Almond Milk Is Bad for You — Unless You Make This One Change
Why It Matters
Almonds are packed with vitamins and minerals so it would be logical to assume almond milk is as well. Shockingly, that is rarely the case when it comes to store-bought almond milk. Let’s explore why almond milk might not be much better than drinking a soft drink. However, with a few changes, we can get you to that shot of high-density nutritional content you’re looking for.
Why do we drink almond milk? For the Millennials, especially in urban areas, it’s trendy AF as witnessed by this early Refinery29’s “why you’re so obsessed with almond milk” piece written May 2018. Beyond the hype, almond milk is a practical dairy milk substitute for those who are lactose intolerant or who want to consume less dietary fat and avoid the cholesterol that is found in cow’s milks. Meanwhile as dairy has been “less cool” (thanks for this Medium article Shamar M.) , there have been fast followers to the anti-dairy trend, making it a less lonely world for vegans who want to strictly avoid animal products.
How Did We Get Here?
Dietary restrictions have inspired the consumption of almond milk for hundreds of years. Although almond milk appears relatively “new on the scene,” it’s been around since at least the Middle Ages when it was used to adhere to strict Catholic fasting doctrines. Later, almond milk is mentioned as a secondary definition of milk in Samuel Johnson’s English dictionary in 1755.
While almond milk exploded onto grocery store shelves in the US in the past decade or two, almond milk has been part of Western diets for almost a thousand years. In the United States, almond milk’s popularity emerged in the early 2000s and started to take off around 2010. Almond milk is the most popular plant-based milk and surpassed soy milk in sales in 2013 and represents 4.1% of all milk sales and 60% of plant-based milk sales.
What Should We Embrace
Nutritionally, almond milk is rich in vitamin E and magnesium. It’s also low in fat, cholesterol, and calories.
What We Should Avoid
Have you ever looked at your almond milk’s ingredients label? Chances are you haven’t because the pretty bottle was enough to bypass further inspection.
Commercially sold almond milk is also often filled with sweeteners and preservatives among other undesirable ingredients. Many store bought almond milks are filled with nutrition stripped, highly processed oils such as sunflower and safflower oil. They also have significant sugar added to improve taste. To make almond milk thicker, a variety of thickeners and emulsifiers.
(!) These include guar guam, xanthan gum, gellan gum, sunflower lecithin and phosphates which harm gut health
These fillers also allow manufacturers to reduce the amount of almonds in their product. In 2015, Blue Diamond Growers and White Wave Foods were sued in New York City for their almond milks containing less than 2% almonds.
The Joy in DIY Almond Milk
Avoid the nasty ingredients and make your own almond milk . All you need is an almond milk maker or juicer and mason glass storage bottles.
Now, the fun part is to add your own flavor: consider a dash of dates, pistachios, strawberries, vanilla, and cinnamon for a hint of flavor. Other ingredients such as coconut, blueberries, blackberries, mango, cacao powder, etc. can also be considered. Amounts of these ingredients can be varied based on personal preference.
To get a silky, dairy-like consistency of milk with high nutritional content requires 2 cups of almonds to 3 cups of filtered water. The homemade milks can only be stored for about 4–5 days. You can extend the life of this milk through sterilization processes such as boiling your almond milk. The best approach is to make the almond milk as you need it. Almonds themselves have a long shelf life of up to 2 years if kept in a cool dry place. We recommend that you buy high quality almonds in bulk and store them for extended periods of time. Buying in bulk might make making almond milk at home cheaper.
Is It Cost Effective?
Critics have no pause in sharing homemade almond milks are extremely expensive compared to store bought almond milk. Like most opinions on the internet, this comparison is not a fair evaluation.
Store bought almond milk typically has only a nominal amount of almonds — sometimes as low as 2%. Homemade almond milk is 20% almonds and includes all of the associated nutrients. Store bought almond milk is mostly fillers and water.
The main downside of homemade almond milk is hand cleaning a few components of the almond milk maker. Storing the ingredients may also require developing a simple home system. Key components of that system would include dry goods containers such as mason jars and large montana jars — which subsequently beautify the space with charm.
Is It Really Sustainable?
Critics may also complain about the sustainability of almonds. In the US, almonds are thirsty crops grown primarily in drought stricken Central Valley of California. A single glass of almond milk requires roughly 74 liters, or 20 gallons of water. Almond milk is the most water consumptive of all plant-based milks. However, dairy milk requires even more water. Further dairy cows drive carbon emissions while almond orchards can help to sequester carbon.
The almond is a member of the peach and cherry family (prunus) native to the Middle East, and the almonds we eat are actually the pit of the small peach like fruit of the almond tree. The almond is an extremely nutritious and versatile crop that has been turned into milk for hundreds of years. Making it at home is the best option and can substitute or supplement dairy milk in your diet without much hassle and with a decent amount of fun making it.
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Full Product Catalog
Tier 1 Products (mission critical)
Tier 2 Products (nice to have)
- Mason Jars (6 x 64 oz)
- Grease Pencils
- Montana Jars
- Bormioli Rocco Set Of 6 Square Swing Top Glass 8.5 Oz. Bottles
- Bormioli Rocco Giara Swing Top Bottles 33 ¾ Ounce/1 Liter (6 Pack)
- YOUYIDUN Stainless Steel Funnels Set for Kitchen, 13 cm/5 Inch Metal Food Grade Kitchen with Mesh Filter Strainer
- Redecker Pig Bristle and Wool Tip Bottle Cleaning Brush Set with Wire Handles, Set of 5
- Redecker Tampico Fiber Dish Brush with Oiled Beechwood Handle, 10–3/8-Inches
Want to learn how to get started step-by-step to ensure perfection?
We’ve packaged up our Almond Milk Activity Step-By-Step Guide on Etsy — launch date expected December 1, 2023.
