Last month, we discovered we were huge fans of banana milk. It’s creamier than other non-dairy milks, has a very pleasant (but not overwhelming) sweetness, and even tastes pretty good in coffee.
So we were super excited when almond milk giant Blue Diamond announced they were going to be making their own almond-based version available, and we couldn’t wait to try it.
Stay up to date on what healthy means now.
Thankfully, it didn’t disappoint! Their latest addition to the Almond Breeze Blends line is creamy, naturally sweet, and an excellent source of several vitamins and minerals.
This banana-almond milk is made from unsweetened almond milk, banana puree, sea salt, sunflower lecithin—an emulsifier, gellan gum—for texture, natural flavors, and a variety of fortified nutrients. While there are 12 grams of sugar per serving, that comes directly from the bananas, and there are no added sugars.
Here are the nutrition facts for a one-cup serving:
- Calories: 80
- Total Fat: 2g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 1.5g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
- Sodium: 150mg
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Dietary Fiber: 1g
- Sugars: 12g
- Protein: 2g
- Calcium: 45% DV
- Potassium: 13% DV
None of the ingredients vary from Almond Breeze’s standard almond milk line—except for the bananas, of course—and the banana milk blend has a much higher natural source of potassium than almond milk. But how does it stack up to other non-dairy milks—and milk itself?
Soy Milk
If you frequently shop for alternative milks, you’ve likely discovered various brands can have vastly different ingredients lists from one another—mostly depending on additives and sweeteners. For this instance, we chose Silk brand Original Soy Milk, as it is a popular option on the market.
Below you will find the Silk Original Soy Milk nutrition facts for a one-cup serving:
- Calories: 110
- Total Fat: 4.5g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.5g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 1g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
- Sodium: 90mg
- Carbohydrates: 9g
- Dietary Fiber: 2g
- Sugars: 6g
- Protein: 8g
- Calcium: 30% DV
- Potassium: 8% DV
This product is made from a standard soy milk base of soybeans and water, cane sugar, a vitamin and mineral Blend for fortification, sea salt, natural flavor, and gellan gum. Overall, the ingredients list isn’t too different from the banana milk (besides cane sugar and sunflower lecithin), but the soy milk does pack in more protein, fat, fiber and calories. It has less sodium, calcium, and potassium as well.
Oat Milk
The oat milk craze has held strong ever since the milk alternative made its way to the U.S. in 2016. We chose to compare the banana milk to Oatly’s original flavor—as it was the first brand to hit grocery store shelves.
Below you will find the The Original Oatly nutrition facts for a one-cup serving:
- Calories: 120
- Total Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
- Sodium: 100mg
- Carbohydrates: 16g
- Dietary Fiber: 2g
- Sugars: 7g
- Protein: 3g
- Calcium: 25% DV
- Potassium: 8% DV
Oatly’s profile looks a little more similar to soy milk than the almond-banana milk, but doesn’t have any added sugars. Oatly’s oat milk is made with water and oats, as well as less than 2% of rapeseed oil, dipotassium phosphate, calcium carbonate, tricalcium phosphate, sea salt, dicalcium phosphate, riboflavin, vitamin A, vitamin D2, vitamin B12.
Cow’s Milk
According to Ranker.com, Borden is the most popular brand of cow’s milk in the U.S., so we will compare the banana-almond milk to their 2% milk product.
Below you will find the Borden 2 Percent Reduced Fat Milk nutrition facts for a one-cup serving:
- Calories: 120
- Total Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Cholesterol: 20mg
- Sodium: 125mg
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Dietary Fiber: 0g
- Sugars: 12g
- Protein: 8g
- Calcium: 30% DV
- Potassium: 11% DV
Borden’s 2% milk is made with three ingredients—reduced fat milk, Vitamin A palmitate, and Vitamin D3. It’s the highest in sugar and saturated fat and equal in protein to soy milk. However, it is a more natural source of calcium than the others.
The bottom line: All of these milks can certainly be considered “healthy”—just know which nutrients they will and won’t provide. While the almond-banana milk is the least beneficial for boosting your protein intake, it’s the best source of potassium out there and would make a fabulous ingredient in a recovery drink or kids’ smoothie—or, as we mentioned above, in your morning cup of coffee.
Source: Read Full Article