Almond Milk health benefits include supporting weight loss, promoting heart health, promoting skeletal health, enhancing the skin, impacts muscle growth, support digestion, is lactose free, provides vitamin D, support brain health, and take care of arterial walls.
Almond milk has been present for hundreds of years and is a healthy alternative to soy milk. It has become popular recently because people have realized the many benefits it offers over other forms of milk. These days, even the organic soy has been contaminated by the genetic modification, so much that it has become dangerous for consumption.
How to Make Almond Milk?
You can easily get almond milk from any convenience store, but it is better to make your own because the milk you buy from the store contains processed sugars and other elements that you do not want in your daily diet. Making your almond milk is not that difficult.
Take a cup of almonds and soak them in water overnight. The next day, after waking up, drain the water from the almonds and toss them in the blender. Next, add four cups of water and blend it for one minute to one and a half minutes.
Ideally, you do not need to add any more ingredients, but if you want to sweeten the milk naturally, you can add pitted date, some vanilla extract and a pinch of salt before blending. Once you see a smooth frothy liquid, you can separate the almond milk from the pulp. Use a strainer and cheesecloth to get that done. The milk might not be as good as fresh milk, but it has great nutritional value.
Almond Milk Nutrition Facts
One cup of unsweetened almond milk contains:
Calories: 39
Fat: 3 g
Protein: 1.5 g
Carbohydrates: 1.5 g
Sugar: 0 g
Calcium: 516 mg (52% of daily value)
11 Incredible Health Benefits of Almond Milk
Almond milk has become popular these days. It is not as good as regular milk, but it is much better than soy milk. So, if you highly adhere to a plant-based diet, you can feel much safer while using almond milk. The best thing you can do is to make your almond milk at home.
This way you can easily avoid preservatives and other additives that may be harmful to you. Read on to know some of how almond can help your nutrition.
1. Helps in Weight Loss
One cup of almond milk has less than half the calories of regular milk. It can be a great substitute if you are trying to lose some weight or maintain a slim figure.
2. Promotes Heart Health
Since there is zero saturated fat or cholesterol in almond milk, you can rest assured that you can easily avoid these harmful fats. It packs a lot of healthy fats and sodium that can help you prevent various heart diseases along with high blood pressure.
3. Promotes Skeletal Health
Your bones are the storehouse of all the calcium in your body. Most of the calcium you eat becomes a part of your bones, especially when you are still young.
It is very important to make sure that you are not deficient in calcium as it may lead to osteoporosis and even worse, arthritis. Almond milk is an excellent source of calcium and makes sure that your bones are strong and healthy. A cup of almond milk can provide up to 30 percent of the daily recommended dose of calcium.
4. Great For Your Skin
Your skin is the largest organ in your body. It protects the inside from numerous diseases. Therefore it is necessary to make sure that the skin in good condition. Almond milk is a rich source of vitamin E. Not only does it protect your skin from sun damage, but it is an antioxidant that keeps your skin healthy.
5. Doesn’t Affect Your Blood Sugar
The packed almond milk that you buy from the stores can have a lot of additives in it. However, natural and pure almond milk has a tiny number of carbs. Therefore, it would not have a significant effect on your blood sugar levels. So, if you are at risk for diabetes, it can be a great alternative for you.
6. Impacts Muscle Growth
Almond milk does not contain a large amount of protein, but it is rich in B vitamins, these include iron and riboflavin. Both these elements are good for muscle growth and even have healing properties.
7. Good for Digestion
One serving of almond milk has almost a gram of fiber in it. People do not pay much attention to the fiber content of their foods without realizing that fiber can do wonders for their digestive system. It washes away everything in your intestines and is a great way of dealing with constipation. Fiber is a favorite of those who are looking to lose weight because of its satiating effect.
8. Lactose-Free
If you are lactose intolerant, you are in luck. This wonder of nature does not have any lactose in it so you can enjoy milk without the adverse effects that you would otherwise feel while drinking natural milk from the animals.
9. Provides Vitamin D
Almond milk is a great source of vitamin D. Many people are deficient in this vitamin, but it is very important to maintain healthy bones in your body. You can make sure that you do not develop a deficiency by adding almond milk to your diet.
10. Takes Care of Your Arterial Walls
It is very important to keep your heart healthy, and sometimes you can do it by taking care of arteries around it. Almond milk is rich in flavonoids, which means that it can keep your heart in good condition by making sure that your arterial walls are healthy. So, if you are at risk of heart disease, you should try adding almond milk to your diets to start living healthily.
11. Good for Your Brain
To live a healthy life, it is not just important to have a healthy body, but you also need to have a healthy mind. Almond milk is not just good for your physical health but consuming it is also a great way to keep your mind healthy.
Almond milk contains riboflavin and L-carnitine that boost brain activity. They can even help in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. So, if you have a family history of this disease or it is something that you are at risk of, consider adding almond milk to your daily diet.
Bottom Line
Almond milk is a great replacement for soy milk as it is less contaminated. It may not be a good enough replacement for cow’s milk, but it can provide you with your nutrients if taken in the right amount.
The best part is that you do not have to refrigerate it like cow’s milk, and you can take it with you anywhere. Keep one thing in your mind; do not use anything for medicinal reasons without consulting your doctor first.