Milk and its alternatives

The thesis focused on milk and its alternatives, i.e. plant-based drinks. The theoretical part summarized the nutritional value of milk and its consumption in the world and the Czech Republic. As a source of fats, proteins, minerals, and vitamins, milk is of nutritional value. Furthermore, the importance of milk in human nutrition for different age groups was discussed. Related dietary recommendations and reasons limiting milk consumption were introduced. This included health reasons such as lactose intolerance, cow milk protein allergy or the rarely occurring galactosemia, as well as ethical or environmental reasons. Last but not least, alternatives to milk, i.e. plant-based drinks, were presented. These drinks are based on extracts of legumes, cereals, nuts and/or seeds diluted with water and often supplemented with other additives. The practical part aimed to assess the dietary habits of the general public and nutritionally educated people regarding the consumption of milk and plant-based drinks, including their awareness of the importance of this food in human nutrition. Data were collected using a questionnaire survey. In addition, the nutritional values of selected plant-based drinks were also compared with cow's milk. Within the sample studied, milk was observed to be a frequent part of the..