If you ever thought about swapping dairy milk for a milk alternative, it’s likely that soya and almond milk will spring to mind first.
Almond milk and soya milk are two of the most popular milk alternatives out there*, both with their own health benefits and distinctive tastes. If you’re thinking about making a switch to a dairy milk alternative and want to know the differences between these two, then it’s a good idea to read this first…
Almond milk
Almond milk is a plant-based milk alternative made using almonds to give it a mild, pleasant nutty flavour. It’s free from dairy, gluten, soya and lactose (making it easy to digest if you have an intolerance) and it’s a good alternative to dairy milk.
Almond milk is full of healthy nutrients. It contains vitamin E which is good for your skin and eyes. It’s a good source of vitamin D, which helps the body control phosphorus levels – a mineral that repairs tissue and cells. There’s vitamin B12 in almond milk too and that helps our nervous system, blood-cell formation, digestion, and brain function.**
Almond milk is generally low in saturated fat and that helps lower ‘bad cholesterol’ levels in the blood, reducing the risk of heart attack. It’s good at helping reduce high blood pressure too thanks to containing natural omega 3 fatty acids.
Soya milk
Soya milk is another plant-based milk made by grinding, soaking and boiling soya beans. It generally has a slightly thicker consistency (some soy milk brands add thickeners into their recipes) than almond milk, with a mild beany flavour and soya tang.
Like almond milk, it’s free from dairy, gluten, lactose and is a good source of vitamin B12. Plus, it’s available in a variety of flavours including vanilla and chocolate.
Soya milk is also a great source of vitamins, minerals and insoluble fibre.
Almond milk VS soya milk
Really, it comes down to taste, food sensitivities (more about that here) and which health benefits you consider most vital to your own health needs.
Almond milk has a pleasant, mild nutty flavour and soya has a more beany flavour with a stronger aftertaste and thicker consistency.
Soya and almond milk do share many health benefits. But the differences include almond milk being the lighter option with generally lower fat content and lower in calories, plus it’s rich in monounsaturated fats.
If you’re going to choose an almond drink…
While we’re not experts in soya milk, we can tell you the great reasons to try our very own almond drink, Almond Breeze®. Here are just 4 of them:
1. We’re the only almond drink that grows its own almonds, growing them in our sunny California orchards since 1910.
2. We have over 3,000 people that make up our cooperative. That’s 4 generations of families who’ve been growing almonds for over 100 years. That goodness goes right into our almond drinks.
3. We’ve been growing our almonds in the same place for a long time (the sun-soaked valleys of Sacramento, California be exact). So, unlike other almond drinks, you know exactly where our almonds come from.
4. Because we put so much care into growing our almonds, they’re bursting with goodness. So our almond drink is too. Almond Breeze® Unsweetened has less than half the calories of skimmed milk and unsweetened soya milk, it’s dairy-free, a source of calcium and is low in sat fat (it’s also pretty tasty!).
*IRI 52 weeks to 6th Jan 2018
Information from Goodness+ is not intended to be used for medical purposes or as a substitute for professional medical or health advice.