The True Cost of Almond Milk

The rise of social media has impacted many people’s views on environmental issues and has exposed people to new dieting techniques. As a result of this more and more people have begun to ditch certain food groups for either health or ethical reasons. One item many people have been removing off their shopping list is dairy milk. Many social media influencers and health lifestyle blogs have encouraged people to stop drinking dairy milk because of the health risks and the impact it has on our environment. But is the alternative many people are switching to better?

One of the most popular substitutes for cow’s milk is almond milk. Almond milk sales have seen a huge increase in recent years. According to an article posted by The Nielsen Company, in the year 2016 almond milk has seen a growth in sales “of 250% over the past five years.” This increase in sales of almond milk has led to a decline in sales for dairy milk “by more than $1 billion.”

One of the biggest arguments against dairy milk is that it is unsustainable due to the land and water used to raise cattle. Although dairy milk does have a large environmental impact, almond milk is also not considered to be the most environmentally friendly. Almond milk is produced by first soaking almonds, then grounding them into a pulp and finally straining out all the liquid almond milk, leaving behind almond pulp that is considered to be a useless product. Not only does this end up wasting a ton of product but it also takes a large amount of water to soak and grow the almonds. This process has a huge negative impact on the environment and considered to be one of the biggest contributors to the droughts seen in states that grow almonds, such as California. According to an article posted in the New York Times “producing just 16 almonds requires an estimated 15.3 gallons of water.” 

Another reason many people choose to drink almond milk over dairy milk because they believe it is healthier however that may not be the case. Almond milk does contain lower carolers than dairy milk. Also, nutrients and vitamins that can be found in dairy milk are seen in almonds, however, in lower percentages. One of the biggest differences between dairy milk and almond milk is the lack of protein. According to Meagan Bridges, a nutrition support specialist, “ the protein content from the almonds is strained out of the milk along with the pulp; hence, it contains very little protein – usually only 1 g per 8 oz. cup, compared to 8 g in cow’s milk.”

So next time you’re at the grocery store looking for a dairy milk substitute maybe think twice about choosing almond milk. Some other great options for a dairy milk substitute include oat milk and coconut milk, they have a significantly lower impact on the environment and are delicious as well!