Almond Milk

My husband was diagnosed with high cholesterol a couple of years ago and, in lieu of going on some fairly potent drugs to control it, he decided to change his diet by eliminating saturated fats in the form of dairy. He started drinking soy milk, sometimes upwards of 12 ounces a day, in the hopes of also getting the cholesterol fighting benefits that soy products have to offer. Through the diet changes and a fairly impressive variety of herbal supplements, he did manage to get his numbers back to normal. Flash forward to this year and to me having jumped on the soy milk bandwagon. (I originally would not even touch the stuff. I am not sure why - I mean, usually when something is labeled, "chocolate", I don't even hesitate before ripping into it.) I have been drinking it (in both its Lite chocolate and vanilla forms), using it on my cereal in the morning, and generally relying upon it to get me about 2/3 of my calcium requirements for the day. A short while ago, I started hearing rumblings (from fellow culinary students, and then on the morning radio show that I listen to) that perhaps soy was not all it was cracked up to be - especially for men. So, I started thinking.....what would be a good substitute for all the deliciousness that soy milk has to offer, lacking the controversial phytoestrogens? A friend at school suggested almond milk, so I thought I would give it a try. I bought the Blue Diamond shelf stable variety and went for chocolate (big surprise), but made the mistake of choosing the unsweetened package. (It wasn't a mistake so much as trying to save on some calories for myself, but still.) I got home and poured myself a glass, thinking all the while, "well, look at me! Trying something new and finding a way for us all to be healthier at the same time!" By the time I had finished filling my glass, I was not nearly as optimistic. The drink I was so excited about was thin and dilute, with a muddy color that reminded me of silt swollen rivers, only not quite as thick. Determined to make a better showing with this beverage than I originally did with the soy milk, I knocked back a sip and found it less appealing than it would have been to actually drink the dirty river water. Ugh. It was a weird mixture of chalky and watery and had a flavor, completely devoid of almonds, that seemed to be pretty close to what you would get by just mixing cocoa powder with tap water. So, needless to say, after that first glass of disappointment, the box sat in the far back corner of my refrigerator until I poured it out, nearly two months past its expiration date, earlier this week.

Again, flash forward to last week when I discovered that Silk, my favorite brand of soy milk, had come out with two flavors of almond milk, "Original" and "Vanilla". My favorite grocery store even gave me a coupon when I checked out last week for a free 1/2 gallon of the Silk Almond Milk, so when I ran out of soy milk early this week, I ventured out to redeem my gift. I figured that it couldn't hurt to try it, especially since I was not buying it myself, and that, if I didn't like it, I could toss it with little to no guilt. (Guilt is what kept the Blue Diamond box in my fridge for so long. I kept looking at it and thinking surely I can find something to use this in.) Anyway, so I get home and crack the new vanilla-flavored almond milk. Holy cow! Or maybe I should say, "Holy drupe!" I could see the difference the minute I poured it into my glass. It was thick and creamy, tricking me into thinking it actually was soy milk until I smelled the delightfully rich scent of almonds that wafted out of my glass. It was, pardon the pun, silky sip after sip with a flavor that was sweet and rich without being cloying. It was anything but chalky and was so lovely that I chugged the entire glass down with nary a pause. Needless to say, I am very impressed, Silk. I congratulate you.

To be fair, I should probably try the sweetened version of the Blue Diamond product just to compare apples to apples, but I gotta say, I am nothing if not a brand loyalist. I already enjoyed Silk's line of soy milks, so I am glad that their newest product is so deliciously superior. I am also a sucker for packaging and the Silk product looks slick. The carton is pretty and the heft of the 1/2 gallon size really makes me think, "milk", when I pick it up to pour. In any case, I know this was kind of random, but I really did enjoy the almond milk and, because it is not something that many people think to try on an everyday basis, I thought I would share my opinion with you all out there in my little virtual world. All three of you. Because even my husband and my mom don't subscribe to my blog. That's ok. I think I will go soothe myself with a little almond milk. Mmmmmmm........