Move over, milk! There's a seriously delicious alternative in town
Almond milk has been gaining in popularity in recent years, but there are a few downsides to
the product that you might want to know about. Hey, before you take the next sip of almond milk
listen to this. There's no doubt about it, almond milk is a booming business these days. In fact
dairy milk alternatives in general are making some serious bang. Obviously, that's great news
for all those almond milk brands out there, but it's very bad news for dairy farmers
In 2019, Dean Foods, one of America's biggest dairy companies, declared bankruptcy. It's
just one of several dairy brands that's seen a sizable dip in sales in recent years. The
reason? Eric Berengoss, the chief executive of Dean Foods, told MarketWatch, "...despite our best efforts to make our business more agile and cost-efficient
we continue to be impacted by a challenging operating environment marked by continuing
declines in consumer milk consumption." "'Unfortunately, there are bankruptcies happening at the farm level, and now we see a bankruptcy
a much higher level in the supply chain." Sales of non-dairy milks increased by more than 60 percent between 2013 and 2018
racking up more than $2 billion in 2017. Needless to say, dairy farmers aren't exactly thrilled with this development. In fact
a few of these farmers have been lobbying the Food and Drug Administration to stop allowing
almond milk manufacturers to use the term milk. Even some government representatives are getting
in on the action. For example, both Representative Peter Welch and Senator Tammy Baldwin have claimed
a product must derive from a hoofed mammal to be called milk. In 2017, Welch told The New York Times
The bottom line for us is that milk is defined by the FDA, and we're saying to the FDA
enforce your definition. Welch and Baldwin represent Vermont and Wisconsin, respectively, two states with lots of dairy farms
Guess what? Almonds and almond milk aren't just delicious. Reportedly, they're also great for your skin. Plenty of cosmetic brands, from The Body Shop to Lush
use almond milk in their products because it makes for an absolutely incredible moisturizer
Blended with almond oil, almond milk can reduce fine lines on your face, prevent premature wrinkles, and smooth your skin all around
Oh, and guess what? Products made with almond milk are reportedly great for people with sensitive skin
Plus, you don't have to drop a bunch of cash on high-end products. And it's worth mentioning that making almond milk masks at home is super easy
Simply dip a cotton ball into some almond milk and spread it on your face. Your skin will feel impeccably soft, and you'll smell nice, too
Making your own almond milk may sound like a daunting task. After all, how does one go about milking an almond, exactly? Well, here's some very good
news for you. You don't have to milk almonds at all. That's, uh, not how it works. Almond
milk is made by soaking almonds in water for a long time — we're talking 8 to 12 hours
here According to The Kitchen the longer the almonds soak the creamier the almond milk almonds too wanna Want to point that out Raw and raw organic if we really going to go there Your almonds should be quite plump after they been soaked
Next, drain and rinse the almonds and put them in a blender, along with a small amount of room-temperature water
Blend for about two minutes, and then strain the contents using a towel or cheesecloth
Congratulations! You've just made almond milk. And guess what? When you make your own almond milk, you get to use whatever flavor enhancements you want
because that light almond flavor is basically a blank canvas. We suggest adding vanilla, cinnamon, or nutmeg for a warm, cozy taste
If you want to get super fancy, and we're quite sure you do, add in some matcha or even lavender
That ensures a highly flavorful and aromatic almond milk. Enjoy! If you've been drinking almond milk for its nutritional benefits
you might be better off simply eating a handful of crunchy almonds. In just a single one-ounce serving of almonds, you'll consume six grams of protein
four grams of fiber, and plenty of vitamins, including vitamin E, magnesium, riboflavin
calcium, and potassium. The almonds in almond milk are seriously diluted, so they just don't deliver the same benefits
A one-cup serving of almond milk has about 30 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, and just one
gram of protein. Dietitian Emily Holdorf, RDN, told Mashed, While almonds in their whole form are packed with protein, almond milk, on the other hand
only has one gram per cup. This is because almond milk is strained, causing a lot of
the protein to be lost. If you are drinking almond milk as your main milk product
be sure to get enough protein from other foods in your diet. So now you know. Almond milk isn't for everyone. When it comes to feeding infants, almond milk really isn't the way
to go, at least according to Dr. Julie Lamal. Her 2014 study concluded that infants who drink almond
milk develop nutritional deficiencies and growth problems. For children under two years of age, almond milk isn't a suitable replacement for cow's milk or
formula. If your child happens to be allergic to milk or lactose intolerant, consult your
pediatrician for help finding an appropriate formula. Almond milk doesn't contain a particularly
high amount of protein and calcium, nor does it have as many vitamins and minerals as regular milk
Obviously, that can be a problem, since growing children need calcium to strengthen their bones
That's not to say children older than two can't have almond milk, it just needs to be consumed alongside other food and beverages that provide all the essential
nutrients. Basically, it's all about moderation. The ketogenic diet has become increasingly
popular in recent years. This extremely low-carb diet forces the body to burn fat by sending itself
into ketosis. The keto diet doesn't allow for high amounts of sugar and carbohydrates
typically relying on full-fat foods instead. Well, as it turns out, almond milk is quite
keto-friendly, as long as you're avoiding brands that add a lot of sugar to the mix
If it's sweetened, that means all the sugar in it is added sugar. It's not naturally occurring
sugars Unsweetened almond milk is relatively low in carbs at least in comparison to whole milk and other non alternatives In fact it has only two to three net carbs in a serving making it entirely appropriate to consume when you on the keto diet
Having one or two servings of almond milk a day won't break the carb bank, and if you're an active person or happen to be practicing the targeted keto diet
you can consume even more if you'd like. 80% of the Earth's almonds are grown in California, including 100% of the commercial supply in
America. And now that people are eating more nuts than ever, the crop has become the backbone of
California's agriculture. Almond orchards take up over 1 million acres in the state
and those trees produced 2.26 billion pounds of almonds in 2018. Almond growing is a $5.6 billion
industry, and no wonder California is on top of it. Daniel Sumner, an economist at the University
of California, Davis, told Bloomberg, California is the best place to grow almonds. Where else can
the weather be hot and dry and perfect, but you also have a system where you can bring water from
mountains full of snow. As you may know, it takes a lot of water to grow almonds. And we mean a lot
It takes 1.1 gallons of water to grow a single almond. Now think of all the millions and billions
of almonds grown each season, and you can probably start to see the issue here. Needless to say
it takes plenty of almonds to make a single carton of almond milk. In order to grow almonds and meet
ever-increasing demands, California farmers have been drilling wells at an alarming rate
California has long been at risk of becoming a desert, and the constant over-drilling has
contributed to the decline of usable soil. Meanwhile, California just went through a
long drought, and many areas are still suffering. We're in a drought, let's face it. But for California, this is just the beginning
As Mother Jones reports, the almond industry uses more water in California than the entire
cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco combined. Fortunately, there are measures being taken to
address the problem. As Almonds.com reports, by 2025, the California almond community commits to
reducing the amount of water it takes to grow a pound of almonds by an additional 20 percent
In February 2020, Mike reported that almond milk, the ever-popular soy-free, dairy-free
vegan-friendly milk substitute now found everywhere from hip restaurants to Starbucks coffee shops, is ruining the world. That may be rather overstating it, but almond and almond milk
production certainly has its fair share of issues. According to the UCSF's Office of Sustainability
the main issues associated with almond milk production are water and pesticide use
which may produce long-lasting effects on the environment in California, where more than 80 percent of the world's almonds are grown
The use of these pesticides is problematic for a number of reasons. As the UCSF's Office of Sustainability reports
the USDA Pesticide Data Program has found residues of nine different pesticides on almonds
five of which are toxic to honeybees posing yet another threat to the environment Just something to think about before pouring yourself that next ice glass of almond milk Soy milk used to rule the roost when it came to the alternative milk industry
but nowadays almond milk is king. Larry Finkel, the director of food and beverage research at
marketresearch.com, told Bloomberg, Nuts are trendy now. Soy sounds more like old-fashioned health food, like tofu
and could probably benefit by a reinvigoration of their brand. According to data compiled by CNBC
almond milk sales reached $1.3 billion in 2019. Soy milk was the second most popular
non-dairy milk option, but it was still way behind almond milk, only making $194 million
during the same time period. Welcome to the popular table. Or not
Obviously, lots of people love the stuff, some nutritionists included. Jennifer Bowers, PhD, RD, told Mashed
I recommend it often, especially with patients who have diabetes or kidney disease
High-quality almond milk provides a calcium boost. Healthy fats, but less carbs than its cow's milk alternative, and I think it tastes great
Some folks don't consider almond milk a proper substitute for cow's milk, because, as we mentioned, it's rather lacking in the protein and calcium department
Registered dietician Lisa Cohn tells Mashed, Some people aren't aware of the nutritional differences, which can be especially problematic
for women and breastfeeding women as far as their calcium, vitamin D, B vitamin
and protein needs are concerned. The calories from almond milk can also create weight gain
But there's no reason to fear almond milk. You should just make sure you're getting enough protein and calcium from other sources. Registered dietitian nutritionist Valerie Adjeman tells Mashed
Almond milk isn't as bad as people make it seem. It is actually very nutritious. Don't
get me wrong, it isn't as nutritious as cow's milk, but enriched almond milk comes pretty
close to hitting the nutritional content of cow milk. Our advice? Check your labels and
buy almond milk that's enriched with added nutrients. Here's a fact that some of you might find not so sweet. There are several almond milk
brands out there that are packed with sugar. That's why we strongly recommend that you choose your specific brand with the utmost care. As Valerie Adjiman told Mashed
"...manufacturers usually add a lot of sugar to almond milk to make it taste sweet. Make sure you
look at the label for the sugar content, or you can purchase sugar-free almond milk.
Obviously, if you're drinking almond milk for health reasons, that added sugar won't be doing
you any favors. A word to the wise, some almond milk brands contain carrageenan
a common thickening agent made from seaweed. Sure, it helps give almond milk its creamy texture
but at what cost? According to a review in Environmental Health Perspectives
Studies have linked consuming carrageenan with increased inflammation. Nutritionist and healthy living expert Valerie Orsoni tells Mashed
Although it is derived from seaweed, which sounds pretty healthy, studies have suggested otherwise
Research on the effects of this additive is not at all conclusive, but based on studies thus far
I highly recommend avoiding almond milk that contains carrageenan. Any questions