Hello, fellow fatty liver fighters! I have been exploring and researching this new phenomenon called “Almond Milk” and have gone from impressed to baffled to wondering – Is Almond milk really good for my fatty liver? And while researching all this, I have also been trying Almond milk as a milk replacement to see what happens. Before we get into this article, I would like to clarify one thing first – which almond milk am I talking about here?
My research took me to a wide variety of almond milks – each culture / country has a different way of cooking almond milk and I found that some recipes are healthier than others. So it is important for me to clarify what kind of Almond milk I am referencing here.
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What Kind of Almond Milk Are We Referencing Here?
For this post, I am going to focus on the almond milk that is readily available in superstores such as Whole Foods, Walmart, Costco, Shop-rite, Acme, and Aldy’s etc.
Why Store-Bought Almond Milk?
Simply because – all other kinds of almond milk require a lot of preparation. Milk, however, is available in stores – ready to buy and is the primary source of calcium and vitamin D for most households. Also, in every store I have been to, store-bought almond milk is available on the same shelf as the regular milk along with the letters “Great source of Calcium and Vitamin D” in bold to grab your attention. Hence, store-bought almond milk is being marketed as a substitute for milk.
Most store bought almond milk are marketed as substitutes for milk touting lower calories and vitamind D and calcium. So it is a more like for like comparison.
Pros of Almond Milk For Fatty Liver
Yes, there are a few pros in general, however if your liver health is compromised, as you will see ahead, cons are likely going to outweigh the pros.
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No Sugar, No Carbs
In my opinion, the only place almond milk wins out over regular milk is in sugar content. Water contains no sugar and almond milk is essentially a lot of water with “milk texture”, so it consequently has zero sugars. If sugar is a problem for you, replacing a few cups of milk with almond milk may help.
Calcium & Vitamin D
Milk is the most important source of calcium and vitamin D – both extremely important for the body and also fatty liver. To compete with milk and tout itself as a viable alternative, most almond milk is fortified with Calcium and Vitamin D. Being a good source of calcium and vitamin D is a huge benefit of almond milk. However, consider this – how is this different from taking a calcium + vitamin D supplement?
Convenience & Texture
In my opinion, this and only this is the real benefit of almond milk. It is like a healthy-sounding fast-food substitute for milk. We grow up using milk in a lot of things more importantly coffee and cereal. Milk, however, is high in sugar. So if reducing sugar is one of the goals, Almond milk automatically comes into the picture.
Cons of Almond Milk For Fatty Liver
Very Few Actual Almonds
The biggest con is that almond milk is a con (pun intended). Most think that since ‘almond’ is in the name of the product, they will also be receiving the health benefits of almonds. But lawsuits claim there may not actually be enough almonds in the drink to actually matter in terms of health. You may be better off just chewing 5-10 almonds a day! In fact, the almonds allegedly make up only about 2-5% of the milk. So basically, almond milk is nothing but water with additives 🙁
Processed And Contains Additives
Did I mention additives? Almond milk is not just mostly water, it also is heavily processed. It also contains additives like carrageenan, sunflower lecithin, and calcium carbonate. These additives give it a milk-like texture and fortify it with calcium and vitamin D. As you already know, processed foods are to be avoided for fatty liver. Hence, this is a big problem with almond milk.
Very Little Protein
While “milk” is in the name, the protein content in most store-available almond milk brands is minimal. If you are thinking of substituting real milk with almonds – you have to think about the lack of protein in your diet.
Regular Milk vs Almond Milk For Fatty Liver
I have covered milk and dairy in a separate post: Are Dairy and Milk good for fatty liver? To be honest, I did fall for almond milk and used it for about three months. However, as I started doing more research, I realized that almond milk is just water mixed with vitamin D and calcium. And while it has a texture like milk, it doesn’t have the rest of the benefits that milk provides for fatty liver.
The only pseudo benefit is getting 0 sugar drink with a milk-like texture for your coffee. I would recommend using real milk instead in your coffee.
Finally, my vote goes to regular milk over store-bought almond milk.
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What is the best kind of Almond Milk For NAFLD?
If you were still going to go for the store-bought version of Almond milk – get the unsweetened one which has about 30 calories.
Essentially, regular milk is better than store-bought almond milk. If you make almond milk at home, then that is a great idea. With home-made almond milk, just be mindful that you will have to supplement for calcium and vitamin D.
Better yet, make the almond milk at home (here is a recipe). Be very careful though, if you substitute your milk with homemade almond milk, make sure to take calcium and vitamin D supplements to keep your calcium and vitamin D levels good. Here are a couple of good supplements, I have personally tried.:
- Qunol Calcium Magnesium & Zinc
- Forrest Leaf Vitamin D (50,000 IU): ForrestLeaf helped me get my Vitamin D levels back on track.
Conclusion
For fatty liver in general, processed food is a big no-no. Store-bought almond milk is just highly processed water. With this itself, I feel it gets disqualified as a viable option for a fatty liver diet. The additives added to improve the texture and calcium and Vitamin D levels of almond milk are all artificial as well. In my opinion, consuming a calcium+vitamind D supplement with lots of water would be a better idea than paying for and then drinking almond milk.
Zero Sugar and a milk-like texture is the only thing that keeps almond milk an interesting option because you can literally use it in things like cereal and coffee.
Home-made almond milk [#link] though is a great option – however, recall that it would not have enough calcium, protein, and vitamin D to replace milk like for like.
Verdict: I recommend that you avoid store-bought almond milk for fatty liver. You are essentially getting processed water with chemicals and tiny bit of almonds. It is better to use homemade almond milk instead. Milk has liver benefits that cannot be replaced with either almond milk options. If you have to use Almond milk – use it sparingly.
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Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.
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