This was a really well-written, thoughtful piece! I am wondering if, while talking about food propaganda through social media, maybe we could actually see oat milk consumption itself as a result of entire food groups being demonised on social media, as you discuss. While there are certainly some people who drink oat-milk because they are lactose intolerant, a vast majority probably drink it because it is "plant-based," posed as a more "cleaner" (i.e. less sinful) alternative to real dairy. In my eyes, I saw the rise of oat milk as a direct result in the rise of media output about animal products being inherently bad for the environment and our bodies. I myself didn't drink cow's milk for ten years (even though, it turns out, my body thrives on it) because the wellness social media made me think that alternatives like almond and coconut were healthier and that real milk was somehow bad. Since then I have learned so much about animal products and how beneficial they are for the body, and how they are not straight-up the cause of climate change, or something. I just find it really interesting, as you point out, to question the information we see out there, and listen to our bodies--and research--above what we see on someone's post.
I love this article. The amount of bogus claims on a broad range of foods is just nuts. Influencers have found the cheat button on how to grow their audience: be pretty and aspirational, make wild and controversial claims (especially warnings because fear gets the attention) and then sit back and count the money. The level of sensationalism is insane. I get lectured all the time about soy milk and I'm like GTFO. The Koreans and Japanese have been eating soy for like centuries now. Anyway I love this and look forward to reading more from you! Oat milk FTW.
This was a really well-written, thoughtful piece! I am wondering if, while talking about food propaganda through social media, maybe we could actually see oat milk consumption itself as a result of entire food groups being demonised on social media, as you discuss. While there are certainly some people who drink oat-milk because they are lactose intolerant, a vast majority probably drink it because it is "plant-based," posed as a more "cleaner" (i.e. less sinful) alternative to real dairy. In my eyes, I saw the rise of oat milk as a direct result in the rise of media output about animal products being inherently bad for the environment and our bodies. I myself didn't drink cow's milk for ten years (even though, it turns out, my body thrives on it) because the wellness social media made me think that alternatives like almond and coconut were healthier and that real milk was somehow bad. Since then I have learned so much about animal products and how beneficial they are for the body, and how they are not straight-up the cause of climate change, or something. I just find it really interesting, as you point out, to question the information we see out there, and listen to our bodies--and research--above what we see on someone's post.
I love this article. The amount of bogus claims on a broad range of foods is just nuts. Influencers have found the cheat button on how to grow their audience: be pretty and aspirational, make wild and controversial claims (especially warnings because fear gets the attention) and then sit back and count the money. The level of sensationalism is insane. I get lectured all the time about soy milk and I'm like GTFO. The Koreans and Japanese have been eating soy for like centuries now. Anyway I love this and look forward to reading more from you! Oat milk FTW.