Choosing a Healthy Almond Milk

901

shares

Almond milk is presently the most popular non-dairy milk option sold in the US. ( 1 ) Whether labeled Almond Milk, Almondmilk, Almond Plant Based Beverage, or Almond Non-Dairy Beverage you have, no doubt, seen many almond-based beverage options at your local grocery shop and even favored coffee shop .
however, most almond milks are filled with highly processed ingredients that may negatively impact your health. If you drink almond milk, evening occasionally, it is authoritative to know how to choose a goodly almond-based beverage .

Healthy Almond Milks:

• Contain many almonds
• Are not sweetened
• Avoid gums and other thickeners
• Do not contain carrageenan
• Avoid lecithin
• Have minimal sodium

Water will always be the beginning ingredient in a non-dairy milk. The second, and preferably only other component will be almonds. however, most commercially available almond milks tend to have long ingredient lists. This guide will help you understand what is in your favorite almondmilk and if it is a healthy choice .

What to look for when choosing a healthy almond milk

1. Healthy Almond Milks Contain Many Almonds

boughten non-dairy milks can vary widely in the amount of nuts actually in the beverage .
Most boughten non-dairy beverages will contain very little of the “ milked ” component. This is because the nut is the most expensive ingredient .
How do you know how many almonds are in your favored nut-based milk ? unfortunately, you can ’ metric ton expression at the ingredient list as almonds will about always be the second ingredient .
The easiest way to approximate the en measure is by looking at the fat, protein, and calories in a beverage. We have estimated the number of almonds in each cup of shop bought almondmilk evaluated below .

2. Healthy Almond Milks Are Not Sweetened

many sweetened almond milks contain high amounts of add carbohydrate. And watch out for vanilla flavored almond milks ! They much contain more than a tablespoon of add sugar per cup serve !
Read more on recommend casual consumption of add sugar and why you want to minimize add carbohydrate consumption .
Recommendation: If you want a sweetened almond milk, it is better to buy an unsweetened brand and add a small amount of your preferable sweetening .

3. Healthy Almond Milks Avoid Gums and Other Thickeners

Gums and other thickeners are frequently found in almond milks and early plant-based beverages .
Thickeners and gums are routinely used in packaged food to improve texture, shelf life, and product aesthetics. In almond milk, they prevent separation and thicken the beverage to hide precisely how few almonds are in the almond milk .
typical gums and other thickeners in diary-free milks include gellan chewing gum, locust tree bean glue ( besides called carob bean gum tree ), xanthan gum, guar gum, and carrageenin .
Gellan Gum. Gellan gum is a polysaccharide created when the bacteria Sphingomonas elodea ferment glucose or other carbon paper sources such as corn syrup, lactose, whey protein, or soy extracts. Gellan glue is a soluble dietary fiber. ( 2, 3, 4 )
Locust Bean Gum. locust tree Bean Gum a polysaccharide extracted from the seeds of the Carob Tree. besides called carob bean glue, locust Bean Gum is a soluble dietary fiber that is fermented by intestinal microflora. ( 3, 5 )
Xanthan Gum. alike to gellan gum, xanthan gum is a soluble fiber created when the bacteria Xanthomonas campestris zymosis sugar. Xanthan gingiva is a soluble dietary fiber that is fermented by intestinal microflora. ( 3,6 )
Guar Gum. Guar gum is a polysaccharide extracted from the beans of the guar implant. Guar gum tree is a soluble dietary character that is partially fermented by intestinal microflora. ( 7 )
Recommendation : It is best to avoid foods that contain gums and other thickeners, as they are often highly processed. however, occasionally eating small amounts of these additives is probably fine, unless you experience gastrointestinal discomfort or are following a specific diet .

4. Healthy Almond Milks Do Not Contain Carrageenan

Carrageenan is a thickening manufactured from loss algae seaweed and is wide used in process foods. ( 3 )
Though carrageenin is listed as a “ generally regarded as safe ” food additive by the FDA and WHO, there is growing research that links carrageenin to inflammatory conditions, including inflammatory bowl disease. ( 8 )
In deep 2016, the National Organic Standards Board voted to prohibit the use of carrageenin in organic products. ( 9 ) however, in 2018 the USDA decided to not implement the recommendation and carrageenin is still allowed in organic products. ( 10 )

5. Healthy Almond Milks Avoid Lecithin

Lecithin is an emulsifier that is found naturally in egg yolks, soy beans and even sunflower seeds. As an emulsifier, lecithin helps keep oils or fats suspended in water. In almond milk, lecithin helps keep the almond oils suspended in water .
Lecithin is an excellent source of choline, a B vitamin. And there is conflicting research linking choline to the constitution of trimethylamine N-oxide ( TMAO ), a biomarker for cardiovascular disease. ( 11 )
however, a late clinical analyze evaluating the effect of eating eggs on biomarkers for cardiovascular disease risk found that while adenine many as three eggs a day resulted in a dose-dependent increase in rake choline levels, no corresponding increase in TMAO was observed. ( 12 )
More research is needed to understand the complex interactions between the foods we eat, our microbiome, and our health. however, there are many packaged almond milk options that do not contain lecithin. And I always prefer to purchase additive-free almond milk .

6. Healthy Almond Milks Have Minimal Sodium

sodium, from salt and other food additives, can be found in about any work food. Almond milk is no exception .
Salt is frequently added to enhance the season of a nut milk. additionally, gums and thickeners added to improve the texture of almond milk hold sodium .
More than 90 % of us consume excessively a lot sodium each day according to the Dietary Guidelines of America. ( 13 ) Read more on the recommended daily inhalation of sodium and why you want to reduce your daily sodium consumption .

Which popular almond-based beverages are healthy?

We evaluated popular almond milks based on the trace criteria. ( 14-29 )

Criteria used to evaluate almondmilk

All information below is for a 1 cup serve .
Types of add boodle are listed in red .

Some store-bought almond milks are healthy choices

The healthiest nut milks contain only two dim-witted ingredients : urine and nuts .
however, many boughten almond milks are not a healthy choice. They contain few almonds and are basically almond-flavored water thickened with highly processed gums. And some almond milks are sweetened with excessive levels of add boodle !

Examples of healthy almond milks:

Most almond milk found in the grocery store contains a unharmed list of ingredients. however, there are a few boughten almond milks that contain minimal ingredients. besides, these healthy almond milks were made with significantly more almonds than most commercial almondmilks .
This measure of almonds in the health almonds milk is comparable to homemade almond milk. Both brands listed below have approximate 4 times more almonds than most shop bought almond milks .
Both almond milk brands are more expensive than most other brands, probably because they contain more almonds. If you have the fourth dimension and a good high-speed blender, consider making your own .

Elmhurst Unsweetened Milked Almonds

Elmhurst Unsweetened Milked Almonds Ingredients : filter water, almonds
Elmhurst Unsweetened Milked Almonds contains approximately 22 almonds per one cup service .

Three Trees Original Almondmilk

Three Trees Almondmilk Ingredients: Filtered urine, almonds
Three Trees Almondmilk contains approximately 20 almonds per one cup serve .

Malk Unsweetened Almond Milk

Malk Unsweetened Almond Milk Ingredients: Almonds, salt, filtered body of water
Malk Pure Almond Milk contains approximately 20 almonds per one cup serve .

Almond milks that are okay only occasionally:

Most of the almond based beverages we evaluated fall into the “ okay ” class. These almond milks are probably okay if you drink them occasionally, but you don ’ thyroxine want to drink them every day .
however, if you are following a detail diet which avoids gums or thickeners, you will want to avoid these almond-based beverages .
No predilection is given to any of these plant-based beverages, and they are listed in alphabetic order .

Kirkland Signature Unsweetened Almond Non-Dairy Beverage

Kirkland Signature Unsweetened Almondmilk Ingredients : Water, almonds, calcium carbonate, sea salt, sunflower lecithin, locust bean gum, gellan gum, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, vitamin E, vitamin B2, zinc gluconate, vitamin B12
Kirkland Signature Unsweetened Almond milk contains approximately 5 almonds per one cup serve .
Reasons why you may want to think twice about buying Kirkland Signature Unsweetened Almondmilk :

• Contains only a few almonds per serving
• Thickened with highly processed gums
• Contains lecithin

Mooala Almondmilk

Mooala Almondmilk Ingredients: Water, almonds, honey, sea salt, gellan gum
Mooala Almondmilk contains approximately 8 almonds per one cup suffice .
Reasons why you may want to think doubly about buying Mooala Almondmilk :

• Contains only a few almonds per serving
• Contains 5 grams of added sugar per one cup serving
• Thickened with highly processed gums

Silk Unsweetened Almondmilk

Silk Unsweetened Almondmilk Ingredients : Water, almonds, calcium carbonate, vitamin E acetate, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, sea salt, natural season, sunflower lecithin, locust bean gum, gellan gum, ascorbic acidic
Silk Almond milk contains approximately 3 almonds per one cup serve .
Reasons why you may want to think doubly about buying Silk Unsweetened Almondmilk :

• Contains very few almonds per serving
• Thickened with highly processed gums
• Contains lecithin

Simple Truth Unsweetened Almondmilk

Simple Truth Unsweetened Almondmilk Ingredients : Water, almonds, tricalcium phosphate, ocean salt, gellan gum, dipotassium phosphate, xanthan gum, sunflower lecithin, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, vitamin E acetate rayon
Simple Truth Unsweetened Almond milk contains approximately 3 almonds per one cup serve .
Reasons why you may want to think twice about buying Simple Truth Unsweetened Almondmilk :

• Contains very few almonds per serving
• Thickened with highly processed gums
• Contains lecithin

So Delicious Unsweetened Almondmilk

So Delicious Unsweetened Almondmilk Ingredients : Water, almonds, calcium carbonate, vitamin E acetate rayon, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, sea salt, natural relish, sunflower lecithin, locust bean gum, gellan gum, ascorbic acid
so Delicious Unsweetened Almond milk contains approximately 4 almonds per one cup suffice .
Reasons why you may want to think twice about buying So Delicious Unsweetened Almondmilk :

• Contains very few almonds per serving
• Thickened with highly processed gums
• Contains lecithin

Thrive Market Unsweetened Almond Beverage

Thrive Market Unsweetened Almond Beverage Ingredients : Water, almonds, sunflower lecithin, sea salt
boom market Unsweetened Almond milk contains approximately 5 almonds per one cup serve .
Reasons why you may want to think twice about buying Thrive Market Unsweetened Almondmilk :

• Contains very few almonds per serving
• Contains lecithin

Whole Foods 365 Unsweetened Almond Milk

Whole Foods 365 Unsweetened Almond Milk Ingredients: Water, almonds, sea salt, tricalcium phosphate, gellan gum, locust attic gumwood, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, vitamin E, vitamin B12

solid Foods 365 Unsweetened Almond Milk contains approximately 5 almonds per one cup serve .
Reasons why you may want to think twice about buying Whole Foods 365 Unsweetened Almond Milk :

• Contains only a few almonds per serving
• Thickened with highly processed gums

Almond milks to avoid:

respective boughten almond milks are not healthy options. They much contain excessively a lot add boodle or early additives that should not be included in a healthy diet .
The follow almond-based beverages should be avoided. These almondmilks are listed in alphabetic ordain .

Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almondmilk

Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almondmilk Ingredients : Water, almonds, calcium carbonate, sea salt, potassium citrate, sunflower lecithin, gellan gum, lifelike flavors, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, vitamin east
almond Breeze Unsweetened Almond milk contains approximately 5 almonds per one cup serve .
Reasons to avoid Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almondmilk :

• Contains only a few almonds per serving
• Thickened with highly processed gums
• Contains lecithin
• A serving contains 170 milligrams of sodium

Almond Breeze Original Almondmilk

Almond Breeze Original Almondmilk Ingredients : Water, almonds, cane sugar, calcium carbonate, sea salt, potassium citrate, sunflower lecithin, gellan gum, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, vitamin east
Almond Breeze Original Almond milk contains approximately 5 almonds per one cup serve .
Reasons to avoid Almond Breeze Original Almondmilk :

• Contains only a few almonds per serving
• A one cup serving contains 7 grams of added sugar
• Thickened with highly processed gums
• Contains lecithin

Almond Dream Unsweetened Almond Drink

Ingredients : Filtered water, almonds, sunflower lecithin, tapioca starch, tricalcium phosphate, carrageenan, sea salt, gellan gumwood, natural flavors, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin E, vitamin D2, vitamin B12 .
Almond Dream Unsweetened Almond milk contains approximately 5 almonds per one cup serve .
Reasons to avoid Almond Dream Unsweetened Almondmilk :

• Contains carrageenan
• Only a few almonds per serving
• Contains lecithin
• Thickened with highly processed gums

Califia Farms Original Almondmilk

Califia Farms Original Almondmilk Ingredients : Water, almonds, cane sugar, sunflower lecithin, ocean salt, potassium citrate, natural flavors, locust bean gum, gellan gum ,
Califia Farms Original Almondmilk contains approximately 6 almonds per one cup serve .
Reasons to avoid Califia Farms Almondmilk :

• Contains only a few almonds per serving
• A one cup serving contains 5 grams of added sugar
• Thickened with highly processed gums
• Contains lecithin

Califia Farms Unsweetened Almondmilk

Califia Farms Unsweetened Almondmilk Ingredients : Water, almonds, calcium carbonate, sunflower lecithin, sea salt, potassium citrate, natural flavors, locust bean gum, gellan gum
Califia Farms Unsweetened Almondmilk contains approximately 6 almonds per one cup serve .
Reasons to avoid Califia Farms Unsweetened Almondmilk :

• Contains only a few almonds per serving
• Thickened with highly processed gums
• Contains lecithin
• A serving contains 160 milligrams of sodium

Elmhurst Milked Almonds

Elmhurst Milked Almonds Ingredients : Water, almonds, cane sugar, salt, natural flavors
Elmhurst Milked Almonds contains approximately 22 almonds per one cup serve .
Reasons to avoid Elmhurst Milked Almonds :

• Each one cup serving contains 6 grams of added sugar, almost 1/3 of the AHA’s daily recommendation of added sugar for women.

Great Value Original Almondmilk

Great Value Original Almondmilk Ingredients : Water, almonds, cane sugar, calcium carbonate, ocean salt, potassium citrate, sunflower lecithin, gellan gum, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, vitamin einsteinium
Great Value Original Almond milk contains approximately 5 almonds per one cup service .
Reasons to avoid Great Value Original Almondmilk :

• Contains only a few almonds per serving
• A one cup serving contains 7 grams of added sugar
• Thickened with highly processed gums
• Contains lecithin

Great Value Unsweetened Almondmilk

Great Value Unsweetened Almondmilk Ingredients : Water, almonds, tricalcium phosphate, sea salt, sunflower lecithin, xanthan gum, guar gum, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2
Great Value Unsweetened Almond milk contains approximately 5 almonds per one cup service .
Reasons to avoid Great Value Unsweetened Almondmilk :

• Contains only a few almonds per serving
• Thickened with highly processed gums
• Contains lecithin
• A serving contains 170 milligrams of sodium

Pacific Foods Barista Series Almond Plant Based Beverage

Ingredients : Water, cane sugar, almonds, carrageenan, gellan gum, potassium citrate, sea salt, sodium citrate, sunflower lecithin .
Pacific Foods Barista Series Almond milk contains approximately 6 almonds per one cup serve .
Reasons to avoid Pacific Foods Barista Series Almondmilk :

• Sugar is the second ingredient before almonds
• Contains carrageenan
• Only a few almonds per serving
• Contains 8 grams of added sugar per one cup serving
• Contains lecithin
• Thickened with highly processed gums

Pacific Foods Original Almond Plant Based Beverage

Pacific Foods Original Almond Milk Ingredients : Water, cane sugar, almonds, gellan gum, natural season, potassium citrate, ocean salt, sodium citrate, vitamin D2, xanthan gum 
Pacific Foods Original Almond milk contains approximately 6 almonds per one cup serve .
Reasons to avoid Pacific Foods Original Almondmilk :

• Sugar is the second ingredient before almonds
• Only a few almonds per serving
• Contains 7 grams of added sugar per one cup serving
• Thickened with highly processed gums
• A serving contains 170 milligrams of sodium

Pacific Foods Unsweetened Almond Plant Based Beverage

Pacific Foods Unsweetened Almond Milk Ingredients : Water, almonds, gellan gum, natural flavor, rice starch, sea salt, vanilla excerpt, vitamin D2, xanthan gum 
Pacific Foods Unsweetened Almond milk contains approximately 6 almonds per one cup serve .
Reasons to avoid Pacific Foods Unsweetened Almondmilk :

• Only a few almonds per serving
• Thickened with highly processed gums, including rice starch
• A serving contains 180 milligrams of sodium

Silk Almondmilk

Silk Almondmilk Ingredients : Water, almonds, cane sugar, calcium carbonate, vitamin E acetate, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, sea salt, lifelike season, sunflower lecithin, locust bean gum, gellan gum, ascorbic acid
Silk Almond milk contains approximately 3 almonds per one cup serve .
Reasons to avoid Silk Almondmilk :

• Contains very few almonds per serving
• A one cup serving contains 7 grams of added sugar
• Thickened with highly processed gums
• Contains lecithin

Simple Truth Almondmilk

Simple Truth Almondmilk Ingredients : Water, almonds, evaporated cane syrup, tricalcium phosphate, sea strategic arms limitation talks, gellan gum, dipotassium phosphate, xanthan gum, sunflower lecithin, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, vitamin E acetate
Simple Truth Almond milk contains approximately 3 almonds per one cup serve .
Reasons to avoid Simple Truth Almondmilk :

• Contains very few almonds per serving
• A one cup serving contains 7 grams of added sugar
• Thickened with highly processed gums
• Contains lecithin

Whole Foods 365 Original Almond Milk

Whole Foods 365 Original Almond Milk Ingredients: Water, almonds, cane sugar, ocean salt, tricalcium phosphate, gellan gum, locust bean gum, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, vitamin E, vitamin B12
whole Foods 365 original Almond Milk contains approximately 4 almonds per one cup serve .
Reasons to avoid Whole Foods 365 Original Almond Milk :

• Contains very few almonds per serving
• A one cup serving contains 7 grams of added sugar
• Thickened with highly processed gums

Conclusions about choosing a healthy almond milk

When it comes to finding a goodly almond milk, simple clean ingredients are outdo. Most boughten almond milks contain highly processed ingredients and few nuts. If you have the time, it is best to make your own homemade almond milk .

What about the vitamins in almond milk?

Does your favored boughten almond milk contain ingredients like vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, vitamin E, vitamin B12 and calcium carbonate ? These vitamins are added to the plant based milk so the manufactures can claim that the plant-based beverage is a “ good source ” of these nutrients .
Is it full to drink an almond milk with vitamins ? It won ’ thyroxine detriment you. however, if you need to supplement your diet, you are better off taking a specific venereal disease of a high quality vitamin supplement .

What is the difference between shelf stable almond milk and refrigerated almond milk?

From an ingredient point of view, there is very little deviation between a brand ’ s ledge stable almond milk and refrigerated almondmilk. Simply put, ledge stable almond milk is packaged in a way that does not require refrigeration until it is opened .
There are likely some small formula differences between the two types of almond milk. however, they are so minor that you can much not differentiate between the two based on the ingredients alone .
To demonstrate how similar refrigerated almond milk is to shelf static almondmilk, below is the nutriment information for the two unsweetened Silk versions .

Refrigerated Usweetened Silk Almond Milk

Refrigerated Silk Unsweetened Almondmilk Ingredients : Water, almonds, calcium carbonate, vitamin E acetate, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, sea salt, natural spirit, locust bean gum, gellan gum, ascorbic acidic

Shelf Stable Unsweetened Silk Almond Milk

Shelf Stable Silk Unsweetened Almondmilk Ingredients : Water, almonds, calcium carbonate, vitamin E acetate rayon, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, sea salt, natural season, sunflower lecithin, locust bean gum, gellan gum, ascorbic acerb

Is Vanilla flavored almond milk healthy?

vanilla flavored almond milk is most decidedly NOT healthy. When vanilla relish is added to plant-based milks, excess sugar is besides added .

Silk Vanilla Almond Milk

Silk Vanilla flavored almond milk is not a healthy choice. Each cup serve of Silk Vanilla Almond Milk contains more than one tablespoon of add sugar .

Whole Foods 365 Vanilla Almond Milk

whole Foods 365 Organic Vanilla flavored almond milk is besides not a healthy choice. Each cup serve of Whole Foods Vanilla Almond Milk contains more than one tablespoon of lend sugar .

Califia Farms Vanilla Almondmilk

The Vanilla flavored almond milk made by Califia Farms is the best choice available. Each cup of Califia Farms almondmilk contains less than one teaspoon of add boodle .

What is a Barista Blend Almond Milk?

Plant-based milks labeled as Barista Blends have been particularly formulated to create an attractive foam on a cappuccino or caffe latte. These formulation differences are frequently intemperate to notice on an ingredient list .
however, good like any boughten merchandise, it is best to read the ingredients if you are concerned about a specific ingredient. You can constantly ask to see the plant-based milk carton before ordering your favorite coffee beverage !

Check out these other product evaluations:

Pin article for former :
References :

1. US non-dairy milk sales grow 61% over the past five years, Mintel Website (link)
2. Modeling for Gellan Gum Production by Sphingomonas paucimobilis ATCC 31461 in a Simplified Medium, Applied and Environmental Microbiology May 2006, 72 (5) 3367-3374 (link)
3. Products, CPKelco Website (link)
4. Re-evaluation of Gellan Gum as a Food Additive, EFSA Website, (link)
5. Re-evaluation of Locust Bean Gum as a Food Additive, EFSA Website, (link)
6. Re-evaluation of Xanthan Gum as a Food Additive, EFSA Website, (link)
7. Re-evaluation of Guar Gum as a Food Additive, EFSA Website, (link)
8. The Role of Carrageenan and Carboxymethylcellulose in the Development of Intestinal Inflammation, Frontiers in Pediatrics, 2017, 5: 96 (link)
9. “Board Nixes Use of Carrageenan in Organic Food Production”, Food Safety News Website. 2016 (link)
10. USDA Defies Advisors, Allows Carrageenan to Keep Organic Label, NPR Website, (link)
11. Choline, TMAO, and Heart Health, 2017, Cleveland HeartLab Website, (link)
12. Intake of up to 3 Eggs/Day Increases HDL Cholesterol and Plasma Choline While Plasma Trimethylamine-N-oxide is Unchanged in a Healthy Population, Lipids, March 2017, (link)
13. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015-2020, Eighth Ed.  (link)
14. Leading refrigerated almond milk brands in the United States, Statista Website (link)
15. Elmhurst Website (link)
16. Three Trees Website (link)
17. Malk Website (link)
18. Kirkland Signature Almond Milk, Costco Website (link)
19. Mooala Website (link)
20. Silk Website (link)
21. Simple Truth Almond Milk, Kroger Website (link)
22. So Delicious Website (link)
23. Thrive Almond Milk, Thrive Market Website (link)
24. Whole Foods 365 Almond Milk, Whole Foods Website (link)
25. Almond Breeze Website (link)
26. Almond Dream Website (link)
27. Califia Farms Website (link)
28. Great Value Almond Milk, Walmart Website (link)
29. Pacific Foods Website (link)

901

shares

• Read more: Eating For The Healthy Body And A Proper Life