The other day I was ordering an organic smoothie at a local shop and as I watched her put the kale into the blender and grab a carton of almond milk, I stopped her just in time…
Right before she poured the milk into the blender I asked, “Would you mind if I read the ingredients on that?”
She handed me the carton, and, wouldn’t ya know it… The almond milk was filled with all kinds of crazy ingredients that I’d never use in my smoothies at home…
So I simply asked, “Can you use water instead?”
I personally eat very little dairy and usually opt for nut milks to make smoothies and recipes. Almond, coconut, and cashew milks are great alternatives to dairy – but I don’t buy the majority of popular brands at the store, like Silk, So Delicious, or Almond Breeze. Here’s why…
Common ingredients to avoid in dairy-free milk:
Added sugars: Eating too much sugar (which is easy to do, because it’s in almost every processed food) leads to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer (1) – but its detrimental effects can take years to surface. There is no reason to add sugar to milk and we all could use a little less sugar in our life! Some brands have sweetened and unsweetened versions – so always choose the latter. Guilty brands: Silk Original, Almond Breeze, Califia Farms (non-organic), Ripple Original, Milkadamia Original, Pearl Organic Soymilk.
Natural flavors: Natural Flavor is practically the exact same thing as Artificial Flavor, but it’s derived from substances found in nature (plants, animals, etc). Chemists create these complex formulations in a lab, isolating and blending specific flavors extracted from upwards of hundreds of compounds, some of which may be GMOs. These compounds can come from substances that are nowhere close to the actual thing. For example, they might take some castoreum from a beaver (2) to make a flavoring that resembles vanilla – without ever using any vanilla beans. But, hey, it’s “natural” because it’s from a beaver! Common additives in flavors include: sodium benzoate, glycerin, potassium sorbate, and propylene glycol (none are required to be labeled by the FDA). Natural flavors are a complete mystery ingredient and completely unnecessary (3). Guilty brands: Silk, Almond Breeze Vanilla, Califia Farms (non-organic), Ripple, So Delicious, Milkadamia, Pacific Foods Almond, Simple Truth Coconut Milk, Westsoy Vanilla Soymilk, Pearl Organic Soymilk.
Carrageenan & Gums: Carrageenan is linked to intestinal inflammation and cancer (4). Since so much awareness has been raised about the risks of consuming carrageenan, a lot of brands have removed it (yay!) but – they often end up replacing it with gums to thicken the milk, like gellan gum and guar gum. In my opinion, these are safer than carrageenan, but not really something I want to consume often – as they’re linked to bloating and gas (and again, simply unnecessary) (5). Guilty brands: Pacific Rice Milk Original, Simple Truth Coconut Milk, Pearl Organic Soymilk.
Soy milk… rice milk… almond milk… coconut milk… which one is healthiest?
I get this question a lot. I personally don’t drink soy and rice milks. Here’s why –
Soy can cause hormonal disruptions because it has estrogen-mimicking properties. Soy also has an abundance of phytic acid that leaches calcium and other vital minerals from your body (6). And, if soy milk is not organic it is almost surely made from GMO soybeans. GMO soybeans have been shown to be contaminated with Roundup herbicide, which might end up in your glass of soy milk (7).
As for rice, it is notoriously contaminated with arsenic (a carcinogen) – even organic rice – (8) and tests by Consumer Reports have found arsenic residues in rice milk (9). Unless a brand says that they test their rice milks for arsenic, I don’t feel confident that it is safe. Rice milk is also higher in sugar than most non-dairy milks.
I typically stick with organic coconut and almond milks. Organic store-bought hemp milk or oat milk is hard to find, but is a good choice too.
Oat milk and weedkiller contamination – What you need to know…
Oat milk is gaining in popularity right now and you’ll probably start seeing a lot more of it popping up in coffee shops and stores. Recently the Environmental Working Group (EWG) did some testing (10) and found many popular oat-based cereals, oatmeals, granolas and snack bars contaminated with glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup weedkiller). Oat milk wasn’t specifically included in their testing, but it’s good to be aware that conventional oats (non-organic) oats are commonly sprayed with Roundup as a drying agent before harvest, which makes them more likely to be contaminated. Organic oats are not sprayed directly, but are sometimes cross-contaminated. Thankfully, what the EWG found was that organic products were less likely to be contaminated and had far fewer residues than conventional products. The cancer arm of the World Health Organization considers glyphosate to be a probable carcinogen (a substance that causes cancer) – so you don’t want that in your food! That’s why it is safest to look for oat products that are certified organic, and ideally, that have been certified by a third-party to be free of glyphosate.
Oatly is one brand that isn’t organic, but carries the Glyphosate Residue Free certification by The Detox Project. If you buy the Oatly brand, just make sure to pick up what they call the “low fat” version, because Oatly’s regular oat milk contains added rapeseed (canola) oil and other unnecessary additives. I normally wouldn’t recommend a product labeled as “low fat”, but in this case it simply means they didn’t add unhealthy oil to it. And, check out my recipe for homemade organic oat milk below – it’s soooo simple to make.
What about pea protein milks, like Ripple Milk?
Ripple Milk and some other brands like Silk’s Protein Nut Milk and Milkadamia are made with pea protein. I’m now very cautious about consuming pea protein as I learned something very shocking about this ingredient while developing protein powder for my company Truvani...
Our protein powder is made primarily with organic pea protein. We have strict ingredient standards that not all brands have – all ingredients need to be organic, non-GMO, and pass heavy metal testing. We reached out to dozens of ingredient suppliers and every single sample of pea protein failed the heavy metals test and was coming back contaminated with LEAD. I couldn’t believe it. We had such a hard time finding a clean source of pea protein that I thought we would need to scratch the recipe altogether and completely reformulate it without pea protein. We eventually found a pea protein source that passed testing, but it was an exhaustive process that I know most food brands don’t bother doing.
I’m not saying Ripple Milk, Milkadamia, or Silk’s Protein Nut Milk is contaminated with lead. I can’t say that because I haven’t tested them for lead – and I don’t know anyone who has. That being said, given how common lead is in our pea protein supplies, it is a risk and it’s not one that I’m personally willing to take – especially after my personal experience with pea protein! My team has reached out to these companies and we haven’t heard back yet – but we’ll update this blog post when we do.
UPDATE 2/1/19: Following this investigation, Ripple made the following statement on their Instagram page: “We confidently stand by the integrity of our products and we want to give our fans complete peace of mind, so we tested several bottles of each flavor of Ripple Milk for lead. We tested bottles from different production runs, produced over a few months, using a strict EPA-standard testing method (EPA 6020) at an independent laboratory. As expected, all test results came back negative. This means that the amount of lead in the product is either zero, or so small that highly sensitive analytical equipment could not detect it. Thank you for reaching out to us with your concerns! We know how important it is to feel confident about the products you and your family rely on.”
Ripple Milk is not certified organic, contains added flavors, and contains added refined (white) sugar (unless you buy their unsweetened version). Especially watch out for Vanilla Ripple Milk with 15 grams of sugar per serving. I try to avoid added sugar in foods that I’m eating regularly (that are supposed to be healthy!) Think about it: We get bombarded with added sugar all over the place… do we really want it in our daily drinks? I sure don’t.
How to find the healthiest dairy-free milk brands…
Of course, making homemade dairy-free milk is the best option… but I realize we all don’t have time to soak, blend, strain, and bottle it up every few days! When shopping for almond, coconut, oat and other dairy-free milks follow these two tips:
- Look for a certified organic version to avoid crops treated with synthetic pesticides.
- Don’t assume that all organic milks are healthy. Many dairy-free milks and nut milks are filled with the unnecessary ingredients discussed in this post. So make sure you still check the ingredient list! Choose brands without added sugar, natural flavors, or carrageenan. Also try to find brands that don’t include thickeners like gellan gum, if possible.
Some better brands are MALK Organic Almond and Cashew Milks, Oatly (low fat version), Three Trees Organic Almondmilk, New Barn Organic Almondmilk, Whole Foods 365 Organic Unsweetened Almond Milk, Thrive Market Organic Almond Milk and Organic Oat Milk, Simple Truth Organic Unsweetened Almond Milk, Califia Organic Almond Homestyle Nutmilk, and Native Forest or Natural Value Coconut Milk (canned). Be careful, because these brands may have some other versions with added sugar and flavors.
If you’ve got a few minutes… here are the quickest dairy-free milks you can make at home:
- 1 cup raw organic cashews
- 6 cups water
- Optional: 2 dates, pitted (for added sweetness)
- Optional: 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or seeds of one vanilla bean
- Soak the cashews overnight (at least 6 hours) in 2 cups of water.
- Rinse and drain the soaked cashews.
- Place the cashews, 4 cups of water, and optional ingredients, if using, in a blender and blend on high for about 1 minute.
- Pour the milk into an airtight container and store refrigerated for up to 4 days.
- 1 cup organic rolled oats
- 4 cups filtered water
- Optional: 1 date, pitted (for added sweetness)
- Optional: 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or seeds of one vanilla bean
- Soak rolled oats in a bowl of filtered water for about one hour.
- Drain the water from the oats and discard this water. Rinse the oats well.
- Place soaked oats in a blender along with 4 cups filtered water. You can use only 3 cups of water if you'd like a thicker milk. Add the vanilla and date, if using. Blend for one minute.
- Using a cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer, strain the blended milk into a glass bowl or container.
- Store in an airtight glass container refrigerated for up to 4 days.
This is how I make homemade coconut milk from a can in less than 5 minutes. And if you’ve got a little bit more time…here is a recipe for fresh pistachio milk that is out of this world.
If you know anyone who likes to use dairy-free milk, but might be buying the wrong brands, please share this post with them!
Xo,
Vani
P.S. I’m giving away a list of every food brand that I buy and personally use in my kitchen to everyone who orders my cookbook, Food Babe Kitchen. This includes all the condiments, staples, snacks, and desserts that you’d find at my house. Claim your copy here.
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References:
-
- https://foodbabe.com/the-10-reasons-you-need-a-sugar-detox-right-now/
- https://foodbabe.com/food-babe-tv-do-you-eat-beaver-butt/
- https://foodbabe.com/the-differences-between-artificial-flavors-natural-flavors-organic-flavors-and-other-added-flavors/
- https://foodbabe.com/watch-out-for-this-carcinogen-in-your-organic-food/
- https://foodbabe.com/ingredients-to-avoid/
- https://foodbabe.com/ingredients-to-avoid/
- https://detoxproject.org/glyphosate/potentially-dangerous-levels-of-glyphosate-found-in-gm-soy/
- https://foodbabe.com/asian-citrus-rice-salad/
- https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/11/arsenic-in-your-food/index.htm
- https://cdn3.ewg.org/sites/default/files/u352/EWG_Glyphosate-2_Table_Full_C02.pdf?_ga=2.165649919.1757022859.1545261591-1946496255.1542655600
When I don’t have time to make a batch of homemade hemp milk (organic hulled hemp seeds & filtered water in a juicer, then add organic vanilla extract), our local Publix sells a brand of nut milks called Elmhurst Milked Almonds and the ingredients are almonds & filtered water. I only use this in a pinch as almonds should be sprouted!
I agree with you Cathi! Elmhurst is the only brand of non-dairy milks that I buy! I made some golden milk with the hazelnut milk and it tastes way better than traditional hot cocoa!
I was thrilled to find this brand at my local Walgreens.
I agree too! Elmhurst Almond Milk is simply almonds and water. Surprised Vani doesn’t know of this brand.
Hi Joey! Vani chooses organic products whenever possible and I don’t believe Elmhurst milks are organic.
Hello Joey. If you look at Elmhurst Almond Milk’s ingredients, they have ‘cane sugar’ & ‘natural flavors’. Vani is telling us to look out & stay away from those ingredients (see pics above).
I like Tempt unsweetened original Hemp milk. Thank you for the info Vani!
I don’t buy ANY commercial non-dairy milks. If I don’t have time to make my own cashew milk (Vani’s recipe which I’ve been using for years) for a recipe or smoothie, then I don’t make anything requiring them. Period. End of subject!
Thank you Cathi for mentioning the Elmhurst brand at Publix. I’ll check it out ASAP.
Thank you for the recipes to make our own at home. Some of the brands you suggested are fortified with synthetic vitamins and should also be avoided. Not all carrageenan is bad. Carrageenan from seaweed/kelp is safe… you just need to know your source.
Hi, Cristen – i would still be careful – even with the carrageenan that comes from seaweed – I once had a dairy-free product with kelp in it – and I got horrible digestive issues not long after that – I did my research and it turned out that the kelp was in the same family as the carrageenan – so just be careful!
Hi Cristen – Check out this blog post on carrageenan: https://foodbabe.com/watch-out-for-this-carcinogen-in-your-organic-food/
This article suggests brands that are not organic and filled with synthetic vitamins over a small amount of carrageenan (possibly from kelp/seaweed) in organic brands. I’m not sure I am convinced that is a healthier trade…thank you for sharing the article.
seaweed kelp has carageen; carageenan is the pharma synthesized version.
Unfortunately they never call it anything different than carrageenan on ingredient labels…
Vani, what is your opinion on Pacific Foods Oat Milk?? Cos’ that’s the one that I seem to be drinking a LOT of these days (and using in my cooking)
I believe they have natural flavors etc in their ingredient list
Hi Andrea! What are the ingredients? You can compare them to the list of ingredients to avoid that Vani discusses in this post. Also, check to see if it’s organic.
LOVE this article – majorly needed. Thank you..sincerely.
It has become a pain in the ass to eat. Wish I just didn’t get hungry.
I have found SO Delicious organic almond milk to be a good choice. What do you think about this one?
Hi Brooke! What are the ingredients? You can compare them to the list of ingredients that Vani discusses in this post.
I just copied/pasted this from SO Delicious Unsweetened Almond Milk:
ALMONDMILK (FILTERED WATER, ALMONDS), CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: VITAMIN AND MINERAL BLEND (CALCIUM CARBONATE, VITAMIN E ACETATE, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, VITAMIN D2), SEA SALT, NATURAL FLAVOR, SUNFLOWER LECITHIN, LOCUST BEAN GUM, GELLAN GUM, ASCORBIC ACID (TO PROTECT FLAVOR).
I use Westsoy Organic Plain Unsweetened soy milk as it contains only organic, non-GMO soybeans and filtered water. I use it sparingly, usually just in tea for a creamy taste. I am menopausal and take no estrogen replacements, so am not too concerned about this aspect of soybeans given how little of it I consume.
Thank you for the valuable information about these products. I will pass this article on to some folks that I know use some of them. And a huge thanks for providing recipes to make our own non-dairy milk. Home made is best!!
Thank you Donna for spreading the word!
Westsoy is the only organic purely soy milk I have found besides Trader Joe’s simple unsweetened organic soy milk. Both are equally great to have on hand when I have run out of homemade and don’t have time to soak and blend my own.
I also use Westsoy Organic Unsweetened Plain Soymilk as it is the only one I can find without a whole list of ingredients, just water and soybeans. I’m a little concerned about the soy, but it is non-GMO and I don’t use a lot of it.
I’m happy to see posts herein exposing the destructive myths that soy is dangerous. Probably initiated by the trillion dollar big Ag. Cartel. I like all of the clean nut and soy milks. The Eden brand soy milks are excellent; particularly, the unsweetened soy milk product. The ingredients used in these products are by far the most impressive. The unsweetened version: “reverse osmosis purified water, organic soybeans”.
My holistic doc told me not to drink soy as it interferes with the thyroid hormones. It’s too bad cuz it’s my favorite. I like the creamy ness, but i guess that’s from the carrageenin? So i don’t use it. I use the Almond milk even tho its like water. I don’t like the rice milk as it’s like water too. Yuk. I rarely eat cerial anyway.
Thank you!!! No matter what label is on the carton or package (Organic, Non-GMO, etc.), we must all be vigilant and read the labels. Appreciate the work you continue to do on our behalf.
There is a milk called FairLife. The ingredients look good but again I’m no expert. Any comments on this milk?
Fair life is still considered a dairy milk. Food babe was focusing on non-dairy 🙂
Interesting article: blog.primalpastures.com/uncategorized/coca-colas-fairlife-milk-isnt-fair/
I used to drink almond milk. One day I put a half gallon carton of it in the freezer. I don’t remember why I did that but when I thawed it out to drink I got the shock of my life. The color was no longer white .It was a cloudy rusty color. When I poured it into a glass to drink it stunk something awful . I have never drank this garbage again. Try this your self . Put it in the freezer for a day or more then thaw it out and check it out.
I am trying to wean myself off dairy, so this article comes at a perfect time and the insight and advice is great. Thank you, thank you.
And thanks for keeping up the pressure on carrageenan. Carrageenan makes me angry, especially when I find it in organic foods! I found it recently in Costco rotisserie chicken … what. the. heck??? (I was checking for a friend.)
What milk would you recommend after nursing?
Goat’s milk. Closest to mother’s milk. Hypoallergenic for nearly everyone. Raw if you can get it. Unfortunately, most I can get is ultra-pasteurized, so I rarely drink it. I used to keep my own goats. Filtered their milk to get the dirt out, and drank it just that way. All formulas are bad. And it would be good to nurse as long as possible. The minimum time I nursed was 11 months, and the youngest I nursed for 3 years.
Wow. I’m glad i’m not the only one. Back in 1971 or so i nursed my boy till he was two and a half and he said, “mommy milk hot”, so i quit then. I was one of those “hippie” moms. I made my own baby food in a blender. He grew up healthy, cept i wouldn’t let him have any gum when he was little, so now when he gets gum he put like 5 sticks in his mouth!!
I personally would avoid the animal based products milks. They are the worst and have caused severe issues with my three. I follow the lifestyle of Mc Dougall, Dr. Greger, etc.
I’ve enjoyed following your posts but today you have lost credibility with me. Organic non-GMO soy milk is not going to disrupt your hormones and I’m sad to see you perpetuating the disproven myth that it does. I’m a breast cancer survivor so I’ve done extensive research on this issue and although soy is a phytoestrogen, what it does is act like a SERM, much like Tamoxifen does. It helps feed the low level healthy estrogen the body uses which doesn’t allow the unhealthy stronger estrogen our body produces feed cancer and disrupt our hormones. I’m not very articulate explaining it but I’ve talked to many breast cancer oncologists and advocates and they have concurred with this. The studies that said that soy was bad are old and have since been disproven several times over. Please stop spreading this old information.
My 3 month old daughter developed pubic hair as a result of drinking soy formula. I randomly ran into a lady at a grocery store who said the same thing happened with her son when she thought I was purchasing soy milk. She was consuming soy milk and breast feeding her son so it was getting into her breast milk. To say that soy doesn’t affect your hormones is a lie.
My 3 month old daughter developed pubic hair as a result of drinking soy formula. I randomly ran into a lady at a grocery store who said the same thing happened with her son when she thought I was purchasing soy milk. She was consuming soy milk and breast feeding her son so it was getting into her breast milk. To say that soy doesn’t affect your hormones is a lie.
I’m sorry to hear about what happened, but anecdote is not the same as science. How do you know the onset was caused by the soybean in the formula? Couldn’t it be other things found in infant formula? What were the other ingredients? Here are the facts on soybeans
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5188409/
Soybeans have been one of most studied foods on the planet. I’m not sure that this particular infant formula has been studied quite as much, or would be found as safe…
I don’t trust oncologists, for anything. They are willing to poison people. If they can do that with impunity, what else don’t they care about?
Maybe that’s why you had Breast Cancer? My mothers Oncologist told her to avoid soy at all costs. She too is a Cancer survivor. Soy is in everything and the biggest crop grown next to gmo corn. My moms DR is sickened by the number of cancer patients she sees. Her own words. Dr’s aren’t usually concerned about you enough to share valuable info.
Jenn is 100% correct. The myth of soy as a hormone disruptor has been disproven again and again. It’s a shame that this post perpetuates this myth. The only danger with soy is if it is consumed excessively…we’re talking MASSIVE amounts of soy. But that’s the same for pretty much anything. Kale can be toxic if we consume it excessively too. Vanni – Please update your nutrition facts, read the recent peer-reviewed science on soy from PubMed! It’s your choice if you don’t want to eat this particular bean, but don’t throw it under the bus without providing your evidence.
Who owns Pubmed? Just curious.
Gee, that is good news cuz i love soy milk…..hmmmm…..
I have found Flax Milk to be a good non-dairy alternative
What are your thoughts on “Good Karma” Flaxmilk ?
Do you have any suggestions for a healthy Barista milk? I didn’t realize that most brands also have a “Barista version” that has added gums & often canola oil and sugar to help with the “foaming” of the milk for lattes.
I like Malk, but I mostly buy Forager Organic. Coconut Cashew milk.
I had no idea about the carrageenan. Thank you Vani for keeping us informed!
Laird, an internet company, makes organic coffee creamers from coconut oil and other good ingredients.
You can’t get most of the better dairy free milks in Brooklyn NY. I called Malk, not for sale in NY at all.
Couldn’t find Oat-ly, except for ridiculous prices on Amazon, for long-life lL containers. Who is paying over $20 for one of those?
Unfortunately my 4 year old granddaughters Doctor recommended changing from an organic almond milk to rice milk.
Check out this FDA study on arsenic in rice and rice products fed to children.
https://www.fda.gov/food/foodborneillnesscontaminants/metals/ucm319948.htm
So glad to have a comprehensive list like this, makes the search easier! But I’m surprised you are okay with Whole Foods 365 and Simple Truth – based on the ingredients you have listed here. EWG has Vitamin A Palmitate listed as a carcinogen and the European Union has taken it out of their sunscreens as a result. If it can’t safely be put on your skin, seems like ingesting it would be worse. Also Vit D2 is a junk source of Vit D. And then it looks like gellan gum is listed in the Simple Truth mix – which I know you said was better but still not great. But that being said, I’m thankful.for the top part of that list!
What are your thoughts on the almond milk from Fresh market? I often buy that kind but am now wondering about that brand.
Hello Vani! Thanks for all th research you do. Can you please let me know what’s a good milk alternative for baby/toddler with the best nutrients? Thanks
We would appreciate any updates on the ‘lead’ research in Milkadamia milk.
Since it’s from Australia, I am hoping the lead content will be low or non-existent. I would also like to know what ‘natural flavors’ they add…I am going to call them to see what they would be…
Thanks so much for this report. It was eye-opening to say the least!
Thanks this was so helpful – I have been giving my daughter FlaxMilk since she turned 1. After this entry I may reconsider because it contains the Gellan Gum 🙁 it still looks good otherwise. But we don’t like regular milk in our house and I’m so glad there are so many non dairy options! Thank you for narrowing it down for us!
In the past I’ve used Silk and/or Almond Breeze. I knew they weren’t the best because of the label, so I appreciate the suggestions of better options … and have now made a better choice! Thanks for all of the information you provide on all the products! I have followed you since your beginning and am anxiously awaiting your new book that I pre-ordered from Amazon.
Hi Anita! Thanks for the support and for pre-ordering Vani’s new book! https://feedingyoulies.com/
I wouldn’t want tricalcium phosphate, Vitamin D2, or DL anything in my food. I don’t trust Whole Foods. I just drink raw cow’s milk. Human beings are designed to require animal protein to stay healthy. No reason to refuse milk, since no animals are killed. If some people are allergic, they may find that raw milk or goat’s milk can be tolerated. To keep soil healthy for growing organic produce, animal manure is necessary. If not used, even organic farming will eventually deplete the soil. It’s balance of nature. We’re part of it.
I buy the unsweetened vanilla organic Member’s Mark brand which seems to have similar ingredients as the ones you say are better but do have some “gum” or natural flavors in them. Probably most comparable to simple truth and Whole 365 brands. Are you saying these are OK? I have never seen any of the brands you recommend in stores here in WV.
While I think it’s great you educate about bad ingredients in products, the fact that you contribute to meat and dairy farming is beyond me. At least people who are eating plant based products are not contributing to that horrible industry. And talk about chemicals what do you think is in cow milk, hormones and pus, oh and eating animal flesh ummm come on! Go vegan then y’all about being healthy and helping the environment.
With all due respect, I’ve never seen a healthy vegan. They all seem pale, dark circles under eyes and constantly sick. This is my experience with family and strangers working in health food store. I felt sorry for them. I’m not a big meat person, but a diet has to be balanced. And that means a little grass fed grass finished meat is healthy and A-ok…in my book.
When i was younger i was a vegetarian for a few years and then for one year i became a vegan….i got very sick…i was so weak i was in bed 20 hrs a day and could only get up to eat and right back to bed. A friend suggested i needed protein and iron and bought me a can of protein pd. I drank a couple glasses every day for a week and at the end of the week i was normal again and up and around. I stopped being a vegan. I went back to eggs and cheese and i was fine.
I knew an older husband and wife who became Fruitarians for a whole yr – ate nothing but fruit for a whole year. Then later they went back to become vegans again. They were 7th Day Adventists. Well, when they got older the man at age 65 got some kind of muscle wasting disease and died at age 67. His wife ended up in a nursing home with Dementia. I was told by a doctor that the brain is 80 percent cholesterol and if there is none you get Dementia or Alzheimers. This lady friend i knew never ate fat or even any kind of oil. I think their diet made them sick.
Blah, blah, blah.
What about Forager brand?
Whole Foods 365 almond milk uses DL-Alpha Tocopherol, which is the synthetic form of vitamin E. Synthetic vitamin E, in fact, has been linked to an increase in heart disease. The D-Alpha Tocopherol form is more natural and safer, and is referred to as “natural vitamin E”. However, it’s best to get vitamin E from food sources such as raw sunflower seeds and truly raw almonds (not pasteurized, even steam pasteurization would lower vitamin E, as it is heat sensitive). That would give mixed tocopherols, as Alpha-Tocopherol is but one of many used by the body. (Pecans are high in Gamma-Tocopherol, for instance.) DL-Alpha Tocopherol should be listed alongside of carrageenan, as far as for being damaging to the body is concerned.
Unfortunately up here in Canada our choices are even fewer. We in my family never buy these alternative drinking milks because of the ingredients. We will buy a full fat can of coconut cream though, that contains pure coconut only and use that for creamer or in recipes.
Sadly even in the health food stores they only have the bad ones with all the added crap (as Vani mentioned above). That’s a firm no for me especially with my stomach issues.
When they bring us some better choices that don’t have the crap in them, I’ll buy them. Otherwise it’s pure canned coconut cream and water. We drink tea anyway.
I love coconut. I’m gonna try that….buy a can and try to make milk out of it. Add just water? Is there already sugar in it? I can add Stevia.
I started reading ingredient labels as soon as I learned how to read 58 years ago. There is no safe milk substitute you can buy in a store. The only safe way is to use the recipes the Food Babe is giving here. The only truly healthy milk is unpasteurized goat milk. One main reason I am so healthy and have a very strong immune system is when I was young I was growing up on a dairy farm and I drank fresh milk directly from Guernsey cows fed clover and spring winter wheat sprout grass or alfalfa. When I was a baby my milk came directly from my mother. Another big problem with dairy today is radioactive cesium is replacing calcium in the dairy food supply from cows.
We use unsweetened almond or cashew milk. Will check them out for bad ingredients. Thanks
What about Camel Milk? I have seen a lot of articles saying that is the best choice. I haven’t tried it but I am curious. Have you looked into this? Also, I agree with the others who say that a lot of these milk alternatives are loaded with synthetic and toxic vitamins. I’m very surprised you would recommend anything that contains D2 or any of those harmful ingredients. No way I would touch those.
Have you tried it yet? I did and had to spit it out, LOL.
The most harmful and unhealthy ingredients can be avoided but you make it appear that all almond milk is bad. A more positive approach would be helpful to most. For instance I avoid any sugar, I avoided carragenan where it was used but even then it was not harmful. The various Gums are known to affect some. I have used an almond milk for over 7 years, always unsweetened with no known affects and will continue to usually use Silk.
Hi Vani,
Fantastic article, great job!
Do you have any idea @ foods safe for the Histamine/Tyramine sensative boat?
Almost every time I read one of these articles, I do the entire deal and can’t take a single food you’ve approved!
People sensitive to Histamine & Tyramine can’t eat nuts, coconut, peas, soy-no drink ok’d in this article is safe 4me.
It’s depressing.
So I stick w/Rice Dream NOT fortified w/vitamins, gums thickeners.
Even calcium gives me migraines.
I’ll deal w/the 10 grams sugar per cup over any other worse affects any day.
Thanks,
Buah
We’ve been using Living Harvest Unsweetened Original Hempmilk for a few years. I don’t remember if Food Babe or Dr. Mark Hyman first recommended it but it was one of the few without sugar and carrageenan. I haven’t read the ingredients for a while but just did and see that they have added gellan gum which, I’m sure, was not there before. I also don’t remember seeing tricalcium phosphate-not sure what that is but it doesn’t sound good. It looks like we better stay up-to-date on what’s in the few processed foods that we buy.
Surprised to see FoodBabe promoting products with sunflower lecithin.
Quick question – if it is difficult to find pea protein that doesn’t have lead/heavy metal in it, would this mean that most peas in stores also have heavy metal/lead in them? My kids eat frozen peas almost every day and this is a huge concern of mine!
It should be…a concern. It’s best to have them eat a varied diet of vegetables rather than the same one on a regular basis. For example, a recent piece I just read from a man who ate kale everyday stated he ended up in the hospital. Blood clotting issues from eating kale everyday. Also, they will get more nutrition from various fruits and vegetables rather than eating one thing constantly.
I’d like to know what the natural flavors are in Almond Breeze, but I don’t think the 2 c. I used to make my hot dark chocolate with the 3 day power outage we just had here in NC is going to hurt me when that is all the milk of any kind I have consumed in a yr.
I find it hard to get a latte or anything at coffee shops .. they all use the main brands that have gums in them which aren’t organic.
Great info. I was not aware of the lead content in pea protein. Have you seen any testing on Pea Protein Powders, specifically Trader Joe’s Unsweetened Organic Pea Protein or the Vega Proteins? Thanks!
Thankyou! So informative!
Unfortunately, Food Babe is dead wrong about soy. The connection between soy and breast cancer has been completely debunked by several credible recent studies. In fact soy has been shown to fight the reoccurrence of breast cancer. A quick internet search will confirm the above. Disappointed with the Food Babe!
I think the biggest worry would be soy containing GMO’s. Also, the type of soy does matter. textured soy protein/textured vegetable protein, vital wheat gluten, soy oil, any soy with hexane, processed alternative meat soy products, etc. Pure, organic tofu, tempeh, edamame, and soy beans (of any type) would be okay.
Oatly has rapeseed oil in it, caused a huge rash in my toddler.
The Three Trees one is probably the best that you can find as a packaged store option. It’s just sold in very limited places though.