In Almond Milk

Almond milk has many health benefits over cow's milk and we can start by looking at the the sugar content. Your average 8oz glass of Skim contains 12g of sugar compared to the average Almond that contains 7g of sugar.

Don't get me wrong, whole milk has a lot of nutritional value as well but with whole milk comes a lot of fat, 24 mg of cholesterol to be exact. Almond milk contains vitamins & minerals including E, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, calcium and depending on the brand, only contains 40 calories per serving! The fat found in this milk is healthy fat, unlike coconut milk that contains trans fat. Meaning it raises your bad cholesterol (LDL) and increases your risk for coronary heart disease. In 2011 alone, the US spent $1.33 billion on lactose free drinks while the gallons of cow's milk consumed per-capita continued to decrease.

Now let's turn our attention to rice milk which is also making more of an appearance on the shelves these days. Seeing that rice is a grain, this milk contains 23g of carbs and a little under half of those are from sugar. It will break down quickly (leaving you feeling hungry) and the chocolate versions are even worse. 

Then comes Soy milk. This, along with almond milk, are tied for the healthiest non-dairy milk and are among the 2 most popular dairy-free milks in the industry today. You will find Almond milk to be less starchy and best for the calorie conscious while Soy has more proteins. Both have high amount of fiber as far as milk goes. Also they have a higher content of (natural) vitamins and minerals when compared to the cow. The best thing about these two, the vitamins can help raise your basal metabolic rate = more fat burned & calories = :-)

Other benefits of Almond Milk include

• Free of saturated fat
• Gluten free
• Lactose free
• Contains about 455g of calcium (almost 50% more than cow's milk)
• Rich in antioxidants
• Soy Free

I recommend Blue Diamond Unsweetened Milk and if you are within distance of a Trader Joe's, there store brand is delicious! If you are just making the transition, starting with the chocolate- it might be easiest.