It has been for centuries theelixir balsamic and the refreshing drink par excellence of ours south. Obtained from a widespread and available raw material: le almonds. Today it is already ready in all supermarkets in Italy. A "Announcements" who conquered the Italian: not only have sales increased significantly almond milk but it is also found more and more often used as "noble" ingredient of many industrial products, such as sweet snacks and ice creams. But why do you like it so much?

A true "Latin lover"
To understand the current almond milk boom, one must take a step back and focus on oily fruit from which it is obtained. It is the almond, in all its forms, to be on the crest of the wave like never before: according to the Osservatorio Immagino Nielsen GS1, in super and hypermarkets there are over 900 products that contain it. A number, until a few years ago, unthinkable. Almonds like them because they are good and they do well. And their milk is a tasty and fast way to consume in every moment of the day. Not only: it is also an ingredient smart for many drinks (like smoothies and smoothies) and for many dessert recipes, too unsweetened. And for many it also represents avegetable alternative with cow's milk. Let's deepen these aspects.

A good drink (even in the kitchen)
With his taste delicately sweet, almond milk makes many recipes for cakes, plum cakes, and donuts special puddings. And it is essential to prepare sorbets, granita and that delicious confectionery specialty that is the "biancomangiare". It also lends itself very well to the preparation of thirst quenching drinks and toning, like the smoothie made with 50 g of beet, a carrot, a green apple, a banana, two tablespoons of raspberries and 50 g of ginger. Also try pairing with a superfood like spirulina. That's enough whisk 230 ml of almond milk with 2 grams of spirulina dried, 11 ml of elderflower syrup and 5 ml of juice carrot, and then filter, to get a super drink, perfect after the activity sporty and to cope with the fatigue caused by hot. Besides finding it ready-made, almond milk is easy even from prepare at home using theextractor. 100 g of almonds are left in soaking in 50 cl of water for one night and, the next morning, water is replaced. Then place the almonds in the extractor gradually adding 40 ml of water and a second passage is made in the extractor, adding another water if necessary. The almond milk thus obtained should be consumed within two days.

A beneficial food?
"Drink" the almonds brings the same benefits healthier than eating them? Unfortunately not. In almond milk the amount of this fruit a shell it is very low (around 2%). Most of the product sold at the super is made up of water, from additives (such as stabilizers and emulsifiers) and from sugars added (just check it by reading the list of ingredients). And this explains why the milk of almond is not a light drink: a glass 200 ml is worth about 50kcalorie, made mostly from sugars and fats. Most of his people though fat they are "good" (like oleic and linoleic acid) because they keep the system healthy circulatory. And then in almond milk there is also a good amount of antioxidants, like vitamin E. The mix of minerals, trace elements and vitamins (often added, as specified on the packaging) makes it a good one supplement natural for those who follow a diet Vegetarian or wants to give up, at least for a while, to animal proteins and lactose, which it lacks. However, almond milk is not a real alternative to that of cow, because it is too low in protein (less than 1%), too full of sugar and is naturally deficient in some important micronutrients, such as football, vitamin D and la vitamin B12. Furthermore, according to the WHO, replacing cow's milk with almond milk leads to iodine deficiency, increasing the risk of damage brain.

Manuela Soressi
July 2019

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