Keeping blood glucose -- or blood sugar -- levels in check means leading a healthy lifestyle, controlling your carb intake and taking medications if your doctor recommends them. Though your body does require carbs daily to function properly, excess carbohydrate consumption can cause spikes in blood sugar. Drinking unsweetened almond milk instead of higher-carb beverages won’t increase your blood sugar as much.
Effects on Blood Sugar
Choosing unsweetened almond milk over cow’s milk, sweetened almond milk or regular soy milk can help minimize blood sugar increases. This is because unsweetened almond milk contains less than 1 gram of carbohydrates per cup and will cause little -- if any -- increase in blood sugar. This would be beneficial for people with diabetes, or prediabetes, and anyone who wants to control overall carbohydrate intake to keep blood sugar levels under control.
Benefits of Almond Milk
Unsweetened almond milk is a low-calorie beverage rich in heart-healthy fats. A cup contains just 30 calories, making it beneficial when you’re trying to shed pounds. In comparison, 1 cup of skim milk contains about 85 calories and 12 grams of carbs, and a cup of unsweetened soy milk provides about 80 calories and 3 grams of carbohydrates. Many types of unsweetened almond milk are fortified with essential vitamins and minerals, such as calcium, zinc, riboflavin and vitamins A, D, B-12 and E.
The unsweetened version of almond milk lacks the protein found in cow's and soy milks. While skim and soy milks often contain 7 to 8 grams of dietary protein, unsweetened almond milk provides just 1 gram. Furthermore, since carbohydrates are your body’s preferred source of energy and protein helps boost satiety, drinking unsweetened almond milk may not curb your hunger, unless paired with foods containing carbs and protein.
Lowering Blood Glucose
Controlling carbohydrates in your diet is one of the best ways to help lower high blood sugar and keep your levels in check. The American Diabetes Association suggests aiming to eat about 45 to 60 grams of carbs at each meal. To help control high blood sugar over time and reduce your risk for developing diabetes, lose weight if you’re overweight or obese and exercise regularly, suggests the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse.
- Silk.com: Unsweetened Original Almond Milk
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Milk, Nonfat, Fluid, With Added Vitamin A and Vitamin D (Fat Free or Skim)
- Silk.com: Organic Unsweetened Soymilk
- American Diabetes Association: Carbohydrate Counting
- National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC): I Can Lower My Risk for Type 2 Diabetes
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