I have been drinking my green health smoothie with almond milk and I began to think, “Why don’t I try this with other stuff?”. I know solely use almond milk for my cereal, cooking, and just for a drink. I am hooked. Almond milk isn’t just for the lactose intolerant, it is a milk that everyone can enjoy, and like milk helps every aspect of your body.

Almond milk is the new healthy go to for those who are either lactose intolerant, unable to drink regular milk or would like a healthier lifestyle. I personally have strayed away from Almond milk mainly because I thought that “I don’t have to drink it. Those are for other  people”. I will tell you there are many benefits to almond milk that will  help you lose weight,  lower your blood pressure, and raise your energy level.

Benefits of Almond Milk

Almond milk is made by grinding almonds into the water which produces the milk. Even though water is used, the milk still maintains a subtle almond taste. Through this process, many of the nutritional benefits such as minerals and vitamins that are plentiful in almonds naturally are transferred into the milk. Besides being soy-free, dairy-free, and lactose-free non-animal alternative to milk, it is cholesterol and saturated fat-free product making it an alternative for diabetics and those with high blood pressure. While there are different types of almond milk, many of the most popular (I will provide a list below) are fortified with additional nutrients that almonds naturally lack compared to cow’s milk such as calcium and protein. These additional nutrients often make the nutritional benefits of almond milk surpass that of cow’s milk. Along with this, almond milk is lower in calories than cow’s milk making it a great substitute for those with weight loss goals.

Who Should Not Drink Almond Milk

If you have a tree-nut allergy of any kind do not consume almond milk. Infants should not drink almond milk. Although this milk is beneficial to adults, it is lacking key nutrients to important vitamins for development.

Different Types of Almond Milk

While many of us feel overwhelmed with options at the grocery store, almond milk can typically be broken down into a few categories:

Unsweetened

This is just plain old almond milk with no additional sugar. This is for people who do not mind the almond taste to the milk and is often labeled as Original Unsweetened in the grocery store. If you are trying almond milk for the first time. I recommend trying this type first. If you realize that it is not for you, you can try something different.

Flavor

Chocolate and Vanilla are the main flavors of almond milk but there can be others. These are for those who particularly do not enjoy the almond taste of almond milk. The flavors added to this milk overtake the almond flavor and turn into traditional chocolate or vanilla drink. These types are a great addition to smoothies for an additional flavor boost.

Blends

Blends of almond milk contain one or more of other cow’s milk alternatives. This includes but is not limited to coconut and cashew milk. The benefits of these types of drinks are the additional nutrition of both kinds of milk. These also make good flavor additions to smoothies as well as being delicious on their own.

Popular Brands

Almond Breeze

Silk

Do you drink almond milk? Do you know a recipe with almond milk as an ingredient? Do you have questions about almond milk? Please leave a comment below!

-NYL