Emily Lam

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Sunday, February 09, 2014

SNAP Challenge | Day 2

--> SNAP Challenge <--

I'm not big on breakfast, and it's mostly because breakfast foods are not my favorite -- I do like omelets, regular toast, and french toast, but that's about it. It's also no secret that I don't like milk. However, I do realize that's probably where I'm least healthiest. Sometimes I feel like I must have a calcium deficiency, but my doctor hasn't mentioned it yet. I occasionally do try to remedy that by drinking almond milk. These two weeks are one of those occasional times.

So for breakfast I had a small mug of Califia Farms vanilla almond milk (gluten free, no soy, no GMO, and lactose free) with a chocolate chip cookie. This sounds pretty basic and maybe unhealthy except for the fact that almond milk is choke full of nutritious value. Here's a direct comparison with 2% milk and soy milk with healthier choice in color font.

Calories: almond: 50 calories, 2%: 130 calories, soy: 110 calories.
Calories from fat: almond: 35 calories, 2%: 45 calories, soy: 40.
Total fat: almond: 3-5g, 2%: 5g, soy: 4.5g.
Saturated Fat: almond: 0g, 2%: 3g, soy: 0.5g.
Trans Fat: all 0g.
Cholesterol: almond: 0mg, 2%: 20mg, soy: 0mg.
Sodium: almond: 160mg, 2%: 130mg, soy: 105mg.
Total Carbohydrate: almond: 4g, 2%: 12g, soy: 9g.
Dietary Fiber: almond: 1g, 2%: 0g, soy: 2g.
Sugars: almond: 3g, 2%: 12g, , soy: 6g.
Protein: almond: 1g, 2%: 8g, soy: 8g.

Vitamin A: almond: 15%, 2%: 10%, soy: 10%.
Calcium: almond: 45%, 2%: 30%, soy: 45%.
Vitamin D: almond: 35%, 2%: 25%, soy: 30%.
Riboflavin: almond: 35%, 2%: no mention, soy: 30%.
Magnesium: almond: 6%, 2%: no mention, soy: 15%.
Vitamin C: almond: 0%, 2%: 4%, soy: 15%.
Iron: almond: 4%, 2%: 0%, soy: 8%.
Vitamin E: almond: 60%, 2%: no mention, , soy: no mention.
Vitamin B12: almond: 60%, 2%: no mention, soy: 50%.
Zinc: almond: 10%, 2%: no mention, soy: no mention.
Copper: almond: 4%, 2%: no mention, soy: no mention.

Yes, you read that correctly. Almond milk has more Calcium and Vitamin D than 2% milk! It's the perfect substitute for some like me who doesn't like cow milk at all.

Other healthy attributes of almond milk: no saturated or trans fat -- only healthy fats, half the calories of 2% milk, no cholesterol, dietary fiber, small amounts of carbohydrates, antioxidants (specifically Vitamin E), and other minerals. 2% milk won in the sodium, protein, and vitamin C category. However, none of those categories are concerns for me. I generally use little to no salt in my meals; I get enough protein and Vitamin C from other sources. So yay for almond milk.

For lunch, I finished the fried rice from yesterday. I realize I didn't list the ingredients of yesterday's fried rice, so I'll do that now: rice, carrots, chicken, eggs, scallions, soy sauce, vegetable oil, sesame seed oil, and thyme.

For dinner, I had a lightly breaded flounder fillet with a sprinkle of black pepper served with rice, carrots, mother-made fish sauce, and raspberry lemonade. Yum!!

1 comment:

Alex said...

Saturated fat is actually good for you. The Lipid Hypothesis of the 1950s was shoddy science, and few peer-reviewed studies have been performed since. The findings were partly falsified, and the studies that have been performed since have shown little correlation, let alone causation, between the consumption of saturated fat and heart disease. Rather, polyunsaturated fats go rancid when heated, causing a slew of health problems.
Also, grains == bad!

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