The good drop

YOU can be forgiven for screwing your nose up at the thought of replacing cow’s milk with almond milk, but did you know there are a number of benefits to making the change?
Whether you’re a vegan, sensitive to milk, or just don’t like the taste of the cow’s stuff, then almond milk could be a great alternative.
Although there are many benefits to almond milk, it is important to remember it doesn’t contain as much calcium or protein as cow’s milk, so it may need to be found elsewhere.
Here are the top ten benefits of making the switch to almond milk.
1. Heart health – your heart will get a kick out of almond milk thanks to no cholesterol or saturated fat. The low sodium levels and healthy fats, such as omega fatty acids, will help prevent high blood pressure and heart disease.
2. Strong bones – while there isn’t as much calcium as cow’s milk, almond milk does offer 30 per cent of the recommended daily amount, as well as 25 per cent of the recommended amount of vitamin D, reducing the risk of arthritis and improving immune function.
3. Weight management – one cup of almond milk contains only 60 calories, opposed to a whopping 146 calories from whole cow’s milk.
4. Blood sugar – almond milk that is free from additives is low in carbs, which means there is no drastic rise in blood sugar levels, reducing the risk of diabetes. Due to the low glycaemic index, your body will use the carbs as energy rather than storing the sugars are fat.
5. Glowing skin – With 50 per cent of the recommended daily amount of vitamin E packed into almond milk, your skin will get a healthy dose of antioxidant properties essential to your skin’s health.
6. No lactose – almond milk contains no lactose, which is great news for those who have difficulty digesting the sugar in cow’s milk.
7. Great taste – if you’re turned off by the taste of cow’s milk, then almond milk is for you. The two taste nothing alike, with almond milk boastings its own unique flavour many describe as light and crisp.
8. No cooling – you don’t need to keep almond milk in the fridge so it’s handing for taking to work or on camping trips.
9. Strong muscles – although almond milk has lower levels of protein per serving when compared to cow’s milk, it does have plenty of B vitamins such as iron and riboflavin, which are both important to muscle growth and healing.
10. Digestive health – almond milk contains almost one gram of fibre per serving, which is good news for the digestive system.