Is Almond Milk as good as you think?

As I work in food intolerances I see a lot of intolerance to cow, goat and sheep milk - and obviously everything related to them... yogurts, butter and cheese.  So, if a person can't take their coffee or tea without milk, then I suggest other milk substitutes such as almond milk, rice milk or oat milk - if they aren't intolerant to any of those components either.

A friend recently asked me how healthy almond milk really is as she had heard that the almond content in almond milk was actually very low.

So, I admit, I'd never really thought about it, but decided to investigate.  I found a report about the surprising lack of almonds in almond milk.  According to the report a half gallon carton of almond milk contains less than one handful of almonds.  One analysis of a UK almond brand, Alpro, revealed that it only contains 2% almonds of the total drink, the rest is water, Sugar, Calcium (tri-calcium phosphate), Sea salt, Stabilisers (Locust bean gum, Gellan gum), Emulsifier (Sunflower lecithin), Vitamins (Riboflavin (B2), B12, E, D2).

Ok, so almond milk doesn't actually have a whole lot of almonds...  Almonds are highly nutritious as they are high in protein and healthy fats and are a great energy source.  The article I found is actually quite a scathing attack on almond milk companies and compares the benefits of raw almonds to almond milk:

A serving of almonds contains roughly 160 calories whilst a cup of almond milk contains just 30 calories.  A standard serving of almonds contains 6g of protein and 14g of healthy fats.  A cup of almond milk has just 1g of protein and 2.5g of healthy fats.

However, I don't get what the problem is.  I mean, almond milk and other vegetable milks are there to be used as a substitute for cow's milk - and other animal milks.

What do you use almond milk for?  Do you use it to brighten up your coffee or on your morning cereal?  Are you trying to get something other than taste out of it?

Cow's milk is a very polemic subject.  There are those for it and those against it.  I, for one, am against it.  Milk produce should be reduced to just 5% of anybody's diet - you see that?  I don't ban it all together unless you are either allergic or intolerant to it.  If you have no known allergy or intolerance to it, then keep it below 5% and you'll be just fine, as long as it is grass-fed and free ranging.  Other than that, it really isn't a necessary part of a balanced diet - we humans do not NEED cow's milk.

So, if we take into account that we are better off without it, and the substitutes are almond milk, etc.. then why does it matter if almond milk is only 2% almonds?  If you have a fresh food, balanced diet... as in forget the processed "foods" and base your meals on plants with a bit of animal protein... then you don't NEED to get as many calories and healthy fats from almond milk as you would from eating raw almonds.  Almond milk would just be a nice, healthier addition to your day than topping up your coffee with processed, highly hormoned, antibiotic and puss stuffed cow's milk...

So, does it really matter that almond milk is just 2% almonds?  You can have a highly nutritious diet which included raw nuts, avocados, etc for healthy fats.  In order to get all the nutrition you get with eating almonds, from just the almond milk you'd have to drink the whole carton in one go - roughly, so what would you prefer?  To be happy in the knowledge that your 2% almond milk is not doing the damage to your body that cow's milk does?  Or to be upset that it only contains 2% almonds?

I don't think that almond milk is made to substitute eating almonds but as a substitute for cow's milk and it needs to be understood as that.

Me?  I'm more worried about the amount of sugar it contains!

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com