Have you ever questioned what ingredients are in the products you eat or drink especially those that are plant based? 

My Personal Diet History 

For a long time, I didn’t. When I was younger, I would consume what tasted good rather than what was beneficial for me and my health. My go-to meals aside from Haitian food would be pizza, chicken wings, burgers, tacos, anything fried, and tons of dairy. 

Before becoming a vegetarian, I had suffered from gut-related problems, which resulted in me having fewer movements (if you get my drift). But since changing my diet, I have become more aware of what ingredients I consume daily. 

Despite occasionally eating some dairy products, my boyfriend and I eat and buy mostly fresh items, including fruits, vegetables, and nuts. When it came to milk, I stopped consuming whole and 2% brands long ago, stemming from my gut issues. I switched to the alternative Almond milk, which I still drink today. 

The Importance of Ingredients

Although I’ve been vegetarian since September 2021, I didn’t necessarily pay attention to the ingredients until I saw a TikTok video that was reposted on a vegan Instagram page titled Vegan Community. 

The recording first shared on Carlos Adams Bey’s page (@moorishchef) listed the common non-dairy milk brands and their main components, including added gums and emulsifiers. In food, an emulsifier is considered a chemical additive that separates one liquid from another. 

According to “The Conversation” article, a research study on mice shows that consuming emulsifiers can “damage the intestinal barrier, leading to inflammation and increasing our risk of chronic disease.” Emulsifiers are found in various products, including bread, salad dressings, condiment sauces, puddings, margarine, and ice cream.

Despite the alarming concern, it is unclear how emulsifiers can hurt human health because of our overall consumption.

At the same time, Feed Them Wisely shared how various non-dairy milk brands, particularly almond nut alternatives, were deemed unhealthy to consume because they contained either added sugars, gums, carrageenan, lecithin, or all of those components and more. 

The list included Almond Breeze, Califia Farms, Great Value, Pacific Foods, Silk, Simple Truth, and Whole Foods 365. Gums and other thickeners like carrageenan are primarily found in almond milk and a few plant-based beverages. 

These ingredients are used to help enhance the product’s texture, shelf life, and physical appeal. Although it is okay to consume gums occasionally, it isn’t recommended. 

On the other hand, extensive research links that carrageenan consumption can cause inflammatory conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease. 

According to the publication, in 2016, the National Organic Standards Board voted against the use of carrageenan in organic items. But in 2018, the USDA decided not to follow suit and allowed carrageenan to remain an ingredient in organic products. 

The ingredient lecithin in almond milk is an emulsifier that “keeps the almond oils suspended in water.” Despite having a good source of a B vitamin called choline, choline is linked to the creation of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), which is considered to be “a biomarker for cardiovascular disease.”

How to Spot Healthy Plant-Based Milk Products 

So the question you may have next is how to spot healthy plant-based milk products. Usually, depending on the type of milk you get and its brands, the product should be unsweetened, carrageenan-free, nutrient fortified, and have a short ingredients list.

For more information on healthy plant-based milk alternatives, watch the video provided below. 

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