After yesterday’s explosive workout, were you disheartened this morning while pouring fat-laden high caloric cow’s milk over the flakes of your most important meal of the day?

Charge past the soggy myth that only bovine milk does a body good. These 5 alternative milks will give you food for thought.

  • Ripple Original Unsweetened Pea Milk  You heard me right. Stop trying to clean the cotton out of your ears. Pea milk can be found in many health food stores, both online and brick & mortar. This is my favorite of all the available alternatives. It has the same amount of protein as cow’s milk, but without obscene sugar content, weighing in at only 6 grams compared to 12 grams produced by Minnie’s best friend, Clarabelle. Each 8 oz. glass has 75 cal. and 8 g. of protein. So if you would like to add a little cream to your morning cup of Joe, pass the peas please.
  • Silk Coconut Milk  I’m not talking about the yummy canned coconut milk concoction blended up resulting in a summer daiquiri topped off with a slice of pineapple and paper umbrella. I speak of healthy goodness and vitamin infused, lactose free, animal free alternative to cow’s milk. Silk’s version contains 50% of your daily B12 and 45% of your daily calcium requirements. An 8 oz. glass contains 45 cal. However, the fact that it is infused with 20% of your daily saturated fat and lacks any protein may be the drawback that keeps you from climbing that coconut tree.  But further inspection reveals that coconut milk is thick and creamy. Who can’t get behind that?
  • Cashew Dream Unsweetened Milk  Organic cashews are pulverized into smithereens and mixed with water, similar to a process used to also make soy milk. Current socioeconomic results have arrived, and similar to what cavemen discovered, nuts are in.  They are healthy sources of brain food, and according to a Harvard Study as reported by BrainHQ.com, daily consumption of nuts reduced death rates by 20% and may provide additional longevity. An 8 oz. glass of cashew milk will cost you 40 cal. and provide 1 g. protein. If you’re gluten intolerant, you’re in luck. Cashew Dream Unsweetened Milk has nary a gluten found in its liquidy froth. From nuts to bolts, cashew milk may be the stuff dreams are made of.
  • Soy Silk Organic Milk  If you stand on the non-GMO platform, you have likely stocked up on your organics. Your fridge may contain shelves of chilled soy milk waiting to be consumed. For the rest of us who reside in our comfortable world of denial, it’s time to step out of the dark and get yourself a tall glass of legumes. Soy has long been a healthy replacement for animal protein. So its inclusion in the Isoflavin hall of fame should come as no surprise to you. Soy boasts higher standards and comes in as the least processed of all alternative milks on this list. 8 oz. of this golden liquid carries 80 cal. and 7 g. protein. Next time you find yourself cruising the Caribbean with Jack Sparrow, raise your glass for the expected Pirate toast, “A’Soy Mate.”
  • Living Harvest Hemp Milk  Being from Denver, the mile high city all the way around, I felt a compulsion to include this little known gem on the alternative list. More than the name might suggest, hemp milk is an excellent source of Omega 3 and 6, landing it squarely in this little grouping of 5 alternatives. In an 8 oz. glass, you can expect 80 cal. and 2 g. protein. While hemp milk is made from cannabis seeds, it doesn’t include the psychoactive ingredient that alters one’s brain patterns. Unlike its ingestible cousin found in shops along many of the main streets of Colorado, hemp milk is legal in all 50 states.

As you peruse the milk alternatives in health food stores, high end grocery chains, and online specialty retailers, keep in mind that even though we crave milk, our systems have not yet evolved to a higher state of animal milk digestion.  Since the average evolution of any new trait takes approximately 10,000 years, the Central Europeans who began drinking dairy milk around 5,500 B.C. only have another 2,500 years of lactose intolerance left. This is exciting news. But in the meantime, maybe we should explore other avenues. I for one will drink alternative milk. I heard it does a body good.

Remember,

Sherrie’s Always Write

Read yesterday’s Workout Wednesday 1/2 Marathon Training Schedule/Schmedule

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