The Popular Brand Of Oat Milk Dunkin' Uses In Its Drinks

Oat milk took America by storm between 2018 and 2020. One of the weirdest things in my life is that I worked at one of the first cafes in the U.S. to bring oat milk in as a dairy alternative (Bless up Third Rail Coffee on 10th and Second)! Associated almost exclusively with the urban elite and craft coffee shops, oat milk is now totally mainstream. You can tell because every Dunkin' Donuts in the U.S. now offers it. But not all oat milks are equal. It's probably good for consumers to know that Dunkin' uses Planet Oat brand oat milk. Planet Oat's barista oat milk, which Dunkin' uses, has no additional stabilizers or sugars, which is a worry in any alternative milk.

Oat milk has been touted by oat milk companies (mostly the Swedish Oatly) as the perfect milk alternative. Oats have vastly reduced carbon emissions compared to standard dairy milk. Oats also use far less water than water-hungry almonds. Compared to other dairy alternatives, it's also one of the most flavorful and easiest to enjoy. It's creamy and rich, foams extremely well, and has a nutty, oaty taste that is the perfect complement to coffee. Oat milk is an especially good alternative milk for people with soy allergies, and it's also great in mac and cheese!

While it has many positives, oat milk isn't free of complications or problems. Sure, it might make you feel less guilty, but the biggest issue is its sugar content. Even without added sugar, oat milk has a bracingly high glycemic index, which is a pretty helpful gauge for measuring the impact of certain foods on blood sugar. It's mostly used to help folks with diabetes manage their diet and avoid or reduce the intake of foods that dramatically spike blood sugar, but it is a helpful way to help everyone stay healthy.

There is a raging debate going on about oat milk, with people saying it's bad, good, or that it's all relative. Oat milks indeed have relatively simple sugars that are rapidly absorbed by the body, particularly those with added sugar. The main sugar in oat milk is called maltose. Maltose is high on the glycemic index because it is composed of two glucose molecules. You could say that oat milk is basically creamy sugar water, although some will point out that oat milk has fiber and added oils, which can help slow down sugar absorption. 

So, is oat milk really all it's cracked up to be? In moderation, it's a great dairy alternative. But for those sensitive to blood glucose spikes, it's probably best to stick to something a little less loaded with simple carbohydrates. And hey, if you prefer regular whole milk and want it to be cool again, more power to you.