Almond milk good or bad

2

Replies

  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    I prefer almond milk because it is lower calorie (vanilla unsweetened), and has a longer shelf life than dairy since I don't go through it very fast. I have also developed a bit of a "blah"factor with dairy-- not so much an intolerance or an allergy, but just a real feeling of sluggishness when I consume it.

    From an ethical standpoint, cows milk has a much higher carbon footprint than almond milk, but almond milk uses substantially more water (see, e.g., http://www.environment.ucla.edu/perch/resources/images/cow-vs-almond-milk-1.pdf)
  • NoAnalHere
    NoAnalHere Posts: 97 Member
    >I prefer almond milk because it is lower calorie (vanilla unsweetened), and has a longer shelf life than dairy since I don't go through it very fast.

    Mine says use within 7 days. I buy silk or almond breeze brand. What brand are you buying? Id love for mine to last longer lol.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited September 2017
    That said, if you become aware of the environmental consequences of almond farming and still drink almond milk, you might go to the bad place...

    This could be said of many commonly consumed foods.

    Someone (two someones, by the woos) has never seen the best TV comedy of the decade, I see. It's called The Good Place, season two just started, season one is on Netflix, everyone should at least give it a shot because it's brilliant. It's okay, I know the risk one runs making referential jokes in public.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited September 2017
    macclone wrote: »
    That said, if you become aware of the environmental consequences of almond farming and still drink almond milk, you might go to the bad place...

    Ever visit a high production dairy farm?

    Why would I want to do go to a high production dairy farm - that sounds like a nightmare! For real though, I was referencing a TV show and really should have tagged my comment as such. I totes don't want to start some sort of almond vs cow milk flame war.
  • I like unsweetend vanilla almond milk because it's only 30 cals per cup and sits better in my stomach. (It's a lot lighter on it is what I mean.)
  • GaryRuns
    GaryRuns Posts: 508 Member
    FYI, if you're a kidney-stone former, specifically calcium-oxalate kidney stones, the most common type of kidney stone, almonds, and thus almond milk, are high in oxalate, which may contribute to stone formation when ingested. And getting rid of dairy may also contribute if you don't take care to find other sources of calcium, non-supplemental, to replace what you were getting from dairy.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    NoAnalHere wrote: »
    >I prefer almond milk because it is lower calorie (vanilla unsweetened), and has a longer shelf life than dairy since I don't go through it very fast.

    Mine says use within 7 days. I buy silk or almond breeze brand. What brand are you buying? Id love for mine to last longer lol.

    Mine says that too - I use those same brands - it lasts much much longer than 7 days. I only use half cup to a cup a day and I am the only one drinking it so I never use it within 7 days - no issues yet.
  • lucerorojo
    lucerorojo Posts: 790 Member
    I make fresh almond milk in my slow juicer. I use it for a breakfast smoothie. I think it's cost effective compared to buying the almond milk in a carton, and since I make it I know what's in it. I use 1/2 cup almonds and 1.5 cups of water, which gives me enough for about 4-5 smoothies. I switched to it because I'm lactose intolerant--for a while I was using rice milk but it has a lot of carbs and is worse from the box than boxed almond milk, when it comes to chemicals. A lb. of almonds cost me between $6-8 and makes several batches of almond milk.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Almond milk is only meant for baby almonds.

    THIS is the best.
  • beaglady
    beaglady Posts: 1,362 Member
    I for one, don't care if there are hardly any almonds in almond milk. I like it in my coffee just as well as I like the 1% milk my hub keeps in the fridge. It has less calories and keeps longer. I don't especially like milk as a beverage, and like unsweetened vanilla almond milk much more.

    I've made it from scratch before, and don't want to be bothered. A half gallon of the store brand almond milk is about $2.50, and lasts me a week. Since I love yogurt and eat it often, I don't need dairy milk for protein or calcium. To each his own.
  • bkbirge
    bkbirge Posts: 107 Member
    Almond breeze is what I use too, 1 cup of that with 1/2 cup of old fashioned oats and some chocolate protein powder and I have a barely palatable breakfast goo that keeps me loaded until lunch. Whereas with milk I get loaded but the unloading is explosively inappropriate.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    That said, if you become aware of the environmental consequences of almond farming and still drink almond milk, you might go to the bad place...

    This could be said of many commonly consumed foods.

    Someone (two someones, by the woos) has never seen the best TV comedy of the decade, I see. It's called The Good Place, season two just started, season one is on Netflix, everyone should at least give it a shot because it's brilliant. It's okay, I know the risk one runs making referential jokes in public.

    I did miss your reference, sorry. Thank you for the recommendation.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    NoAnalHere wrote: »
    >I prefer almond milk because it is lower calorie (vanilla unsweetened), and has a longer shelf life than dairy since I don't go through it very fast.

    Mine says use within 7 days. I buy silk or almond breeze brand. What brand are you buying? Id love for mine to last longer lol.

    Mine says that too - I use those same brands - it lasts much much longer than 7 days. I only use half cup to a cup a day and I am the only one drinking it so I never use it within 7 days - no issues yet.

    Chiming in with my experience, I *never* use the whole thing within 7 days and I haven't had issues either.
  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,027 Member
    lucerorojo wrote: »
    I make fresh almond milk in my slow juicer. I use it for a breakfast smoothie. I think it's cost effective compared to buying the almond milk in a carton, and since I make it I know what's in it. I use 1/2 cup almonds and 1.5 cups of water, which gives me enough for about 4-5 smoothies. I switched to it because I'm lactose intolerant--for a while I was using rice milk but it has a lot of carbs and is worse from the box than boxed almond milk, when it comes to chemicals. A lb. of almonds cost me between $6-8 and makes several batches of almond milk.

    I imagine that's less nutritionally valuable than store-bought almond milk, since store-bought they add various nutrients. Also everything is a chemical...
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Almond milk is a scam. You are paying a lot of money for nothing. Here is one of dozens of articles: Of course if you like it, enjoy.

    https://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/almond_milk_is_even_more_of_a_scam_than_we_thought/

    I read the first two paragraphs and then stopped reading.

    I ate paleo before Cordain ever wrote his book and made my own almond milk. Anyone who has ever made nut milk and knows anything about how its made would know that the premise "almond milk hardly contains any almonds" is ridiculous on the face of it.

    IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO.

    How many people know IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO?

    We stopped drinking it because we like the taste of whole milk in our coffee. But these descriptions of almond milk (water with almonds) also counted.

    More - "Because of the bad news: you are likely getting duped. According to a new lawsuit, Almond Breeze products only contain 2 percent of almonds and mostly consist of water, sugar, sunflower lecithin, and carrageenan, the blog Food Navigator reports. Almond Breeze is among the top five milk substitute brands in the country." That's a lot of money for water + junk + a few almonds.

    Anyone who looks at the calorie count of almond milk and thinks they're getting a lot of almonds can come see me. I have some very interesting real estate I'd like to talk to them about.

    Exactly. People need to use common sense here.

    And it isn't exactly like almond milk is breaking the bank. It's one of the cheaper pre-prepared foods that I purchase.
  • Ruatine
    Ruatine Posts: 3,424 Member
    Almond milk is a scam. You are paying a lot of money for nothing. Here is one of dozens of articles: Of course if you like it, enjoy.

    https://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/almond_milk_is_even_more_of_a_scam_than_we_thought/

    I read the first two paragraphs and then stopped reading.

    I ate paleo before Cordain ever wrote his book and made my own almond milk. Anyone who has ever made nut milk and knows anything about how its made would know that the premise "almond milk hardly contains any almonds" is ridiculous on the face of it.

    IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO.

    How many people know IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO?

    We stopped drinking it because we like the taste of whole milk in our coffee. But these descriptions of almond milk (water with almonds) also counted.

    More - "Because of the bad news: you are likely getting duped. According to a new lawsuit, Almond Breeze products only contain 2 percent of almonds and mostly consist of water, sugar, sunflower lecithin, and carrageenan, the blog Food Navigator reports. Almond Breeze is among the top five milk substitute brands in the country." That's a lot of money for water + junk + a few almonds.

    Umm... anyone who is even remotely aware of the calorie content of almonds? Seriously. Nuts are extremely calorie dense, and anyone who has looked at a nutrition label would know that.

    The almonds give almond milk a nice mild flavor, the carrageenan gives it a nice texture, the lecithin is a needed emulsifier, the sugar enhances the flavor and the water is a base for everything. Nothing there is "junk."
    NoAnalHere wrote: »
    >I prefer almond milk because it is lower calorie (vanilla unsweetened), and has a longer shelf life than dairy since I don't go through it very fast.

    Mine says use within 7 days. I buy silk or almond breeze brand. What brand are you buying? Id love for mine to last longer lol.

    Mine says that too - I use those same brands - it lasts much much longer than 7 days. I only use half cup to a cup a day and I am the only one drinking it so I never use it within 7 days - no issues yet.

    Chiming in with my experience, I *never* use the whole thing within 7 days and I haven't had issues either.

    Me too. I've kept it for quite a while without any issues.
  • lucerorojo
    lucerorojo Posts: 790 Member
    Michelle: it looks and tastes better fresh to me. I don't like additional stuff in my food that is processed by someone else if I can help it. Also it takes me just 5 minutes to do it in the slow juicer and it's fun! The almond milk in the carton is expensive in my area. It is $5.00 per carton, which I would never finish in a week. If I make it myself from fresh almonds, I know exactly what's in it since I made it, it's minimally processed I have no waste, and it's cheaper for me.
  • Agent_Freckles
    Agent_Freckles Posts: 79 Member
    edited September 2017
    I drink it exclusively because: 1) it has fewer calories 2) it doesn't have hormones like regular milk 3) it doesn't taste any different (well, it does, but it's very similar)
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
    edited September 2017
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    If it's not from an udder
    and you drink it
    you're a nutter.
    @Carlos_421 :wink:
    because.... PANTS!! :laugh:
  • Agent_Freckles
    Agent_Freckles Posts: 79 Member
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    Milk from plants is udderly ridiculous.

    Ridiculous and genius
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    Almond milk is a scam. You are paying a lot of money for nothing. Here is one of dozens of articles: Of course if you like it, enjoy.

    https://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/almond_milk_is_even_more_of_a_scam_than_we_thought/

    Dude. You live in a country where people pay for bottles of tap water.
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    Almond milk is a scam. You are paying a lot of money for nothing. Here is one of dozens of articles: Of course if you like it, enjoy.

    https://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/almond_milk_is_even_more_of_a_scam_than_we_thought/

    I read the first two paragraphs and then stopped reading.

    I ate paleo before Cordain ever wrote his book and made my own almond milk. Anyone who has ever made nut milk and knows anything about how its made would know that the premise "almond milk hardly contains any almonds" is ridiculous on the face of it.

    IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO.

    How many people know IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO?

    We stopped drinking it because we like the taste of whole milk in our coffee. But these descriptions of almond milk (water with almonds) also counted.

    More - "Because of the bad news: you are likely getting duped. According to a new lawsuit, Almond Breeze products only contain 2 percent of almonds and mostly consist of water, sugar, sunflower lecithin, and carrageenan, the blog Food Navigator reports. Almond Breeze is among the top five milk substitute brands in the country." That's a lot of money for water + junk + a few almonds.

    Anyone who looks at the calorie count of almond milk and thinks they're getting a lot of almonds can come see me. I have some very interesting real estate I'd like to talk to them about.

    Most people have no clue. If a lot of these clueless people knew what they were paying for, they'd go back to milk.

    I'm pretty sure that NO ONE who drinks almond milk does so because they think they're getting their recommended dose of almonds for the day. They drink it because they like the taste and prefer it as an alternative to regular milk.
    I'm also pretty sure no one has ever quit drinking a beverage because they found out it has water in it.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    Almond milk is a scam. You are paying a lot of money for nothing. Here is one of dozens of articles: Of course if you like it, enjoy.

    https://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/almond_milk_is_even_more_of_a_scam_than_we_thought/

    I read the first two paragraphs and then stopped reading.

    I ate paleo before Cordain ever wrote his book and made my own almond milk. Anyone who has ever made nut milk and knows anything about how its made would know that the premise "almond milk hardly contains any almonds" is ridiculous on the face of it.

    IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO.

    How many people know IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO?

    We stopped drinking it because we like the taste of whole milk in our coffee. But these descriptions of almond milk (water with almonds) also counted.

    More - "Because of the bad news: you are likely getting duped. According to a new lawsuit, Almond Breeze products only contain 2 percent of almonds and mostly consist of water, sugar, sunflower lecithin, and carrageenan, the blog Food Navigator reports. Almond Breeze is among the top five milk substitute brands in the country." That's a lot of money for water + junk + a few almonds.

    Anyone who looks at the calorie count of almond milk and thinks they're getting a lot of almonds can come see me. I have some very interesting real estate I'd like to talk to them about.

    Most people have no clue. If a lot of these clueless people knew what they were paying for, they'd go back to milk.

    I'm pretty sure that NO ONE who drinks almond milk does so because they think they're getting their recommended dose of almonds for the day. They drink it because they like the taste and prefer it as an alternative to regular milk.
    I'm also pretty sure no one has ever quit drinking a beverage because they found out it has water in it.

    Yeah, people buy beverages with high proportions of water all the time. Look at the current flavored sparkling water boom. It's literally just carbonated water that has some fruit flavoring.