Dairy-free drinks not always healthy

DAIRY-FREE drinks are often touted as a healthy substitute for regular milk.

But the products can contain more than double the number of calories, 30 times the fat and more sugar than cow’s milk, research has found.

The growing trend for dairy-free lifestyles has seen a surge in the range of flavoured milks such as almond or hemp.

But customers are not just paying more – they are not doing their bodies any favours.