Looking for experience/opinions on Almond milk and soy milk...

[NRaleighLiberal]

My wife and I are going to do the Whole Foods challenge - essentially doing a whole foods, plant based diet for 21 days, starting in mid Jan. Reasons are varied...and neither one of us are obligating ourselves to continuing on with absolute discipline....(I wouldn't want to do without seafood, for example, and many other non-vegan items).

But - for the 21 days - what do people think of almond milk as a sub for regular milk in cereals? How about using unsweetened soy milk in soups? And for baking (pancakes, etc) - does almond milk make big changes in how things come out?

Thanks for whatever any of you can share! And if you know of better options....

[Lisa0825]

1. I have been using unsweetened almond milk in diet shakes.

I tasted it alone, and I think it would be OK in cereal, but I wouldn't drink it by the glass. I think the sweetened version or vanilla version might be even better, but the regular is fine in my shakes.

I do not know how it affects baking.

[denbot]

2. Almond milk is a good choice.

I use it for cereal, but not coffee.

[Warpy]

3. I'm lactose intolerant and I use powdered unsweetened soy milk in baking

and it's just fine. I understand the flavored stuff (rice, almond or soy) is good in coffee. I've also been known to make fake creamed soups by buzzing instant oatmeal to a powder in a blender and using that.

I've never noticed a big difference in anything baked. There is no off flavor or difference in texture.

I hate milk with a purple and undying passion, so I never drink the stuff or use it on cereal.

[GoCubsGo]

21. The "milk" is okay in coffee, however....

I recommend the "creamers" they make especially for coffee. They have a richer flavor than the "milk".

I didn't realize soy milk came in a powdered form. Where does one find it?

[Warpy]

25. The local food coop has it in bulk. I've seen it in cardboard cans, too.

Just ask at the biggest health food store near you. They probably have it somewhere. If they don't, they should.

[GoCubsGo]

27. Thank you.

Sadly, the biggest health food store around here is the natural foods section of the local Kroger. I'll have to look to see if they have it. I know that they don't sell it in bulk, as their bulk section is pathetic. There's always the Internet...

[The empressof all]

4. I use both Almond and Soy

Blue Diamond Lite Unsweetened Vanilla is my go to for drinking and for smoothies. The Blue Diamond Dark Chocolate is of the Devil and is by far the best chocolate drink on the market. Try blending Almond milk with a frozen banana and some cinnamon for a late night treat.

I use Silk for Coffee and for cereal and baking. I even use lemon in it to make faux buttermilk for pancakes. I don't care for the Silk coffee creamers and just have adapted to the regular silk for coffee.

For soups I use mimicream if I want to go rich otherwise I use soy or just use cauliflower as a base and forgo the non-dairy.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

5. It's very easy to make your own Almond milk

Take 1 cup Raw Almonds, soak them in H20 for about 8 hrs, then drain.
Place them in your blender/Vitamix with 4 cups of H20, 1 tablespoon honey,
a teaspoon vanilla and pulverize them. Take the mix and run it through
a nut bag/ paint bag from the hardware store sqeezing out the milk through it
what remains in the bag is almond pulp that you can dehydrate into almond flour.

I avoid most soy milk as most soy beans have been genetically modified.

I'm having lots of fun flirting with raw food cooking/preparation. Eat like crazy
and have lost 10 lbs without even trying. My partner has lost 22 and his cholesterol
has dropped from 200 to 150 in just 10 weeks time. His PSA after 5 years of being
elevated is normal. No meds, the only change has been diet.

[NRaleighLiberal]

6. Great stuff - keep the comments coming. How about making yogurt from non-cow milks?

We make our own yogurt, but want to go way from cow....any experience/tips using soy, almond, etc milks?

[The empressof all]

7. I've never tried making my own from soy or almond milk

The commercial ones are pretty awful IMO. Every once in a while I'll pick up a soy or coconut one if I'm really craving a yogurt.

[The empressof all]

8. Also...about cheese

YMMV with the faux cheese. I haven't found one worth eating and I've pretty much tried them all. Nutritional Yeast however rocks on popcorn.

Same goes with faux meat but there are a few exceptions for me. Smart Dogs are actually pretty good and we enjoy Boca Vegan Burgers. I add Soyrizo to TVP soaked in veggie broth to chili and it's terrific. Also try adding cubed par cooked sweet potatoes to your chili for a wonderful change of pace

[The empressof all]

10. And one more thing

If you haven't found this site yet...it's terrific to help you keep the fat down

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/

[Major Nikon]

9. Like Louis Black says, there is no soy teat

As far as just drinking the stuff, I'm sure it's not that big of a deal to get used to the difference. As far as recipes go, I suspect there are a lot of things in which you're not going to have much luck with the substitution because it's not milk and isn't going to react like milk. I'd be very surprised if you can make things like cultured buttermilk, yogurt, or custards with soy.

[The empressof all]

11. You can make a terrific pudding with soy

I use cornstarch. Make it thick for a pastry cream and thinner for the ice cream machine. It works well. I cut soy with lemon and it will curdle for a buttermilk sub in baking. But I don't think you could make yogurt at home without real cows milk.

[HopeHoops]

12. Neither will change the outcome of baked products over milk.

Almond milk is good when you want the flavor. Soy milk is good when you just want a drink of it. I don't really like almond milk as a beverage, but it adds a lot of flavor in stuff (like scrambled eggs, pancakes, biscuits, etc.) Soy is mostly "just there". Vegan is a rough regiment to follow. People do it, but we don't. I still don't believe it is safe for infants and young children. But to be fair, that's what they say about vegetarians in general (WHAT? No MEAT?) and yet our three all grew up healthy and strong without meat. B12 is the real bitch, but you can get that from nutritional yeast. Supplements aren't nearly as effective as elements drawn from natural foods.

I suggest you get some dulse. It tastes really salty but is very low in sodium and high in trace minerals. It makes a great snack food and you can put it in/on all kinds of shit from stir fries to sandwiches. Maine Seacoast Vegetables always has it. The smoked applewood product is addictive, but they don't always have that in stock. http://www.seaveg.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=20&zenid=e23092b9c16a119de11f6de6cc023b1b

I usually buy it buy the pound, freeze some, and munch on the rest. They've got all kinds of sea vegetables, but dulse has always been my favorite. It's packs a pretty good iron punch too!

[Tindalos]

13. I use soy for everything.

The taste might take some getting used to. It works well in many things, like coffee/tea, ice cream, baking. I've used soy in soups and other recipes instead of milk, but it depends on the recipe. It lacks the high-fat content of milk. You can make soy yoghurt but it's not quite like the real thing, at least the commercial varieties. Soy cheese is also not that great.

Here's a recipe for vegan strawberry ice cream. It uses rice milk but I've made it with soy or coconut milk. It's easy to experiment with too. http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2010/07/vegan-strawberry-ice-cream-recipe/#more-1137 . Instructions to make it without a machine here http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2007/07/making-ice-crea-1/


Edit: You can get rice and oat milks but they're pretty thin.

[Melissa G]

14. 21 days is a good length and probably only good things will happen

I was doing the Blood type O diet and I used to be vegetarian. I had difficult for me side effects from both.

Blood type O diet is very little dairy, no corn or wheat and too much meat for my taste.

When I went without cheese, I started having muscle cramps, I added back in a little mozzarella and I was fine.

21 days will get you clean enough to know what to add back in for you.

I have mostly given up milk. I use almond milk and rice milk and hazelnut milk. I very occasionally use soy, usually when I am eating out and they don't have rice or almond milk.

I have friends who are fond of Hemp milk which is too oily for my taste. Coconut milk is not good for my blood type, but my blood type A friends love it in their coffee (and fake ice cream).

My husband loves soy milk and he uses it just like cow's milk. I am much more discerning in it's use, but I cook a lot less than he does right now.

[cbayer]

15. My husband is a big fan of rice milk.

He uses it on cereal every day.

[livetohike]

16. We use soy milk and Rice Dream here

My husband likes the Rice Dream on cereal. I use soy milk for everything - interchangeable with regular milk in baking muffins, quick breads, etc.

Good luck on the challenge! (Long time vegetarian here)

[The empressof all]

19. Try the vegan sour "cream" in the mash

I use that or even a bit of better than cream cheese to enhance the mashed potatoes. I also cook them in vegetable stock for more flavor.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

22. Mash turnip and cauliflower into your potatoes

Yummy, needs no milks or creams and just a pat of butter if you need. Yummmmy

[supernova]

18. We've done soy and almond milk

I like almond milk, but the SO doesn't. Currently we use Silk organic unsweetened soy milk for general drinking and for cereal. It is a decent smoothie base too b/c it is has more protein than other milks. Well, the SO uses it, but I don't. I use Half and Half for cooking and for coffee. Most milks don't have the richness that I look for w/ coffee.

If maintaining low sugar amounts is important to you, read labels. There is as much sugar in some "milks" as there is in whole cow's milk. SO is borderline diabetic, so we try to eliminate hidden sugars. We are trying to treat his condition with medication and diet/exercise. The Silk Organic unsweetened has the lowest sugar content of them all that we could find.

I do like the flavored almond milks for a treat, but I try to stay away from them. Sugar for me is a trigger to eat more.

[GoCubsGo]

23. I use soy and almond milk on and off.

I limit my use of soy milk because the jury is still out on how highly-processed soy functions as an estrogen/anti-estrogen receptor. My mom had breast cancer twice, and I really don't want to take chances. I will say, however, that it does okay in milk and in soups.

I like almond milk on cereal and in smoothies. I haven't tried it in soups or in baking. The same with coconut milk. My big gripe about them is that they have little protein. Not a problem when I'm having Kashi GoLean for breakfast. However, if bran flakes or some other lower-protein cereal is on the menu, I prefer to have organic cow juice or soy milk.

[GoCubsGo]

24. BTW, you can also hemp milk in many places.

I'm sure Whole Food has it. I have never tried, but I suspect others here have. Pacific Natural Foods is one manufacturer. They also put out a hazelnut milk. I have seen them both at Kroger in their healthy foods section. Go to their web site to find out where you can find it in your area. They also have coupons.

[blondie58]

28. there is also coconut milk

It is really creamy