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I decided that for this particular opinion post, I would make a plea for everyone to think strongly about switching to:
1) Almond Milk (sweetened or unsweetened)
2) Almond Vanilla Milk (sweetened or unsweetened)
Why the switch? Well, it’s a simple matter of healthier, I think.
A cup of 2% White Milk has 120 calories, 5 grams of fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 120 mg sodium, 11 grams carbohydrates, 0 grams fiber, 11 grams sugar, 9 grams of protein, 25% vitamin D, and 30% of your calcium.
A cup of Silk Sweetened Almond Milk has 80 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 150 mg sodium, 14 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 13 grams sugar, 1 gram protein, 25% vitamin D, and 45% of your calcium.
If you go the unsweetened route (this is easy to get used to over cereal), the calories drop to 20, sodium is 180 mg, carbohydrates drop to 1 gram, and your sugar is 0.
I think that an important aspect to all of this is that there is no cholesterol in Almond Milk. There are no animal products in it at all. The unsweetened version does not taste bad (as with everything, you have to give it a couple of weeks to get used to it, maybe less), and since the carbs is 1 and the fiber is 1, you have a net of ZERO carbs in a glass.
I am fairly certain there are recipes for smoothies and other items that can use this wonderful product.
The reason I didn’t discuss Soy Milk is simply that very often is contains progesterone which is bad for anyone in fair quantities and really bad for men, especially older men.
Cutting out sugar, fat, calories, carbs, and cholesterol seems to me to be a win/win situation. If you just can’t get used to the unsweetened taste, you can add Agave Syrup (about 1 tsp to a cup). It has about 5-6 carbs in a teaspoon, but they are very low GI so sugar doesn’t spike.
Try it for 2 weeks and see. It does cost more, but I have been sick 1 time in the last 4 years. I feel better and, while I know it has a lot to do with all the things I am doing, this is a great start to a good change.
Latest report: Weight down 10.4 pounds, Cholesterol meds stopped, Blood sugar running 70-85 in the mornings, and blood pressure runs low (May have to reduce or stop a med for that). It was 104/34 and 104/52 last week on two morning readings. Other thing is that, with the help of my reflexologist, I am taking much larger strides, pain is down, and I am doing a lot more around the house. I am walking better. I still use my cane, but a lot of that is because my balance is still off (and probably will be for a long time).
Enjoy your life; I am enjoying mine.
Namaste,
Scott
Kindredspirit23's Blog 