Almond Milk

[Kaila]

For myself, it gives more thickness and body, and seems to be better/more successful, in baking a pie, for instance, than water,
and I can digest them,
and for myself, I like some variety, because the foods I can digest are extremely limited.
To me, they smell good, feel good for lubricating my throat, and are much less junky and un-appealing, to me, personally, than most all other beverages. I do drink plain water.

But I totally respect the other food choices , that others make.
I don't care about the colors. Flaxmilk would be brown , i assume.

 

[Ruthanne]

That is interesting. Thanks for sharing about it, Ruthanne.

I imagine that like flax oil, then, it would not be the best choice for any baking or cooking.

That is solely guessing on my part, due to, I do use flax oil, on many foods, (instead of margarine or mixed in bowl of cooked hot cereal)
but I understand that the flax oil is not meant to be heated directly or too hot, and retains its benefits.
I also like the taste though many people might not.

I can put it on cold foods, or on hot foods, but after cooking or heating up, not prior to cooking them.

For baking, soymilk (one word ) works great, if you prefer it to dairy for any reason.

I think I put it in an omelette with no problem but the only other time I've used it is in coffee.

 

[Ruthanne]

For myself, it gives more thickness and body, and seems to be better/more successful, in baking a pie, for instance, than water,
and I can digest them,
and for myself, I like some variety, because the foods I can digest are extremely limited.
To me, they smell good, feel good for lubricating my throat, and are much less junky and un-appealing, to me, personally, than most all other beverages. I do drink plain water.

But I totally respect the other food choices , that others make.
I don't care about the colors. Flaxmilk would be brown , i assume.

Flaxmilk is white, the one I buy anyhow, it's Good Karma brand unsweetened with added protein. Has 8 grams of protein per cup, too.

 

[911]

I’ll stick to good old farm cow milk. I have too many farm friends that depend on selling milk to earn their living.

 

[Trade]

When I drink milk, I drink real milk.

When I eat almonds, I eat real almonds.

 

[JustBonee]

When I drink milk, I drink real milk.

When I eat almonds, I eat real almonds.

You're the REAL Deal ...

 

[RadishRose]

For myself, it gives more thickness and body, and seems to be better/more successful, in baking a pie, for instance, than water,
and I can digest them,
and for myself, I like some variety, because the foods I can digest are extremely limited.
To me, they smell good, feel good for lubricating my throat, and are much less junky and un-appealing, to me, personally, than most all other beverages. I do drink plain water.

But I totally respect the other food choices , that others make.
I don't care about the colors. Flaxmilk would be brown , i assume.

So, more thickness/body (carrageenan?) I can see how that would be helpful with baking, of which I know little about, so thanks for the info.

My main beef is that altho' someone here saw it at Aldi for $1.99, its $3.99 at my moderate-priced market.

 

[StarSong]

I buy it at Aldi for $1.99 per half gallon.

 

[Happyflowerlady]

I tried making my own almond milk, but I didn’t use it fast enough, and even though I was only making a quart at a time, it was getting old before I used it up. Since there is no preservatives in homemade plant milk, it does not last as long as the kind you buy in the store, but it does have more nutrition since it has more real ingredients, and not just a lot of water and thickeners, and very little almonds (or whatever plant it is being made from).

It also takes a while to strain the milk afterwards, and I looked at getting one of those Almond Cow plant milk machines, but I mostly only use a small amount in cereal, and sometimes in coffee or tea; and they are all pretty expensive.

What I am doing now, is making it a pint at a time in my Nutri Ninja blender, and since I only use it in cereals and not drinking it by the glass, I do not even worry about straining it.
I think that my favorite milk so far is oat-cashew, and I don‘t even have to soak the cashews because they are much softer than almonds.

 

[katlupe]

I use almond milk to make desserts or other dishes that I used to use milk in. I have not been able to drink milk for a long time but found the almond milk does not affect me like that. I like that it lasts a long time and is low carb.

 

[terry123]

Still don't understand why people call water mixed with nuts, milk. I want the real 2% stuff or none at all.

 

[Happyflowerlady]

Still don't understand why people call water mixed with nuts, milk. I want the real 2% stuff or none at all.

Maybe because it looks almost like milk from a cow (or other animal), and it is used in the same way that animal-based milk would be used for drinking or cooking.

Plant milk is never going to taste exactly like animal milk, but it is a good replacement for it, when someone does not want to (or can’t) drink cows’ milk.

I would prefer to have real cream in my coffee, but since I know that the hormones (estrogen, growth hormone, etc) are not something that I want to ingest into my body anymore; I decided to learn to use plant milk.

This is not saying that anyone else should make the change, just explaining why I did, and why I am fine with it being called milk.

 

[Kaila]

I understand what you mean, @terry123

I agree that it's definitely not milk, and that it would be better if people were not in that habit of calling it that.
Most or many or all of them, are not labelled that way on the containers in the stores. The labels often say non-dairy beverage. But people still nick-name them, milk.

Just for thought, many white substances in nature, from all over the world, are called milk, that have no resemblance or relationship to dairy cow milk.
Such as the thin watery liquid that is in plant stems and leaves, in many wild plants such as milkweed or poinsettia, come to my mind first....and inside coconuts shells....
The term milk might have actually just meant to people , a white liquid, because it looks similar.
Then it could be further specified, that it is cow's milk or dairy milk, or goats milk, ...
so when people made liquid from plants, to use for various reasons, then they just called them milk, and others got used to it indicating those;

Though I do agree with you, it probably would be better if the word was not used for more than one item, when the items are not at all similar, we agree!

 

[Lethe200]

Unfortunately:

Almond Milk has one of the lowest greenhouse gas emissions and uses less land than dairy milk but almond milk is known for its high water usage. Almond milk requires more water than any of the other dairy alternatives: It takes 130 pints of water (16.25 GALLONS) to produce a single glass of almond milk.

Also, it is California that produces 80% of the world's almond crop and 100% of commercial production. And the entire Western US is in a severe mega-drought. Almond prices are rising and will continue to do so as many farmers are removing almond orchards as they are unable to get reliable water deliveries.

Farmers are pumping groundwater out faster than it can be replenished. The Central Valley area of California, which grows almost 80% of all the US produce, has suffered land sinkage of over two feet in the last three years.

Soy milk is the most sustainable non-dairy "milk". It produces the least amount of greenhouse emissions (same levels as almond or pea milks) but uses only one-tenth the water needed to grow almonds.

Cow's milk requires 1/2 gallon of water to make 8-oz of milk. Greenhouse emissions vary depending upon the type of farming - sustainable farming uses much less; factory-produced creates more.

Due to the carbon-absorbing nature of properly farmed pastureland, with regular herd rotation, sustainable farms can actually be carbon-neutral or very close to it; but they are only a very small percentage of dairy and meat production overall in the U.S.

 

[Aunt Marg]

Commercially sold almond milks, as found at your local health store, are full of synthetic chemicals that stress your immune system and contribute to chronic disease.

https://markitonutrition.com/warning-harmful-chemicals-in-almond-milk/

 

[Happyflowerlady]

I have found that oat milk, made from oatmeal, is about as good as any of the plant milks, and it does not require a lot of water (comparatively speaking), to grow the oats that it is made from. It tastes as good as any of the other plant milks, and it does not require soaking, or anything except blending it up.
I like to add a small handful of raw cashews to my oat milk, and that seems to give it a creamier flavor and texture.

I totally agree with what you posted, @Aunt Marg , I think that making fresh plant milk at home is the best way to do it.

It is kind of the same thing with cow’s milk.
There is no comparison between fresh milk from your own cow, and the pasteurized, super-homogenized, hormone treated, antibiotic loaded, milk that comes from the grocery store.
Because of the damage done to the cow’s udder by the milking machines, many of the cows have mastitis, so it is treated with antibiotics. However, a certain level of white blood cells (also called “pus”) are allowed in the milk by law, so it is part of the milk that you buy.

 

[Aunt Marg]

I have found that oat milk, made from oatmeal, is about as good as any of the plant milks, and it does not require a lot of water (comparatively speaking), it tastes as good as any of the other plant milks, and it does not require soaking, or anything except blending it up.
I like to add a small handful of raw cashews to my oat milk, and that seems to give it a creamier flavor and texture.

I totally agree with what you posted, @Aunt Marg , I think that making fresh plant milk at home is the best way to do it. It is kind of the same thing with cow’s milk.
There is no comparison between fresh milk from your own cow, and the pasteurized, super-homogenized, hormone treated, antibiotic loaded, milk that comes from the grocery store.
Because of the damage done to the cow’s udder by the milking machines, many of the cows have mastitis, so it is treated with antibiotics. However, a certain level of white blood cells (also called “pus”) are allowed in the milk by law, so it is part of the milk that you buy.

Wow, super informative post, Happyflowerlady!

We drink fresh farm milk and the difference in flavour to that of regular store-bought milk in the carton is crazy.

I tried almond milk (store-bought) a few years ago but was scared away by all of the reports I was coming across at the time.

Here is some interesting statistics as to which countries consume the most milk.

In Finland's case, it works out to be roughly 34.34 gallons per year (per person).

Countries Who Drink The Most Milk​

Rank	Country	Per Capita Milk Consumption (Kg)
1	Finland	361.19
2	Sweden	355.86
3	Netherlands	320.15
4	Switzerland	315.78
5	Greece	314.69
6	Montenegro	305.87
7	Lithuania	303
8	Denmark	295.62
9	Albania	281.17
10	Romania	266.19
11	Luxembourg	265.9
12	Kazakhstan	262.61
13	Norway	261.52
14	France	260.48
15	Italy	256.1

 

[Ruthanne]

I understand what you mean, @terry123

I agree that it's definitely not milk, and that it would be better if people were not in that habit of calling it that.
Most or many or all of them, are not labelled that way on the containers in the stores. The labels often say non-dairy beverage. But people still nick-name them, milk.

Just for thought, many white substances in nature, from all over the world, are called milk, that have no resemblance or relationship to dairy cow milk.
Such as the thin watery liquid that is in plant stems and leaves, in many wild plants such as milkweed or poinsettia, come to my mind first....and inside coconuts shells....
The term milk might have actually just meant to people , a white liquid, because it looks similar.
Then it could be further specified, that it is cow's milk or dairy milk, or goats milk, ...
so when people made liquid from plants, to use for various reasons, then they just called them milk, and others got used to it indicating those;

Though I do agree with you, it probably would be better if the word was not used for more than one item, when the items are not at all similar, we agree!

The stuff I buy definitely says "Almond Milk" on the label of the carton. Milk isn't only from cows but some still think it is. You can get milk from many sources like almonds and cashews and soy.

 

[Kaila]

Okay, @Ruthanne !

Thanks for that info and input!

I also like the other idea in the post above, to put cooked oatmeal in a blender, if you need a substitute for um...... nevermindwhat,

But I personally do need one, and I am going to try that oatmeal idea,
because I did use oatmeal in home-made breads and muffins and patties and other foods, years ago, and it always worked well.
(I had also put tofu in the blender, many years ago, which worked fine, but I don't get tofu any more)

I had asked someone to purchase the flaxseed(milk?) for me to try,
that you (Ruthanne ) had recommended in a post earlier pages of this thread, (Good Kharma brand)
but they didn't find it or buy it or bring it, for me, so I haven't ever gotten to try that.

 

[win231]

I was shocked to find out that almonds can be toxic. A lot of the stuff we eat and use for cosmetics and drugs have toxic chemicals.
I've eaten handfuls of raw almonds that had a few bitter nuts, I had no idea those were poisonous. I do hope mine were leached!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Certain Almonds are Highly Poisonous. You should know almonds come in two varieties, sweet and bitter, and the latter is highly poisonous when raw. Bitter almonds contain glycoside amygdalin. ... Processed bitter almonds though can safely be eaten as all the hydrogen cyanide is leached out during the heating process.

"Honey, I made you some tea. It'll make you feel better."
"Thank you dear; it's delicious. It tastes like almonds. What's in it?"
"I have to run some errands; I'll be back in an hour & I'll tell you."
"OK. Love you."

 

[fmdog44]

I tried unsweetened almond milk then threw it out. Way too bitter for me. I switched to the sweet variety for a while but then I learned how much water is used for grow one single almond and stopped buying it.

 

[Llynn]

 

[Colleen]

I was a (real) milk drinker my whole life until about 10 years ago when I became lactose intolerant. I tried soy milk because it was so popular back then but I couldn't stand it and I got a very bad upset stomach from it. Then, I tried unsweetened almond milk and I've been using it on my cereal every morning ever since then. I don't drink it at mealtime (usually ice tea...made with real tea bags) like I drank whole milk my entire life...just in the morning on my cereal.

 

[StarSong]

I mix 3/4 almond milk and 1/4 oat milk to make my coffee creamer.
I tried making my own almond milk but am not interested in doing that on a regular basis. Too much work and mess.

Dairy milk is pretty gross when you think about it... or at least it is when I think about it. Most livestock management on this planet is little short of cruel and abominable. I'll drink my almonds and oats.

If water issues disqualify almond milk as a good source I'll find a (non-dairy) substitute.

 

[Happyflowerlady]

Okay, @Ruthanne !
Thanks for that info and input!
I also like the other idea in the post above, to put cooked oatmeal in a blender, if you need a substitute for um...... nevermindwhat,
But I personally do need one, and I am going to try that oatmeal idea,
because I did use oatmeal in home-made breads and muffins and patties and other foods, years ago, and it always worked well.
(I had also put tofu in the blender, many years ago, which worked fine, but I don't get tofu any more)
I had asked someone to purchase the flaxseed(milk?) for me to try,
that you (Ruthanne ) had recommended in a post earlier pages of this thread, (Good Kharma brand)
but they didn't find it or buy it or bring it, for me, so I haven't ever gotten to try that.

I use the Bob’s Red Mill 5-Grain rolled cereal for my oat milk.
You do not cook it first, just put the oats and the water in the blender and blend it up good. If you want sweeter milk, you can add dates, honey, or other sweetener, and vanilla.
I make mine a pint at a time, and I use1/2 cup oatmeal and 2 cups water and blend. If you are going to drink it in a glass like you would drink milk, you probably want to strain it to get the fiber out. I like having the extra fiber, plus I am putting it in a bowl of cereal anyway, so I don’t strain the fiber out.
I have found that I like it even better with a few cashews, so I also add that to the blender. The cashews can be soaked first if you want, but I just throw them in as they are, because cashews are much softer than almonds, so they can be used without soaking.