SNAP Challenge | Day 2

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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!!