation that that service will be provided for free. 'And we also belittled it as an issue that wasn't absolutely, fundamentally mainstream to the safety and security of our nation. 'Undoing that is really hard and it's going to take a long time.'

Carry on, doctor! Two thirds of resident physicians defy calls to join five-day walkout in huge blow to militant unions' bid to wreak hospital havoc with strikes
Carry on, doctor! Two thirds of resident physicians defy calls to join five-day walkout in huge blow to militant unions' bid to wreak hospital havoc with strikes

Daily Mail​

time32 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Carry on, doctor! Two thirds of resident physicians defy calls to join five-day walkout in huge blow to militant unions' bid to wreak hospital havoc with strikes

The vast majority of resident doctors have defied strike calls by militant union chiefs determined to wreak havoc in NHS hospitals, figures revealed tonight. Official statistics from health bosses show a huge drop in the numbers who joined last week's five-day walkout, with two-thirds of medics snubbing the order. The news is likely to prove deeply embarrassing for union leaders, who are demanding that resident doctors – formerly known as junior doctors – receive a salary rise of 29 per cent to reverse 'pay erosion' since 2008. Last night, Health Secretary Wes Streeting heaped praise on the strike refuseniks, saying: 'Due to the dedication of NHS staff and a different operational approach from previous strikes, we have managed to significantly reduce disruption to patients, with early indications showing that 10,000 extra patients received care compared with previous strike action. 'A majority of resident doctors didn't vote for strike action and data shows that less than a third took part.' Mr Streeting also condemned the 'damaging' and 'unnecessary' industrial action organised by the British Medical Association (BMA), saying it 'came at a cost to patients'. 'Rather than cave in to the BMA's demands, hospital leaders worked hard to maintain as much planned care as possible,' he added. The Health Secretary – who was treated for kidney cancer in 2021 – also told The Mail on Sunday: 'I spoke to a kidney cancer patient last week whose surgery was postponed by a month due to these strikes. 'As someone who has faced the agonising wait for cancer treatment, I know how hard this unnecessary action would hit him and his loved ones. 'Every cancelled appointment means more pain for patients already waiting too long. 'Every postponed procedure piles pressure on overstretched colleagues picking up the pieces.' Last night's figures by NHS England reveal that the Health Service maintained 93 per cent of planned care – operations, tests and procedures – during the five-day strike. In total nearly 1,300 fewer doctors walked out compared with the strikes in June 2024 – a 7.5 per cent drop. West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust was the best performing Trust, with 98 per cent of patient care delivered. University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust also managed to deliver 95 per cent of care, with bosses saying it saw '10 per cent to 15 per cent' fewer resident doctors go on strike. David Probert, chief executive of UCLH, said the Trust managed to keep services running thanks to consultants rearranging their weekly shift patterns at no extra cost. 'When presented with a problem you find ways to cope,' he added. 'People were flexible and brilliant and stood up.' However, he also warned doctors against any further industrial action later this year, saying: 'The general view is that we can cope for a one-off period and help, but if this were to carry on again until December, that would clearly be a challenge.' Resident doctors, who make up about half of all medics in the NHS, have up to eight years' experience working as a hospital doctor, or up to three years in general practice. Despite the BMA's salary demands, they have had the most generous salary awards of all public-sector workers for two years in a row, with their pay rising 28.9 per cent over the last three years. However, the BMA claims that real-terms pay for resident doctors has actually fallen by 21 per cent in 17 years. Last week's walkouts are the latest example of Left-wing activism against Keir Starmer's government, with teachers and nurses also expected to ballot on industrial action. Labour's biggest financial backer, Unite, is threatening to pull funding from the party and has suspended Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner's membership over her failure to back the Birmingham bin strikes. Shadow health minister Dr Caroline Johnson MP said last night: 'The BMA is not acting in the interests of patients – it's abusing its power. 'Labour rolled over on day one, handing out inflation-busting pay rises without securing a single reform. 'Now Angela Rayner wants to go further, scrapping strike ballot thresholds and giving militant unions even more freedom to grind public services to a halt. 'Patients are paying the price for Labour's cowardice.' NHS chief executive Sir James Mackey said: 'The NHS has come together like never before to minimise the impact of strikes on patients. 'While this is really good news for the vast majority of patients whose treatment went ahead, we should still acknowledge there were thousands whose care was disrupted. 'NHS staff will continue to work hard to ensure patients can get their rescheduled care as soon as possible, but for those patients – and for all our staff who had to work extra shifts or with different responsibilities – a repeat of this action will be unacceptable.' A BMA spokesman said: 'NHS England's claim that the majority of England's 77,000 resident doctors chose to 'Join the NHS-wide effort to keep the services open', requires a huge stretch of the imagination, given it is almost impossible to know the exact number of residents working on any given day because of complex work patterns, on-call schedules and the strike spread across a weekend. 'Added to that, in July many doctors are using up their annual leave before their new posts start and would therefore not show up as striking. 'We look forward to seeing hard and fast data on NHS England's claim. 'Even with NHS England's determination to carry on, we know that operations will have been postponed and clinics rescheduled.

More than half of parents are concerned about their child's mental health over summer holidays
More than half of parents are concerned about their child's mental health over summer holidays

The Sun

time32 minutes ago

  • The Sun

More than half of parents are concerned about their child's mental health over summer holidays

MORE than half of parents are concerned about their child's mental health over the summer holidays - and just as many fear for their own. A shocking new study of 2000 mums and dads found that 54 per cent were worried about their kids' well-being ahead of next week's break. 2 But it's not just their children that parents are worried about this summer - 51 per cent said they're also struggling to cope themselves. The survey, by charity Sport in Mind, revealed that rising childcare costs, lack of support, and the pressures of juggling work and parenting are pushing many to breaking point. Neil Harris, CEO of Sport in Mind, said: 'Parents told us their biggest concerns around mental health this summer stem from the pressure of juggling work and parenting, the lack of support or personal time, and growing financial strain. 'The ongoing cost of living crisis is hitting families hard, with rising childcare and activity costs making it even tougher to keep children active and mentally well during the holidays.' Childcare costs have rocketed in recent years, with holiday clubs now averaging £157 per week, per child. Other extra-curricular activities have also become just as expensive, with nearly a quarter of parents saying that financial barriers prevent their child from participating in sport over the summer holidays. These hefty price tags along with a lack of organised activities and preferences for screens or video games, leave kids vulnerable to mental health issues, the charity says. Sport in Mind is delivering free sessions via the Holiday Activities Programme, a government-funded scheme helping children stay active and engaged during school breaks as well as free Youth journals. A Sport in Mind youth participant said: 'Coming to Sport in Mind sessions gets me active and out of the house. 'At home, there's no one to play with, but here I can try new sports and activities. I also get to meet people from my school and make new friends.' Moment Spider-Man film crews perform tank stunt on streets of Glasgow It comes as Heidi Ellert-McDermott, 48, recently shared with The Sun how she suffers from reverse SAD during the summer months. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that affects one in 20 people in the UK. While traditionally associated with dark winters, 'reverse SAD' affects ten per cent of those with the condition. Clinical psychologist Dr Andrea Pickering, fellow of the British Psychological Society and clinical director at Clinical Partners, said: 'It is triggered by seasonal changes, most commonly during winter but sometimes in summer. 'Like other forms of depression, it's linked to chemical changes in the brain, particularly involving serotonin which regulates mood, and melatonin which controls sleep. 'In winter, less sunlight leads to lower serotonin levels and increased melatonin production. 'In summer, the brain can become overstimulated by too much sunlight or heat, which can disrupt sleep cycles and leave people feeling agitated, anxious and unbalanced. 'So while the triggers are seasonal, the brain's response is similar to depression, just with different timing.' 2

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store