Almond Milk?

rjan91

Gave Silk Almond milk a whirl in my cereal last night. Wasn't too bad. My question is about the health benefits - other than lower calories and carbs, what is the benefit of almond or cashew milk? Thanks!

yogicarl

Soya milk - far higher in protein.

kathrynjean_

I drink almond milk because I'm lactose intolerant and don't eat (or drink) dairy. I also like that it's very low calorie (especially the unsweetened kind) because I really only use it in smoothies or something where the almond milk is just a filler. I don't think there are necessarily any health benefits, barring you being someone with dairy or lactose issues. Milk is fine for a lot of people and can be really tough for others to consume and process.

It's just a personal preference

withoutasaddle

Higher calcium, which inmy experience is harder to get than protein so the benefits outweigh that cost. Low cal, so helpful in weight loss. There have been studies that show cow milk can be harmful or have negative side effects, like increased mucus and eventually leading to a negative effect on bone density, but that's just what I've heard, I've never done that research myself. There are like no almonds really in almond milk anymore- it's all filtered, but I don't drink almond milk for the almonds anyways. I don't know anyone who does. I drink it since it's low cal and has calcium.

redwingsfan6712

I LOVE my Silk almond milk!! I'm lactose intolerant and have never really liked the taste of regular cow's milk so this is a great alternative for me. Soy milk tastes funny to me, so I stick with the almond. Very low in calories, high in calcium and helps me stay on track. It may not have a lot of protein or other health benefits, but I think it's great!

juggernaut1974

rjan91 wrote: »

other than lower calories and carbs, what is the benefit of almond or cashew milk? Thanks!

That's about it.

Or it can be a reasonable substitute for those with lactose intolerance.

Other than that, it pretty much just comes down to personal preference.

extra_medium

catscats222 wrote: »

many people consider almond milk a big rip-off to customers
one handfull of nuts and water per container $$$$
almost no protein, fake calcium added, added natural flavors

Unsweetened cashew milk is like 25-30 calories per serving, creamy texture and tastes great. Protein does not have to be in everything you consume. On a related note though I often use it to make protein powder taste better than when mixed with water, for 1/4 the calories of regular milk. What is "fake calcium?"

MorganMoreaux

catscats222 wrote: »

many people consider almond milk a big rip-off to customers
one handfull of nuts and water per container $$$$
almost no protein, fake calcium added, added natural flavors

It's not a rip off to those of us who are allergic to milk and soy - it's given me the ability to have foods I love (that need milk) without getting terribly ill. I purchase the organic version so I don't have to worry about what's being added for flavour. Also, it's cholesterol free, and low in sugar. As for protien, my diet is varied enough that I am fortunate to not have to rely on almond milk as my primary protien source lol.

Not certain what you mean by fake calcium...it's either calcium or it isn't. Didn't think companies could substitute ingredients that are listed on the package.

I usually buy it in bulk at Whole Foods, when it's on sale and I have coupons - works out to around $.25 - $.50 / per box...not a waste of $$$$, and probably less expensive then real milk (don't know - don't buy it.)

Something else I enjoy about it is the shelf life, so I always have some on hand. No big rush to use it or lose it.

amykluver

Benefits:
Low cal
High calcium
Removes dairy / immamator agent
No potential hormonal interaction like soy
You may have other unexpected health benefits (see narrative below)

Cons/concerns to watch for:
Some brands contain caraganeen (poss carcinogen) as a thickener
More expensive than milk
Different taste (just not the same as milk if splurging on an Oreo)

I gave up dairy due to inflammation & recommendation to try eliminating by my chropractor. It helped & since I have become intolerant. I use in smoothies & with cereal but haven't been able to ternate drinking alone. My hisband gave up dairy a couple years ago & not only did his blood pressure drop almost 20 points (& It was the only change I made during that time) but he lost 10# in 7 days.

mygnsac

It's all just preference for me. I enjoy nonfat cows milk in my cereal, unsweetened vanilla almond milk just to drink (Silk and Califia Farms brands are my favorite store bought almond milks) and cashew milk as my coffee creamer. Cashew milk I make myself. Really easy to make. Just blend 4 parts water with 1 part unsalted cashews and add a little vanilla. You can strain it through a nut milk bag, but don't really need to. Almond milk is also easy to make, but the almonds need to be pre-soaked and then you need to strain the milk through a nut milk bag. The taste of homemade nut milks is so good.

rjan91

Thanks everyone. I enjoy milk and have no problem drinking it, but am always game to try something new. Just wondered if I was missing anything nutritional about it. Appreciate the help!

andyluvv

I LOVE milk of all kinds so I had trouble picking one to stick to...although I love cow's milk I find that I could get some more nutrients from other sources. I find that nut milk in general is quite expensive (Although delicious!), but the value soy milk at my local supermarket (Tesco's) seem to me the best bang for buck. Higher in fat and protein and lower in carbs - I can get carbs in my diet easily, but I tend to struggle with fats (and protein is never enough). So I'd suggest matching it up to your macros

This recent article on Almond Milk (and the one that led it) are quite good about the pros/cons
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2014/07/almond_milk_bad_for_environment_tom_philpott_and_mother_jones_are_wrong.html

Yi5hedr3

No Hormones, no Antibiotics, no Pus, for starters.

MorganMoreaux

extra_medium wrote: »

catscats222 wrote: »

many people consider almond milk a big rip-off to customers
one handfull of nuts and water per container $$$$
almost no protein, fake calcium added, added natural flavors

Unsweetened cashew milk is like 25-30 calories per serving, creamy texture and tastes great. Protein does not have to be in everything you consume. On a related note though I often use it to make protein powder taste better than when mixed with water, for 1/4 the calories of regular milk. What is "fake calcium?"

Was curious about the fake calcium as well, looking forward to reading that definition lol.

catscats222 wrote: »

sorry about saying "fake calcium"
what I mean is that it has calcium carbonate added
powdered pill stuff
not natural calcium from nuts
remember; only a handful is used to make an entire container
that much calcium could never come from such small amounts of nuts
a glass of water and a multi-vitamin could give you calcium also and cheaper
you could read the ingredients - opinion - rip off

Lol - thx for explaining - I was really curious. Yeah - there are certainly other better sources lol. I try to stay away from synthetic nutrient sources - I've always wonder how well they are absorbed by the body, or if it's even in a form the body can use. I like the nut milks because they let me enjoy other foods like a normal person (or cereal, shakes) that otherwise I wouldn't be able to because of milk and soy allergies. If I didn't hve the allergies I would go for real milk, as that is something that naturally occurs in nature lol.