Question:
All Hail Trader Joe's!

An acquaintance of mine was telling me a bit the other night about how soy is so chemically altered that it really isn't good for us. I'll admit it right now - I haven't done my own research, so I don't know too much about it. She recommended almond milk, so I made a trip to Trader Joe's yesterday. I bought two different brands of almond milk (one brand was $1.69, the other $1.99) and a canister of Designer Whey chocolate protein powder. I am in looove! This is an amazing combination! It was a little too thick for my tastes, though, so I'm going to throw in an extra ounce of the almond milk in there tomorrow and see if that helps thin it out a bit. I'm thrilled that I've finally found a protein shake that I believe I will be able to stick with!    — lauren_marie (posted on August 26, 2008)

August 25, 2008
Can you tell me the protein content and sugar content of the almond milk? I read somewhere a recipe to make almond milk but can't remember what it was...I'll have to google one.
   — Hollywog

August 26, 2008
Pacific Natural Foods - all natural almond non dairy beverage - Low Fat Original flavor ... Serving size: 1 cup (8oz) ... Calories: 70 ... Total Carbs: 9g (Dietary Fiber 1g ... Sugars 8g) ... Protein 1g ($1.69 at Trader Joe's for a 32oz container) Blue Diamond Almond Breeze ... Original flavor ... Serving Size: 1 cup (8oz) ... Calories: 60 ... Total Carbs: 8g (Dietary Fiber 1g ... Sugars 7g) ... Protein 1g ($1.99 at Trader Joe's for a 32oz container) I do not get enough sugar in the rest of my diet every day to worry that this has too much - I have read that we shouldn't have more than 5g of sugar per serving of anything ... I made a 3oz shake yesterday morning for tasting purposes and then another 6oz shake that I sipped on yesterday afternoon ... I can tell when I am getting too much sugar - I don't dump (thank God I haven't yet! I'm too afraid to try anything that might cause me to dump!), but my heart does start to race a little and I just feel like something isn't right. I am happy to report that the protein shake with almond milk did not do that to me. :-) Hope this info helps! If there's anything else you want to know, feel free to ask!
   — lauren_marie

August 26, 2008
Another solution to this problem is to buy a SoyMilk MAKER. The machine itself is an investment, to be sure, but after the initial purchase, you can make your OWN SoyMilk for PENNIES on the DOLLAR! A bit of experimenting and some recipes from either the book that comes WITH the machine or online, will give you a product that you ENJOY, and you will QUICKLY save enough money to PAY for the machine! All you need to do is to find a source for soybeans. It can be your local health food store, or an online source. We went online, since we did not have a local source. We had NO PROBLEM finding quality soybeans at reasonable prices even with SHIPPING added. You can often find SoyMilk makers on eBay. Sometimes you can even get good quality USED ones at reasonable prices. My WIFE bought hers NEW. It DOES take planning and a bit of work, but the effort is WORTH it. You know EXACTLY what you have. Hugh
   — hubarlow

August 26, 2008
We buy the almond milk from Trader Joe's, and have for years. I stay FAR FAR away from soy anything. My pregnant daughter enjoys her chocolate IsaLean shake made with chocolate almond milk!!! YUMMMMY.
   — Ruth Shapovalov

August 27, 2008
My partner is a vegan, so we've done a lot of experimenting with various "milks." My favorite is chocolate Almond Breeze... it does have sugar but you can buy unsweetened and use splenda to sweeten as needed. Half of a frozen banana plus a couple ounces of chocolate (or even plain) almond milk = yum, yum, yum. It also makes great ice cream. There are a million and one "milks" including hemp, oat, and hazelnut milks each with its own strengths and weaknesses. As far as soy being chemically altered, I can't imagine that it'd be any worse than the hormones and antibiotics that are prevalent dairy industry. You can, however, buy organic soymilk (almond too) if you are willing to spend a little bit more.
   — mrsidknee

September 3, 2008
Lauren, did you find the almond milk in the dairy aisle (i.e. refridgerated) or baking aisle? I know I have seen it before, but can't remember exactly where. I will send my grocery shopping challenged husband to pick up some.
   — txsewrn

September 3, 2008
Judy - At the Trader Joe's where I shop, the almond milk was on a non-refrigerated shelf located between the juice and the refrigerator case with the sour cream, eggs, milk, etc. I haven't looked for it anywhere else, so I'm not sure where they keep it in "regular" grocery stores.
   — lauren_marie