Forget soya, almonds and oats, you’ll never guess where the new trendy milks come from ...

These days you can make milk from anything, it seems — cashews, hemp, oats — and foodies will lap it up. Anything but actual cow’s milk, that is, which has been shunned by fad dieters in recent years.

Gwyneth Paltrow recommends giving up dairy to ‘detox’ your system, victoria Beckham’s dermatologist suggests cutting it out to improve your complexion and U.s. actress Megan Fox has said a diet free of cow’s milk keeps her slim.

But this week, scientists said people who eat three portions of full-fat dairy a day have a lower risk of early death, serious heart disease and stroke.

And the dairy industry is hitting back with a host of surprising new ways to enhance cow’s milk...

SOOTHING SLEEP AID

SLEEP Well milk drink is a blend of full-fat Jersey milk, honey, vanilla and valerian root designed to help you nod off.

valerian root has been used as a herbal sleep aid for millennia and is thought to work by gently increasing your brain’s levels of a natural substance called gamma aminobutyric acid ( GABA), which soothes anxiety (£6.95 for three 200ml cartons, sleepwellmilk.com).

or there’s Lullaby Milk, which has nothing added to it but comes from cows milked just before dawn, when they produce milk with higher levels of tryptophan and melatonin, two hormones that encourage good sleep.

It is available in Ireland, with plans to launch in the UK soon (£1.79 a litre, lullabymilk.com), but sleep experts say more research is needed to prove its benefits.

ALLERGY-FREE

SENSITIVITY to dairy products — which can trigger bloating and stomach cramps — used to mean cow’s milk was off the menu for about 10 per cent of the UK population. But not now.

‘If you have a problem digesting dairy, try some of these cleverly adapted milk products,’ says sophie Medlin, a dietitian and lecturer in nutrition and dietetics at King’s College London.

Arla’s Lactofree range of ‘dairy drinks’ are essentially normal milk with added lactase enzymes. these are the chemicals that help our bodies to break down and digest dairy products — but some people produce too little of them, so these dairy drinks may help (£1.40 per litre from most major supermarkets).

If you’re not lactase- deficient but still find cow’s milk upsets your digestion, try A2 milk — £1.39 per litre from large supermarkets. Most cows produce milk that contains A1 protein, which some people struggle to digest. this milk is from cows that produce only the more easily digestible A2 protein.

FULLER FOR LONGER

SALES of protein-laced foods, supplements and drinks have soared by 500 per cent in the past five years. Designed to keep us ‘fuller for longer’ and to help build muscle, products such as Arla’s Raspberry and strawberry Protein Milkshake (£ 1 for 225ml) and the For Goodness shakes range (£1.35 for 315ml) have at least 20g protein per bottle: twice as much as milk.

spanish research has shown that people who eat large amounts of protein are 90 per cent more likely to gain substantial weight, though.

‘Most people who eat a balanced diet meet their daily protein requirements easily,’ says sophie Medlin.

HEART-FRIENDLY

IF YOU’RE conscious of your heart health, organic milk — sales of which have risen by 15 per cent in the past year — is a good choice. Research has shown that it can contain up to 50 per cent more polyphenols ( hearthealthy fats).

you could also try Flora ProActiv skimmed Milk Drink, £1.40 per litre, which contains added plant sterols that have been shown to reduce cholesterol by between 7 and 10 per cent in two to three weeks, if you drink three 250ml servings a day.

too good to be true? sophie Medlin says: ‘these products can be useful for lowering cholesterol but the most important thing by far is staying a healthy weight with a well-balanced diet.’

RAW MILK

FANS say unpasteurised milk tastes richer and creamier and is better for you because it contains beneficial bacteria and enzymes that can help to fight allergies, eczema and asthma.

some also claim that because it hasn’t been homogenised (pushed through fine jets so the cream globules stay evenly distributed), it is easier to digest.

But the jury is still out on whether raw milk is safe. Pasteurisation kills any potentially dangerous bacteria such as e. coli, so unpasteurised milk is not recommended for the very young, the elderly or pregnant women.

It is not allowed to be sold in shops but raw milk, butter and even cheeses can be bought directly and online from wellmonitored, approved farmers. Raw milk must be kept refrigerated. It freezes and defrosts well.

TRENDY KEFIR

SAID to promote healthy digestion, boost immunity and aid weight loss, probiotic kefir is the dairy drink du jour.

It is made by fermenting whole milk with bacteria and yeast cultures to create a tangy, probiotic drink. Bio-tiful Kefir (£1.75 for 200ml from major supermarkets) is a range of kefir smoothies. you can also buy kefir by mail order from livekefircompany.co.uk, which charges £9.60 for an eightday supply.

BOOZY MILK

FINALLY, Black Cow Pure Milk vodka (£26 for 50cl from Marks & spencer, blackcow.co.uk) looks like normal vodka but is made from fermented milk whey, which gives it a smooth, creamy taste.