If you are looking for a healthy alternative to milk be sure to give almond milk a try. As the popularity of this alternative grows it is becoming more readily available. Just about every grocery store now carries the name brand Silk Pure Almond or Blue Diamond Almond Breeze. Many stores now even carry store brand versions (Kroger and Aldi). These products can be found in the health food cooler or in some stores mixed in with the regular milk. With such availability price is fairly low ($2.39 - $2.89 per half gallon versus $1.99 per half gallon store brand 2% milk).
Almond Milk has less calories than 1% dairy milk. On average 1 serving of almond milk has 60 calories whereas the dairy milk has 100. Calcium is a very important part of dairy milk, almond milk out does it with 45% of your daily value compared to 30% in a serving of 1% dairy milk. With 0g saturated fat almond milk beats the 1.5 g in dairy milk. Since almond milk has no animal product in it the cholesterol amount is 0 mg. The 1% dairy milk has 13g of cholesterol. Also since animal products are not used in almond milk there are no added hormones or lactose. Along with that no animals are harmed or factory farmed. The almond milk covers what most people need out of dairy milk and reduces what they don’t. You should always do your own diet research based on your needs, these are just my notes.
Most important is taste! I am sure that is most peoples' first question when researching new products. I have tasted the original flavor of Silk Pure Almond, Almond Breeze, Kroger almondmilk, and Friendly Farms Almond Milk (available at some Aldi stores). Other flavors such as Dark Chocolate and Vanilla are available in most brands with a little different nutrition value than above. Taste and texture were excellent in all except Almond Breeze. I felt that it had the same ‘chalky’ texture as soy milk, whereas the other brands were much smoother with less after taste. I have used all three to in baked items with success. I highly recommend switching out regular milk in your favorite baked goods with almond milk for a healthy alternative. Your family might not even notice the difference! I have had people tell me it just tastes like I added a little almond extract.
I hope you all found this helpful! Do not be afraid to try some new and healthy alternatives. Many benefits can be achieved if you do a little research and open your mind.
