Hello Readers,

Hope you are doing well. In this article, we will discuss on the rising trend of almond milk consumption, and we will see why almond milk is more nutritious choice and should be part of our regular diet.

Benefits of Plant based milk

There has been steady rise in consumption of plant based milk like soy milk, almond milk, coconut millk etc over last 2 decades. Soy milk is a much popular alternate to daily milk in East Asian countries like China, Singapore etc. On the other hand, almond milk is popular in western market like USA and Europe. Sales of almond milk overtook soy milk in the United States in 2013, and now it constitutes 70% of all US plant based milk market. In United Kingdom, almond milk has grown from 36 million litres sale in 2011 to 92 million litres sales in 2013.

Almond milk vs Dairy milk vs Soy milk

As we can see from the above data, Almond milk is lighter and healthier option. It has very less or no amount of fats, protein and cholesterol, and this it has less calories per serving if we comparing it with other options like cow milk or soy milk. It is an ideal option for someone who is on weight loss regime, and is looking for healthier option. It is also a good choice for someone what is lactose-allergic. Although almond milk is good choice, it should not be given to babies as it lack required amount of baby milk nutrients.

Health benefits of almond milk

Nutritious choice

As we can see from the above table, almond milk is richer in various important salts (calcium, potassium). Almond is a good source of Vitamin E, Vitamin A and Vitamin D. In most of commercial available almond milk, almond milk is mixed with more vitamin D, calcium and protein to make it more similar to regular milk.

Low calories milk

• Calories in dairy milk (100 ml): 42 cal
• Calories in non-sweetened almond milk (!00 ml) : 30 cal

As we can see almond milk is a much healthier in term of amount of calories. It will especially benefit those who are looking to improve their waistlines. Commercial almond milk is diluted to make its fat content similar to low fat dairy milk. (1% fat).

Useful for controlling blood sugar

Amount of carbs present in dairy milk is 5%, whereas it is 0.6% in almond milk. Almond milk do not cause rise in blood sugar (in comparison to dairy milk).

Lactose free milk

Lot of people have problem digesting lactose which is milk sugar. Undigested lactose passes down to the colon where it is fermented by the resident bacteria, and thus causing diarrhea, indigestion and gas.

Plant based milk like almond milk is best option for lactose allergic people.

Reduce the risk of heart diseases

Almond milk is rich in vitamin E and contains healthy fats. Almond milk is 1% oil by weight, and around 90% of which is unsaturated. Oleic acid, the main fatty acid in almond milk has been linked to improving blood lipids. Eating daily 66 grams of almonds or almond milk for 6 weeks improves HDL cholesterol by 6%, and reduce LDL cholesterol by 6% and triglycerides by 14%. Also, vitamin  E protects lipids against oxidation, reducing the levels of oxidized LDL cholesterol.

 

Vitamins and minerals present in almond milk

As we all know almonds in general are very rich source of vitamins and minerals. Commercial almond milk is usually enriched with calcium and vitamin D, which help in strengthening bones and muscles.

Almond milk usage

Are you still thinking on where you can use almond milk? Hey, it is still a milk, and there are lot many ways in which you can replace your exisiting dairy milk with almond milk. You have plenty of options.

1. Use it in your breakfast. Make a perfect cornflakes or muesli with almond milk.
2. Now, it is time for a tea/coffee. Have you heard about tea/coffee of almond milk
3. Add it in your smoothies
4. You can also make ice cream from almond milk. Yummy!!
5. Use it in soups and salad dressing
6. Use it as a dairy milk replacement in many baked foods.

Thing to note: Excessive almond milk is not recommended to people having kidney stones.

How to make almond milk at home

You don’t need to buy almond milk only from stores. You can make your own almond milk at your place.

Ingredient needed for making almond milk

• 1 cup raw almonds
• 5 cups water
• A pinch of cinnamon (for taste)
• Honey or sweetener (for taste)

Method for making almond milk

• Soak the almonds for 1 night
• Next day, peel off almond skin
• Put peeled almond into a blender. Add water
• Ground this mixture to pulpy paste. Sieve it into a container through a muslin cloth.
• Add honey or cinnamon for taste
• Store in a sealed container