15 kcal (63 kJ) | |||||||
Nutritional value (per 100 g serving) |
|
---|
Almond milk is a plant milk manufactured from almonds with a creamy texture and nutty flavor,[1] although some types or brands are flavored in imitation of dairy milk.[2] It does not contain cholesterol, saturated fat or lactose, and is often consumed by those who are lactose-intolerant and others, such as vegans who avoid dairy products. Commercial almond milk comes in sweetened, unsweetened, vanilla and chocolate flavors, and is usually fortified with micronutrients. It can also be made at home using a blender, almonds and water.[3]
Sales of almond milk overtook soy milk in the United States in 2013,[4] and by May 2014, it comprised two-thirds of the US plant milk market.[5] In the United Kingdom, almond milk sales increased from 36 million litres (7.9 million imperial gallons; 9.5 million US gallons) in 2011 to 92 million litres (20 million imperial gallons; 24 million US gallons) in 2013.[4]
- 4Production
History[edit]
In the Middle Ages, almond milk was known in both the Islamic world and Christendom. As a nut, almonds are permitted for consumption by these religions during Lent. Historian Carolyn Walker Bynum notes that 'Medieval cookbooks suggest that the aristocracy observed fasting strictly, if legalistically. Meat-day and fish-day recipes were not separated in medieval recipe collections, as they were in later, better-organized cookbooks. But the most basic dishes were given in fast-day as well asordinary-day versions. For example, a thin split-pea puree, sometimes enriched with fish stock or almond milk (produced by simmering ground almonds in water), replaced meat broth on fast days; and almond milk was a general (and expensive) substitute for cow's milk.'[6]In Persian cuisine, an almond milk based dessert called harireh badam (almond gruel) is traditionally served during Ramadan.[7]
Commerce[edit]
In the United States, almond milk remained a niche health food item until the early 2000s, when its popularity began to increase. In 2011 alone, almond milk sales increased by 79%.[8] In 2013, it surpassed soy milk as the most popular plant-based milk in the U.S.[9] As of 2014 it comprised 60 percent of plant-milk sales and 4.1 percent of total milk sales in the US.[10]:2–3
Is Almond Milk Considered Dairy Free
Popular brands of almond milk include Blue Diamond's Almond Breeze and WhiteWave Foods' Silk PureAlmond.[9]
Within the Italian regions of Sicily, Apulia, Calabria, and Campania, almond milk is a protected traditional agricultural product.[11]
Nutrition[edit]
Cows' milk (whole, vitamin D added)[12] | Soy milk (unsweetened; calcium, vitamins A, B12 and D added)[13] | Almond milk (unsweetened)[14] | |
---|---|---|---|
Calories (cup, 243 g) | 149 | 80 | 39 |
Protein (g) | 7.69 | 6.95 | 1.55 |
Fat (g) | 7.93 | 3.91 | 2.88 |
Saturated fat (g) | 4.55 | 0.5 | 0 |
Carbohydrate (g) | 11.71 | 4.23 | 1.52 |
Fibre (g) | 0 | 1.2 | 0 |
Sugars (g) | 12.32 | 1 | 0 |
Calcium (mg) | 276 | 301 | 516 |
Potassium (mg) | 322 | 292 | 176 |
Sodium (mg) | 105 | 90 | 186 |
Vitamin B12 (µg) | 1.10 | 2.70 | 0 |
Vitamin A (IU) | 395 | 503 | 372 |
Vitamin D (IU) | 124 | 119 | 110 |
Cholesterol (mg) | 24 | 0 | 0 |
If unfortified, almond milk has less vitamin D than fortified cows' milk; in North America cows' milk must be fortified with vitamin D, but vitamins are added to plant milks on a voluntary basis.[15] Because of its low protein content, almond milk is not a suitable replacement for breast milk, cows' milk, or hydrolyzed formulas for children under two years of age.[16]
Production[edit]
The basic method of modern domestic almond milk production is to grind almonds in a blender with water, then strain out the almond pulp (flesh) with a strainer or cheesecloth. Almond milk can also be made by adding water to almond butter.
In July 2015, a class action lawsuit was placed in New York against two American manufacturers, Blue Diamond Growers and White Wave Foods, for false advertising on the product label about the small amount of almonds (only 2%) actually in the final product.[17][18][19][20] In October 2015, a judge denied the consumers' request for an injunction.[21]
Consumer demand[edit]
The growth in consumer demand for almond milk in the early 21st century accounted for one-quarter of the US almond supply, and its use in almond butter manufacturing tripled since 2011.[22]
Sustainability[edit]
Almond production in California is concentrated mainly in the Central Valley,[23] where the mild climate, rich soil, abundant sunshine and water supply make for ideal growing conditions. Due to the persistent droughts in California in the early 21st century, it became more difficult to raise almonds in a sustainable manner.[24][22] The issue is complex because of the high amount of water needed to produce almonds: a single almond requires roughly 1.1 US gallons (0.92 imperial gallons; 4.2 litres) of water to grow properly.[23][24]
Sustainability strategies implemented by the Almond Board of California and almond farmers include:[22][25][26]
- tree and soil health, and other farming practices
- minimizing dust production during the harvest
- bee health
- irrigation guidelines for farmers
- food safety
- use of waste biomass as coproducts with a goal to achieve zero waste
- use of solar energy during processing
- job development
- support of scientific research to investigate potential health benefits of consuming almonds
- international education about sustainability practices
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Lincoln, Jamie (18 August 2016). 'Ditching Dairy? Here's a Cheat Sheet to the Tastiest Milk Alternatives'. Vogue. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^'Face Off: Almond Milk vs. Soy Milk'. Geri Maria Harris. HoustenPress.
- ^Larmer, Christina (9 January 2011). 'The pros and cons of almond milk'. Adelaide Now.
- ^ abRebecca Burn-Callander, 'How the UK is going crazy for almond milk', The Daily Telegraph, 17 November 2014.
- ^Tom Philpott, 'Lay Off the Almond Milk, You Ignorant Hipsters', Mother Jones, 16 July 2014.
- ^Carolyn Walker Bynum (1988), Holy Feast and Holy Fast: The Religious Significance of Food to Medieval Women, University of California Press, p. 41, ISBN978-0-520-06329-7
- ^Karizaki VM (2016). 'Ethnic and traditional Iranian rice-based foods'. Journal of Ethnic Foods. 3 (2): 124–134.
- ^David Sprinkle (19 January 2012). 'With Almond as the New White Milk, Dairy Alternatives Make Further Inroads'. Marketwire. Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
- ^ abWong, Venessa (21 August 2013). 'Soy Milk Fades as Americans Opt for Drinkable Almonds'. BusinessWeek. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
- ^Senarath Dharmasena, Oral Capps, Jr., Brooke Kosub, 'Demand and Market Competitiveness of Almond Milk as a Dairy Alternative Beverage in the United States'Archived 24 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, Food and Consumer Economics Research Center, (AFCERC), Texas A&M University, 2015.
- ^'Guida ai Prodotti Tipici del Territorio di Brindisi'(PDF).
- ^'Milk, whole, 3.25% milkfat, with added vitamin D'Archived 16 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.
- ^'Soymilk (all flavors), unsweetened, with added calcium, vitamins A and D'Archived 16 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.
- ^'Beverages, almond milk, unsweetened, shelf stable'Archived 20 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.
- ^Geoff Koehler, 'Children who drink non-cows’ milk are twice as likely to have low vitamin D', St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, 20 October 2014.
- ^Keller MD, Shuker M, Heimall J, Cianferoni A (January 2012). 'Severe malnutrition resulting from use of rice milk in food elimination diets for atopic dermatitis'(PDF). Isr Med Assoc J. 14 (1): 40–42. PMID22624441.
- ^Collen, Jess (23 July 2015). 'Is 2% Almond Milk More Confusing Than 2% Cows Milk? Blue Diamond And Silk Probably Say 'No.''. Forbes. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^Feeney, Nolan (29 July 2015). 'False Advertising Lawsuit Claims This Almond Milk Brand Doesn't Have Enough Almonds'. Time Inc. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^Steven Trader (8 June 2016). 'Almond Milk Buyers Fight Stay Pending Other False Ad Deal'. Law360.
- ^'Class action lawsuit targets Blue Diamond, Silk almond milks'. Washington Examiner. 8 June 2015.
- ^Joe Van Acker (21 October 2015). 'Almond Milk Makers Duck Drinkers' Bid For Label Change'. Law360.
- ^ abcAlan Bjerga; Donna Cohen; Cindy Hoffman. 'California Almonds Are Back After Four Years of Brutal Drought'. Bloomberg. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
- ^ abErin Brodwin, Samantha Lee (8 April 2015). 'Chart shows how some of your favorite foods could be making California's drought worse'. Business Insider. Retrieved 17 April 2017.CS1 maint: Uses authors parameter (link)
- ^ abRichard Gonzalez (16 April 2015). 'How Almonds Became A Scapegoat For California's Drought'. US National Public Radio. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
- ^'Annual report: Growing Good - Almond Sustainability 2018'(PDF). Almond Board of California. 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
- ^'Almond industry forerunner of future farm practices, sustainability program internationally recognized'. Western FarmPress. 6 March 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
External links[edit]
HuffPost is now part of the Oath family. We (Oath) and our partners need your consent to access your device, set cookies, and use your data, including your location, to understand your interests, provide relevant ads and measure their effectiveness. Oath will also provide relevant ads to you on our partners' products. Learn More
How Oath and our partners bring you better ad experiences
To give you a better overall experience, we want to provide relevant ads that are more useful to you. For example, when you search for a film, we use your search information and location to show the most relevant cinemas near you. We also use this information to show you ads for similar films you may like in the future. Like Oath, our partners may also show you ads that they think match your interests.
Negatives Of Almond Milk
Learn more about how Oath collects and uses data and how our partners collect and use data.
Select 'OK' to allow Oath and our partners to use your data, or 'Manage options' to review our partners and your choices. Tip: Sign In to save these choices and avoid repeating this across devices. You can always update your preferences in the Privacy Centre.
I’ve never been a big milk drinker, but I pour it over cereal or granola, add a splash to black tea, and order the occasional cappuccino. Several years ago I discovered almond milk, and making the switch from cow’s milk to non-dairy milk felt like a no-brainer. It seemed like everyone around me was giving up dairy for health reasons, and since I wasn’t particularly attached to milk I joined in.
Is Unsweetened Almond Milk Dairy Free
But then I learned a little more — and stopped drinking alternative milks altogether. Here’s why I made the switch back to cow’s milk.
1. I’m not lactose intolerant or allergic to milk.
One of the reasons I initially switched to non-dairy milk was because I learned about the prevalence of lactose intolerance: 65 percent of human population has trouble digesting lactose, the sugar found in milk. For people of East Asian descent like me, that statistic is even more significant: Up to 90 percent of the population is lactose intolerant, and even those who aren’t lactose intolerant as a child can develop an intolerance as an adult. Those numbers seemed so high, I was pretty sure I had to have some kind of intolerance.
And yet I have never had a single symptom of lactose intolerance. Drinking a milkshake has never given me gas, abdominal cramps, or any signs of gastrointestinal distress. And I’m definitely not allergic to casein, the protein in milk, which would manifest itself as an immune reaction after drinking milk. As far as I can tell, I digest dairy just fine.
I don’t follow a special diet or adhere to any particular eating philosophy except one: I make sure most of what I eat every day is unprocessed food. That means I cook from scratch and read labels carefully, but also indulge in the occasional treat. The key word here is occasional. I believe you can eat anything you want, as long as you eat it in moderation; it’s the foods you eat on a daily basis that you need to keep an eye on.
But almost every day I was consuming an industrially processed food with one especially concerning additive: carrageenan.
Carrageenan is an additive derived from seaweed and is used as a stabilizer and thickener. Although it is considered safe by the FDA, some scientists have raised questions about the potentially harmful effects of widespread carrageenan consumption. (You can read a review of the research, published in 2001, here.)
The FDA denied a petition to re-examine the safety of carrageenan and it is still an approved ingredient in organic products, but many companies have reformulated their products to cut out the additive.
Until I had this realization, I had felt so virtuous every time I passed by the milk case at the grocery store and stocked my shopping cart with organic almond milk instead. After, those cartons stuck out like a sore thumb in my basket of fruits, vegetables, meats, and whole grains.
Of course, not all milk is created equal. I don’t consider cheap milk from sad cows on industrial farms the better alternative. Instead, I seek out the best-quality milk I can find, from local sources when possible. This means milk that is considerably more expensive than the stuff I can buy from the convenience store around the corner, but as with meat and eggs, I think what that extra money buys — better animal welfare, fewer pesticides, support for a more sustainable food system — is worth it.
I don’t consume all that much milk, and I don’t think I ever will. But I’m also not lactose intolerant, allergic to milk, or vegan, so a small amount of good-quality milk every day is the choice that works best for me. And in dairy-hating, health-obsessed Los Angeles, it’s one that feels almost rebellious!
How about you? What kind of milk do you drink and what are the factors that informed your decision?