With coffee, ice cream, and even gravy, the rise of plant-based diets has led to a significant increase in dairy alternatives. Everyone's favourite: almond milk. Almonds are a great source of healthy fats, Vitamin E, and even Calcium. While plant-based alternatives are considered "healthier" you need to ask yourself whether this particular product you're using is healthy?
Store Bought vs Homemade
Almond milk is easy to make at home water with soaked almonds is blended and strained to allow for a smooth creamy texture.
While easy to make at home, most people choose to buy the store-bought variety. Store-bought almond milk contains additives like preservatives, emulsifiers, thickeners, and additional flavouring to increase shelf-life.
The problem with ALL nut milk lies in the packaged variety.
Thickers, Emulsifiers, and More...
Any additives or emulsifiers are deemed "safe" to consume in small amounts. However, when it is added to everyday products like sauces, bread, and milk, the amount you consume weekly and yearly increases exponentially.
Why should you care?
For most of us, home-cooked meals are made ONLY with real foods, which means vegetables, grains, spices and more. You are not adding MSG, thickeners, artificial sweeteners and more. So if you aren't eating these chemical substances at home, you should NOT be eating the packaged items you purchase.
"One hundred years ago we didn’t need a label to tell us that our food was local, organic, and grass-fed; all food was whole, real, unadulterated, traditional food." - Mark Hyman
Additionally, all these preservatives destroy the gut, feeding the bad bacteria and destroying the good ones, leading to frequent stomach upsets, weight gain, and lowered immunity. So if you're suffering from digestive issues - look at the ingredients you're consuming.
Me and My Vanilla
Personally, I love everything vanilla, and my almond milk of choice was no exception. My mornings began with a vanilla almond milk protein smoothie; even though the package stated "sugar-free", it still contained chemical "sugar-free" additives. I noticed a drastic difference in my morning hunger cues, when I switched over from store-bought milk to homemade crushed almonds in my smoothies.
Don't get me wrong, I still love vanilla, but that is reserved for the occasional indulge rather than a member of my everyday routine.
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Wishing you health and happiness,
Shruti
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