We’ve all heard the nasty rumors about almond milk – it’s saturated in sugar, it’s pretty unhealthy, and it contains literally no almonds. Guess what… not surprisingly, these rumors are pretty dang accurate.
Gif courtesy of giphy.com
A lawsuit brought against the almond milk brand Almond Breeze, owned by Blue Diamond, accused the company of simply misleading and deceiving consumers – its “almond milk” only contains 2% of almonds – yes, 2 freakin’ percent.
Gif courtesy of giphy.com
The lawsuit claims that the carton is deceiving, since it clearly states that the milk is “made from real almond.” Plus, the carton includes pictures of almonds – the most controversial: a huge, overflowing handful of almonds.
Photo courtesy of almondbreeze.com
The lawsuit also states that the packaging fools customers into believing the milk is made mostly from almonds, which it hardly does. And it tricks us into being healthy, which it is unfortunately not. Yeah, you read that right – almond milk ain’t healthy, kids.
So what is a carton of almond milk actually made of? The answer is very unsettling: it’s mostly water, sugar, carrageenan – a substance used for its thickening properties – and sunflower lecithin – a fatty substance. Okay, what?
Yeah. So it’s pretty clear that it’s really not that good for you – check out that sugar content.
Photo courtesy of meyersglutenfree.com
Fun fact: the recommended daily intake of added sugar for adults is between 27-35 grams. So two glasses of vanilla almond milk, and you’ve reached your limit. But even if you buy unsweetened almond milk, you will still be faced with a shit ton of artificial ingredients – remember the carrageenan and sunflower lectium. Yeah, gross #af.
Okay, so it is clear that many store-bought almond milks are not pure or healthy, and they really shouldn’t be consumed. But this does not mean quit on almond milk – actually quite the opposite. Instead, buy fre$h almond milk or make your own.
Because of the wonderful health benefits of real almond milk – high in antioxidants, high in minerals and vitamins, including iron and potassium, and pretty low in calories – add it to your diet.