"Plant drinks contain fewer calories", @Wilderness_Days told us on Twitter.

It's true that most plant-based alternatives are lower in calories than whole dairy milk, but skimmed and semi-skimmed milks can be equally low calorie. But dairy milk contains an impressive 8g of protein per 225ml, which helps keep us fuller for longer and gives us energy. With the exception of soy, plant-based drinks contain less protein than dairy. (The NHS recommends eating 45g of protein per day for women and 55.5g for men.)

According to the British Nutrition Foundation, a proportion of adults and teenagers (especially girls) have low intakes of some vitamins and minerals, in particular vitamin A, iron, calcium, zinc and iodine. All of these are found in dairy milk.

“Dairy is very nutritious; swapping to plant-based products is not often like-for-like. It may still be important to get nutrients such as calcium, B vitamins and iodine, another way", says nutritionist Charlotte Stirling-Reed. “The trouble with many alternatives to milk is that fortification is not standardised, so you might not get the nutrients you expect. Some products contain added calcium and B vitamins, but iodine is often missing. Iodine is involved in brain development, and research suggests it plays a role in IQ. As milk is our main source of iodine in the UK, look for products that are fortified with this vital mineral if you or your child doesn’t drink milk.”

Nutritionist Renee Mcgregor doesn’t want you to give up on dairy milk just yet, especially if you exercise regularly. “It’s important to be aware that nutritionally and from a recovery point of view, dairy-free ‘milks’ do not stack up. Milk is ideal as it has the right carbohydrate-to-protein ratio to encourage muscle recovery. It also has the best composition, with easily digestible carbohydrates and protein, making uptake by the muscle more efficient. Dairy foods also contain calcium and this has been demonstrated to have beneficial effects on body composition, helping you to maintain a higher percentage of lean muscle mass."