I recently spotted this Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original Almond Milk as a substitute for white dairy milk. The container says that this product contains only 40 calories per 8-ounce serving, and is an excellent calcium and antioxidant vitamin E source. This product has no added sugar, and the carbs it contains are the complex variety. So in moderation, this drink is an effective thirst quencher for diabetics, who must watch the amount of simple carbohydrates they ingest. With virtually no simple sugar carbs, this beverage is not at all addictive to me. So it’s easy to control how much of it I take in a day’s time.
I find this sugar-free almondmilk roughly the same as low-fat white dairy milk in terms of opacity, thickness, and overall texture. Its thickness resembles that of 1% low-fat cow’s milk, and it appears quite dense in the glass, as it passes very little light. However, unlike white cow’s milk, its color is an off-white with a touch of almond brown or ivory. Still though, this almondmilk is great on cereal, in smoothies, or right from the glass. Though it has a notably different flavor than dairy milk, it nonetheless functions well as a dairy milk replacement. It’s quite mild tasting, which is in line with how natural almonds taste. And, it does not produce any excess phlegm in the nose or throat; a symptom so often associated with dairy milk. So, I like this almond drink.
Benefits, Pros, Advantages, and Features
- This is a completely non dairy product that is also soy free according to the label. It has lots of the vitamin E antioxidant, but no saturated fat or cholesterol, no peanuts, no casein, no gluten, no eggs, nor any MSG (monosodium glutamate).
- Real almonds are the primary ingredient here. This product captures their naturally salt-free taste quite accurately.
- At roughly $2.00 per one-quart carton, Blue Diamond brand almond drink is priced similarly with other almond beverages I’ve tasted.
- It requires no refrigeration until after opening, and the date stamped on the top of the carton is nearly a year out from the date I bought my box. So this beverage will keep for well over a year in the basement.
- This milk alternative has some additives; including calcium carbonate, sea salt, lecithin, and several vitamin compounds. This is a vitamin fortified beverage.
- The packaging protects the almond drink from light, which can degrade its flavor as well as dilute the nutrition.
- It’s available at health food and bigger grocery stores like Walmart and Giant Eagle here in PA.
- This drink keeps for nearly two months in the refrigerator once opened, so long as you keep it cold and closed. It requires no refrigeration prior to first opening however.
- This drink is vegan-appropriate, as it contains no animal products.
- The one-quart version of this product is packaged in a carton; not a plastic bottle. Its taste therefore, suffers far less from the leaching plastic compounds from plastic bottles that can sometimes transfer to the consumable liquid inside.
- This is an excellent alternative for lactose-intolerant folks or those allergic to cow’s milk products. No lactose here.
- It’s also a good soy beverage alternative, as almonds typically have a less obtrusive flavor than soybeans. Try this out if you need a break from soy beverages.
- I find this product quite non addictive. It’s easy to control the number and size of the portions.
Disadvantages, Cons, Problems, and Concerns
- This product has significantly more fat than skim milk (3.5 grams Vs. 0 grams respectively). However, all of that fat is non saturated. So it’s good fat. It’s almond fat.
- This product has no sweet taste whatsoever. So you may find it bland if you’re used to drinking lots of sugary beverages; like going from drinking soda pop to drinking black coffee I suppose. But if becoming more healthy is very important to you, you’ll weather the discomfort of blandness until you acquire a taste for almond milk. It’s worth the inconvenience.
Ingredients
Almondmilk (filtered water, almonds), calcium carbonate, tapioca starch, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan, sunflower lecithin, natural flavors, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2 and d-alpha-tocopherol (natural vitamin E).
WARNING: Not intended as infant formula.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving size: 1 cup, or 240 milliliters.
- Servings per container: 4.
- Calories: 40. Calories from fat: 30.
- Total fat: 3.5 grams, 5% DV.
- Saturated fat: 0 grams, 0% DV.
- Trans fat: 0 grams.
- Cholesterol: 0 milligrams, 0% DV.
- Sodium: 180 milligrams, 8% DV.
- Potassium: 190 milligrams, 5% DV.
- Total carbohydrate: 2 grams, 1% DV.
- Dietary fiber: 1 gram, 4% DV.
- Sugars: 0 grams.
- Protein: 1 gram.
- Vitamin A: 10% DV.
- Calcium: 30% DV.
- Vitamin C: 0% DV.
- Vitamin D: 25% DV.
- Phosphorous: 2% DV.
- Iron: 4% DV.
- Vitamin E: 50% DV.
- Magnesium: 4% DV.
Product Rating
This almond milk is a delicious value, once you get used to the non sweet almond taste. I enjoy it, and would rate this almond beverage at 93 out of 100.
Where To Buy Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original Almond Milk
Buy a quart carton at your favorite larger local grocer as a respite from dairy or soy milk products. Look for it in the bright blue, green, and white carton with a picture of the product being poured on the front, with the white rectangular cap atop
References
- Almond Breeze Website
- Almond Milk on Wikipedia
- Where To Buy Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original Almond Milk
Revision History
- : Adjusted category and tag assignments, fixed typos, and added white space.
- 2012-07-11: Originally published.