Originally I was aghast at a ‘dairy substitute’ to milk which is basically sugar water with a splash of nut but after reading EcoMil’s sweetened almond milk’s nutritional information I was reminded about the Agave Syrup and Maltodextrin which brings the Sugar Carbohydrates to 3.1g (0.1g more than Alpro’s). However, it is important to note that Agave is obviously a low GI sugar and the greatly increased price (EcoMil is approximately €4.00 per carton) is most likely due to the 7% Almond content as opposed to the 2% Almond content in Alpro’s milk.
Ecomil does make an unsweetened Almond milk and even at it’s equally high price of approx. €4.00 I don’t think that Alpro can compete. Dairy Free and Food Allergic diets need quality substitutes that will aid a diet nutritionally, not zap any of the good out of it with unnecessary sugars. I know that not everyone agrees with me on this but it really is something that every Free From person should contemplate. Either way, I think that sugar and sweetness should be reserved for indulgences, not daily staples (I’ve even given up my super, but naturally sweetened favourite rice milk in this belief). And I’m definitely not convinced that a ‘Plant Power’ Dairy Free milk substitute should be more sugar than plant and only 2% plant at that! But I won’t knock the price - I’d definitely like to see more of that in the future when talking about Dairy Free substitutes!!!
Outside of nutritional value, I wasn’t able to taste test Alpro’s Almond milk myself because I’m Sugar and Sweetener Free until Easter (at least) so I got my Dad to drink a cup and tell me what he thought. From a visual perspective I liked the thickness and consistency. Dad reported it to taste ‘nice’ and ‘a little bit like milk with sugar in it’. That’s about all I could get out of him - he’s not a man of many words, my Father - but he did drink the whole cup... but then again, like me he probably would no matter what it tasted like... sorry folks.
From what I gather I reckon that Alpro Almond or Hazelnut is a good choice for sweet treats and indulgent dairy requirements but not the most nutritionally sound choice for day-to-day staples... Especially for kids and dental bills! But that's just my opinion... Do let me know what you think of it - and/or how you feel about the Sugar debate - and what your favourite Dairy Free milk is!
I used the Alpro Almond Milk as for my comparison:
Alpro Almond Milk
- Dairy Free
- Gluten Free
- Wheat Free
- Soya Free
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Ingredients: Water, Sugar, Almond (2%), Tri-calcium phosphate, Sea Salt, Stabilisers (Locust bean gum, Gellan gum), Emulsifier (Sunflower lecithin), Vitamins (Riboflavin (B2), B12, E, D2)
Nutritional Information per 100ml:
Energy 102kJ/24kcal
Protein 0.5g
Carbohydrates 3.0g
of which Sugars 3.0g
Fat 1.1g
of which saturates 0.1g
of which cholestrol nil
Fibre 1.6g
Sodium 0.05g
(equivalent as salt) 0.13g
Calcium 120mg
Vitamins
Riboflavin (B2) 0.21mg
B12 0.38ug
D2 0.75ug
E 1.8mg
EcoMil Almond Milk with Agave
- Dairy Free
- Gluten Free
- Soya Free
- Wheat Free
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Organic
Ingredients: Filtered water, almond* (7%), agave syrup*, maltodextrin*.
*from organic farming
Nutritional Information per 100g:
Energy 189kJ/45kcal
Protein 0.9g
Carbohydrates 5.4g
of which sugars 3.1g
of which Fructose 2.5g
Fat 2.2g
of which saturates 0.6g
Fibre 0.8g
Sodium 0.01g
Ecomil Almond Milk unsweetened
- Dairy Free
- Gluten Free
- Wheat Free
- Soya free
- Sugar Free
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Organic
Ingredients: Water, almond* (7%), tapioca starch*, natural almond flavouring*.
*from organic farming
Nutritional Information per 100g:
Energy 127kJ
Protein 0.9g
Carbohydrates 1.8g
of which sugars 0.5g
Fat 2.1g
of which saturates 0.3g
Fibre 0.9g
Sodium 0.05g
7 comments:
Hi, I agree with you on the low almond content and high sugar content. I don't know enough about sugars to understand why milk, which has about 3g of sugars per 100g, taste so much less sweet than a hazelnut or almond drink with about 3g sugar content. I've bought both the hazelnut and the almond milk, and do like them, but would prefer them to be less sweet.
I do like that they have calcium added, as at the moment that's one of my main dietary concerns... (also important if I offer my kids these milk alternatives, but I don't give them these much, because of the very sweet taste.)
Thanks for commenting.. yes, the sugar content is so hard to REALLY understand! I mean, obviously I totally try to refrain from 'added sugar' but I was checking Oat Dream milk today and its something like 4g per 100ml...but has no sugar added at all...sigh.. but I guess thats just the difference of natural sugars.
on a totally indulgent sugary topic: I imagine that the Hazelnut or Almond Alpros would be nice as Hot Chocolate! mmmmm....
It's so easy to make your own! Just soak a cup of almonds or hazelnuts in water overnight, then drain and rinse (this removes enzyme inhibitors and also seems to make 'raw' nuts ok for my oral allergy syndrome). Next, add 4 cups of fresh water to the nuts, whizzz in a blender, or use a stick blender, then strain through a sieve. Makes about 1.25L. Stores in the fridge for about 3 days. For extra smoothness I pour it through a tea strainer before drinking. It's gorgeous warmed, and makes lovely cocoa, although I'm abstaining from that due to candida. Nuts are fairly expensive, and this doesn't come doesn't come much cheaper than buying cartons, but it tastes so much better, AND you can use the pulp to make hummus, amongst other things. See here:
http://mynewroots.blogspot.com/2011/08/waste-not-want-not-raw-nut-pulp-hummus.html
I am on a quit sugar program at the moment so I understand your frustration! Luckily I found an unsweetened almond milk in Canada which has 0g sugar. With dairy products the first 4.7g sugar is lactose...
Thanks for the tips Joanna! I will definitely be trying that out in the near future! .. and the idea of using the pulp in hummous - yum!!.
And Petra, what is the brand of almond milk in Canada? that sounds marvellous!!
Alpro also has Unsweetened version of Almond Milk. Have you tried that?
http://www.alpro.com/uk/almond
How can these products claim to be gluten free, when they contain MALTODEXTRIN, malt being derived from Barley, I am always being caught out like this and having to put up with a immune response and being very poorly, I am getting very aware now of not having anything processed, but I cannot find a soy milk without gluten that does not contain sugar! help anyone?
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