Almond Milk Is Stupid: An Opinion

Almond milk is stupid in the opinion of this dietitian.

According to the article Water-indexed benefits and impacts of California almonds it takes 3.17 gallons of water to produce one 0.042 ounce almond. Water is required to grow food whether it be beef, chicken, apples, carrots, corn or almonds. However, it just seems silly to grow almonds with that much water, then blend them with water and filter out the watery mixture. Sugar, gums, stabilizers, vitamins and minerals may be added to produce a "milk" that only has 1 gram of protein per one cup serving.

I understand those who are lactose intolerant need a milk alternative for cereal, for dipping cookies or just to chug. I believe you could do so much better than almond milk from a nutritional standpoint.

Soy milk, for example, has 6-8 grams of quality protein per one cup serving. Yes it might have added sugar, but at least you’re receiving the protein too (I recommend unsweetened versions always). Almond milk on the other hand provides a negligible amount of protein at the expense of one or more teaspoons of added sugar per one cup serving if sugar is added.

I don’t get it! Might as well save yourself the money and use one cup of tap water with a spoonful of sugar, because that’s basically what you get with almond milk.

And if you are allergic to soy you might consider pea milk (reads and sounds funny hahaha). Pea milk is hypoallergenic (meaning it won’t cause an allergic reaction) and contains 8 grams of protein per one cup serving like soy milk.

So as you choose a milk alternative consider if you are getting your money’s worth nutritionally. Almond milk has only 1 gram of protein per cup. Soy or pea milk has 8 grams of protein per cup. If the price per 32 ounce carton is the same and you don’t have any allergies then I’d recommend ditching the almond milk in favor of soy or pea milk.