I don't know about 'pros and cons' - but I do know that the unsweetened almond milk seems to taste better than any other sort of 'alternative milk' product. The unsweetened variety really is unsweetened - no added artificial sweetener or anything. It's low carb and tastes pretty good.

If you click on the link below, you can then access nutritional information:

http://www.bluediamond.com/retail/breeze/index.cfm

IA that unsweetened Almond Breeze is great! Very low in carbs and wonderful with a little pure stevia extract sprinkled into the carton before consuming. It's thin, like a skim milk. Too pricey to have it often so it's a special treat.

I like this website www.milksucks.com

Boy, the info about the mouth blisters caught my attention. Both my wife and I have them (painful!).

When we started moving toward Paleo, we thought the hardest thing to give up would be grain/wheat. For me, that tied with sugar.

But strangely, we haven't had that hard a time giving those up, after all. What's really hard for us? Surprisingly... dairy. We have a very hard time giving up dairy. Which is ironic for someone like me with OCD - you'd think I would easily give up drinking the lactations of other species. How gross is that? LOL

I guess I'm just a morphine junky?

Thanks!!



I had been cooking mainly in a mixture of olive oil and butter. Since my dairy-free endeavor started on Monday I've switched to mostly coconut oil. I bought a ton of it awhile ago and I just hadn't been using it for some reason. I actually have some duck fat in the fridge, but I never think it smells good when I try to cook with it. I do use coconut milk, for Indian food mostly, and smoothies.



Yeah that's good stuff! I've actually been buying almond milk for years, because DH and I never cared for cow's milk and the idea of soy/rice milk icked me out. I don't buy it anymore though b/c the only thing we ever really used it for was cereal. The store bought kind has some weird additives too. Even so, I sometimes like to get the unsweetened chocolate almond milk and use it to make hot chocolate as a treat.

How odd! I'm glad I brought up the mouth blisters, seems like it's really resonating with people. I'm only on day three of no dairy so I don't have any definite conclusions about mine yet.

Try taking some B complex.

The list of symptoms of B12 deficiency astounded me.

My gums no longer bleed (thought that as dental thing, nope)
I don't have vertigo (they even put me on Serc)
I don't get as anxious at all.
I sleep better.
I'm happier.
More energy.
I can think more clearly.
No constipation.
Less water retention.

it's crazy

here's a list:
What are the symptoms?
If your vitamin B12 deficiency is mild, you may not have symptoms or you may not notice them. Some people may think they are just the result of growing older. As the anemia gets worse, you may:

Feel weak, tired, and light-headed.
Have pale skin.
Have a sore, red tongue or bleeding gums.
Feel sick to your stomach and lose weight. (i wish)
Have diarrhea or constipation.
If the level of vitamin B12 stays low for a long time, it can damage your nerve cells. If this happens, you may have:

Numbness or tingling in your fingers and toes.
A poor sense of balance.
Depression.
Dementia, a loss of mental abilities.


http://www.bchealthguide.org/kbase/...06/overview.htm

Well, it'll be hard to tell for a long time if this WOE has any impact on the mouth blisters -- I get them only once every few months, generally. My wife, also. But I still appreciate the info!

I got canker sores from gluten ever since I was a kid. Never knew what caused them but I haven't had any since going gluten free a few years back.

I just wanted to clarify for the sake of the thread, the water blisters I get in my mouth aren't canker sores. I've had the odd canker sore in my time, and these are totally different. They are easy come easy go and popping them gets rids of them almost immediately. They seem pretty topical.

Of course that doesn't mean they are.

That sounds weird! I don't think I've ever had those. Well, my guess is a food intolerance.

Agreed. It could also be salicylates... perhaps avoid the coconut oil and olive oil... both are very high in salicylates, which in food chemical intolerant people, can cause lots of skin related issues like rosacea, acne, psoriasis, etc., etc. But for now, I'd give the dairy about a week to see how your mouth clears... that is a good indicator zone it seems.

I would be extremely sad if I found out I was intolerant of salicylates. Very, very sad. I almost don't even want to find out so that I can continue in ignorant bliss.

this is the same as what I get due to B12 deficiency. A co-worker who has pernicious anemia has the exact same thing.
Mom used to call them 'pimples on your tongue from lying'. They are cankers. They look like whitehead pimples with red around them.

"What Triggers Getting a Canker Sore?
The two primary triggers of canker sores are stress and “physical trauma.” Physical trauma can be either a small cut or a bite on the cheek or lip. Hormonal changes can also make one more susceptible to getting a canker sore. So, women during the premenstrual phase are more vulnerable to contracting a canker sore. This may be why more women than men develop canker sores.4 Some nutritional problems (iron, folate or vitamins B1, B2, B6, and B12) and food allergies (eg, coffee, chocolate, cheeses, tomatoes, and gluten) can lead to developing canker sores, but rarely do so."


http://www.contemporarydentalassist.../2006-04_04.asp

A few people on this thread mentioned that they love almond milk but are put off by how pricey it is.

It's actually incredible easy to make your own almond milk if you own a high powered blender like a vita-mix or a blend-tec.

When you go to bed toss about a cup of raw almonds into the blender and enough warm water to cover them by an inch or so. In the morning blend it thoroughly into a thin paste, then add more water gradually until it is roughly the consistency of milk. Finally strain it through a nutmilk bag or a few layers of cheesecloth.

You can get a quart of fresh almond milk for the price of a cup of almonds!! Of course you can add a touch of sea salt, or stevia or vanilla extract or all three. But it's excellent plain.