If you're looking for a healthy alternative to cow's milk, you should consider almond milk. You don't have to be vegetarian to consider trying it -- almond milk is a healthy alternative for anyone looking to avoid lactose or the hormones that may be found in cow's milk, or just looking for a different and tasty addition to their regular meal plan. Diabetics can appreciate that almond milk is slightly lower in calories and carbohydrates than cow's milk.
Personally, I find almond milk to be much tastier than other cow's milk alternatives. Rice milk is bland and soy milk has an aftertaste, but almond milk has a pleasantly sweet flavor with a mild almond aftertaste. You can find almond milk in plain, vanilla, and chocolate flavors. Of note is that the plain flavor already has a slightly sweet flavor due to the natural properties of the almond.
Some of the nutritional aspects of almond milk:
- Almond milk is a good natural source of magnesium, potassium, manganese, selenium and vitamin E -- nutrients that aid metabolism, bone health, heart function, immune and reproductive function.
- If you buy almond milk that has been enriched or fortified, it is a good replacement for cow's milk in terms of calcium and vitamin D content.
- The fat in almond milk is unsaturated and free of cholesterol -- and unsaturated fats have been shown to decrease the risk of heart disease.
- 8 oz (237ml) of almond milk contains approximately 70 calories, 2gm protein, 10gm carbohydrates and 2.5 gm fat
You can find almond milk in regular grocery stores -- look in the health food or "special diet" section for shelf-stable varieties (that need to be refrigerated after opening) -- or in the refrigerated section near the cow's milk for some varieties sold chilled.
