Why the frenzy about almond milk?

LiftAndBalance

Now, I'm not talking about lactose-intolerant or vegan people here, obviously, but I've noticed both here and on 'healthy' food/cooking blogs that more and more people seem to be crazy about using almond milk instead of dairy. I do like almond milk and I use it at work since it doesn't need refrigerating but I fail to see why there's such a 'health' frenzy!? As far as I can see, dairy has a much better balance of macros (whereas almond milk is basically just carbs/sugar) and semi-skinned milk has a few more calories than almond milk so I'm assuming fat-free would be roughly the same.

So what exactly is supposed to make almond milk 'healthier' than regular milk? (Looking for serious answers here as I'm really confused, not for youtube videos on how dairy is gonna kill us all...)

ArtGeek22

Better for digestion, more readily absorbed calcium, isn't acidic and also much lower in calories (even skimmed I believe).

threnodies

Almond milk is low in both carbs and sugar??? You might be mistaken here because the almond milk I use has 0 carbs and almost no sugar

NurseElektra

IDK but it's like watered down almond pulp. It really has no nutritional value because all the good stuff that almonds contain are filtered away when they remove the fat. There is no protein. They add calcium and other vitamins back into it. Yuck..Go non-GMO organic soy instead

riirii93_

it's GROSS.



"I see you're drinking almond milk. Is that because you think you're fat? Because you're not. You could be drinking 1% if you wanted"

starrylioness

I used it for a while because it was so low cal (the unsweetened one especially, which is what I'd use) but I heard it can cause issues for people why thyroid problems so I stopped. I thought it tasted really good though!

PrissyPisces

Personally, I use it because it isn't dairy. I'm trying to limit my diary intake, since I have PCOS. Diary isn't the best option for women with PCOS. At least not the non-organic kind.

flumi_f

I changed most of my dairy to goat or sheep milk products years ago, because I began to have trouble with cow milk. Sheep milk is higher in fat, thus higher cal, but the proteins are more similar to human milk, thus it is thought to be better for people. So when I started on MFP, I saw almond milk on a lot of diaries and was curious.

I like it in my porridge and smoothies or frozen banana ice cream. But I have also asked myself, if the nutritional benefits of real milk (in my case sheep milk) aren't greater. So now I have milk when I know it won't spoil and buy almond milk for in between.

chadya07

i dont know why people choose it for health reasons except that when i drink regular milk it does not agree with me. i am fine with cheese but milk makes me feel sick. except when i lived in a country where it wasnt pasteurized and then i was fine with it. weird.

when we buy real milk around here we dont consume it fast enough before it goes bad and end up throwing it out all the time. so i buy almond milk because i dont even have to refrigerate it until it is open and then i have quite a while to drink it.

i also love the taste. i like it much better than regular unless it came right out of the cow.

there are a lot of vegans in the world too that probably like it. no cow involved.

shmerek

I love almond milk especially the homemade kind. It tastes great and I personally find cows milk gross.

aedreana

I am a vegan but I prefer soy milk to almond milk. I can detect the nut flavor in almond milk, and I dislike nuts.

RodaRose

We rarely buy cow milk. My husband uses almond milk in his cereal.

pleasurelittletreasure

I tried it during a moment of cow-guilt and liked it. Still love my cheese and need my cream, so I'm sorry about that Blossom - your still on the job. But I do prefer vanilla almond milk now on my cereal on the rare occasion that I have it. I don't think it's any healthier, but it sure tastes good.

LiftAndBalance

So overall it's kinda like the gluten-free frenzy it seems...
Obviously, if you can't tolerate dairy for one reason or another or are vegan or simply prefer the taste, that's very straightforward. Like I said, I use it at work since it doesn't need refrigerating (I'm allergic to soy milk apparently even though I'm fine with tofu) but at home I use regular dairy. I'm not planning to change that but I was confused as to whether there is an actual benefit for people who can tolerate dairy and are not vegan.
My almond milk contains 30 kcal and 4.5 g of carbs per 100 ml; 1.1 g of fat and 0.4 g of protein. It doesn't say how much calcium it contains but since there's no added calcium, I'm assuming very little. Admittedly, I couldn't get unsweetened so yes, the unsweetened one apparently has only 13 kcal and 0.1 g of carbs but it also doesn't have much else unless calcium and vitamins are added to it. Fat-free milk has 33 kcal per 100 g and 4.9 g of carbs but it also contains 3.3 g of protein as well as calcium and vitamins.

FaylinaMeir

I dunno about frenzy for it but I've been using almond milk for years because I can't stomach milk (well I can but bad things happen >.< ) Trader joe's almond milk in the cooler (red carton) tastes almost exact like 2% milk, same texture and everything. Which for most people is awesome, for me it took awhile because I hate the taste of milk, always have.

aedreana

Yes before I was a vegan I could never ever drink straight unflavored milk, at any age. It was so disgusting I couldn't even swallow it. Particularly Marva Maid brand! I love soy milk so much that if I had to subsist on only one thing for the rest of my life, soy milk would be it. Almond milk-- meh.

mhasita

I don't get it either.
I'm lactose intolerant and I drink "regular" lactose-free milk. (I know, highly processed stuff but whatever) I don't really like the alternatives to milk.

jackiemonx

i find almond milk less heavy in smoothies so i use it for that. still use cows milk for coffee, porridge n everything else tho

JazmineYoli

I think it tastes good and it lasts longer.
I am also lactose intolerant but that doesn't stop me from eating ice cream or cheese so that's not the reason I drink it.

lisaabenjamin

Personally, I use it because it isn't dairy. I'm trying to limit my diary intake, since I have PCOS. Diary isn't the best option for women with PCOS. At least not the non-organic kind.

Apart from the way in which the food is grown/raised, there's no difference in nutrition between organic and non-organic food. So why would someone with PCOS be able to eat organic dairy but not non-organic?

daisylenora

Dairy makes my face break out : /. So I had to pick, clear skin or strong bones? Hahahah sorry bones O_O. jk, im still getting that calcium! Just not from milk.

Russandol

Personally, I use it because it isn't dairy. I'm trying to limit my diary intake, since I have PCOS. Diary isn't the best option for women with PCOS. At least not the non-organic kind.

Why would dairy be unsuitable for women with PCOS? (I'm not trying to argue against this, I'd just like to know why. I have PCOS, but apparently I'm a bit of a rara avis since I don't have metabolic syndrome/central obesity/blood sugar issues like many others with PCOS. All I get is an elevated serum testosterone level and some hirsutism, so I've never limited carbs or other foodstuffs because of my PCOS since I'm assuming nothing in my diet will affect the levels of testosterone. (I'm chubby because I eat too much, in other words. And weight goes to my hips and thighs first.) I'm also Northern European, so I've retained my ability to digest lactose after infancy. Dairy has always been a part of my diet. I've seen a lot of people advocating cutting carbs, but I can't recall seeing anything about cutting dairy.)

AyaRowan

Don't judge it solely on its sweetened varieties. I use original flavored unsweetened almond milk or plain unsweetened coconut milk. 30 calories in a cup of unsweetened almond milk or 45 calories in a cup of unsweetened coconut milk (ready to drink not the canned kind). Even nonfat milk will be about 83 or so calories for a cup, or 2% at 120 a cup.

I don't have issues with dairy or anything, but since I get plenty of dairy nutrition through cheese and yogurt in my diet I prefer to keep the calories I drink lower (as personally, drinking my calories even for milk does little to curb my hunger). A bowl of honey nut cheerios with some almond or coconut milk tastes just as good as with skim to me but with less calories. I've also use coconut milk in recipes in place of milk for gravies or creamy stroganoff.

Dairy holds some very important nutrients that you shouldn't neglect. But if you're getting them from other dairy products I see no harm in choosing alternate, lower calorie milk in order to stay within calorie goals.

CupcakesMom2

I have recently dropped all diary from my diet, I do not believe its good for you. I do not want to get in an argument/discussion about it, just answering the post and explaining why I would drink almond milk.

squishycatmew

Better for digestion, more readily absorbed calcium, isn't acidic and also much lower in calories (even skimmed I believe).

…real milk isn't acidic, either. And the calcium is added to almond milk.

jnord8729

Better for digestion, more readily absorbed calcium, isn't acidic and also much lower in calories (even skimmed I believe).

Dairy in general is pretty highly basic. That's why milk is often recommended for acid reflux, it neutralizes acid.

So_Much_Fab

I like using unsweetened 30 calorie/serving almond milk for smoothies, but that's about it - I can't substitute it for milk in cereal, coffee, etc.

shaynepoole

Don't judge it solely on its sweetened varieties. I use original flavored unsweetened almond milk or plain unsweetened coconut milk. 30 calories in a cup of unsweetened almond milk or 45 calories in a cup of unsweetened coconut milk (ready to drink not the canned kind). Even nonfat milk will be about 83 or so calories for a cup, or 2% at 120 a cup.

I don't have issues with dairy or anything, but since I get plenty of dairy nutrition through cheese and yogurt in my diet I prefer to keep the calories I drink lower (as personally, drinking my calories even for milk does little to curb my hunger). A bowl of honey nut cheerios with some almond or coconut milk tastes just as good as with skim to me but with less calories. I've also use coconut milk in recipes in place of milk for gravies or creamy stroganoff.

Dairy holds some very important nutrients that you shouldn't neglect. But if you're getting them from other dairy products I see no harm in choosing alternate, lower calorie milk in order to stay within calorie goals.

This is exactly why I opt for the almond milk. I use the unsweetened as well

shapefitter

I live in UK, and use coffee creamer in my tea and coffee. I did see almond milk on a supermarket shelf ones, but can't remember where. The price was ridiculously expensive, and I didn't even bother to look at it. Another man made product like soya, I suspect. I have enough issues with the amount of additives, in the few ready made products, I occasionally consume, without worrying about almond milk. Don't take me wrong, I love almonds , and at xmas time, marzipan is the icing on the cake. I just can't imagine how anyone would bother to milk nuts. Whatever next?

DamePiglet

If almond milk tasted like Rumchata (or even horchata), I'd drink it.

JaneyB311

I use both and only use the almond milk in my protein shakes mainly because I still want some of the milk-like taste/texture but as I have 2 shakes per day sometimes, the unswettened one comes in at only a quarter of the calories of semi skimmed cows milk. I still use cows milk in my oats, tea/coffee etc.