Milk alternative worth trying! Oat Milk!

Good morning Everyone, How am I finding you today? How are the kids? Over here in Anderson-ville, we have a little cold, but life is good. Can I just say, life with MFPI is getting easier as more time goes on... Not that it's an easy thing to deal with, but what stores are offering, that is actually worth eating, is getting better. One of my favorite finds recently is that Oat milk is becoming easier and easier to find, and where is used to be cost prohibitive, it's coming down to where most milk alternatives are. Even silk has it in it's lineup. Some of the great things about oat milk are that it's high in both protein and fiber, but low in fat. A lot of the milk alternatives now days are made from some sort of nut (almond, cashew, coconut), which while nice and high in protein, is also very high in fat. Rice is another alternative, but depending on who is drinking it, and how much, it's also high in sugar, and has the downside of rice having small amounts of arsenic in it. There's some controversy over the whole rice and arsenic thing, so feel free to do your own research on that, and come to your own conclusion. It's not right for us, but it works great for others. :) ANYway, back to milk... Since milk is one of the big sources for kids of both vitamin D and calcium, it's really important that you know how much they are getting, and from what sources. You don't want all of the vitamin D and Calcium to come from "Fortified sources" because their body won't uptake and utilize as much of that, but some is perfectly acceptable, and necessary... Oat milk is also VERY easy to make at home if you are worried about the "Gluten free" side of oats, as I'm sure you've figured out that not all oats are grown equal. If you make it at home, it's a super easy way to ensure that you, or your little one, aren't being "Glutened" as we like to call it. Now, one of the things we love so much about the oatmilk is it's creamy luscious texture. If you have texture kiddos who don't do "grainy", this is a great option to give a try.  One of my FAVORITE oatmilk products actually comes from my favorite dairy free brand, SoDelicious. They sponsored a contest I did a few years back, and they have always been super supportive of my little blog. They make great products, that are becoming easier and easier to find, and that makes life, well, easier. So, I bet you're wondering what my favorite oatmilk product is, aren't you? It's, of course, Ice Cream!!! SoDelicious now has an oatmilk ice cream line, and when I tell you that it's AMAZING, I wholeheartedly mean it. I'm not affiliated with them, I just LOVE their stuff! So, check them out, I promise, THEY ARE AMAZING. haha.

Just for examples sake, we're going to take a look at the silk oatmilk. I'm not in any way affiliated with, nor do I gain benefits from silk in any way, by posting this, so my info is purely for your sake. The information listed is from the info on their website, so feel free to visit them with any questions about their products.
They have 3 "Flavors" available, plain, vanilla and chocolate.

 

Plain Ingredients: Oatmilk (Filtered Water, Oat Extract), 2% or less of: Sunflower Oil, Vitamin and Mineral Blend (Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D2, Riboflavin (B2), Vitamin B12), Malt Extract, Dipotassium Phosphate,  Gellan Gum, Sea Salt, Sunflower Lecithin, Locust Bean Gum, Ascorbic Acid (to protect freshness).

Vanilla Ingredients: Oatmilk (Filtered Water, Oat Extract), 2% or less of: Cane Sugar, Sunflower Oil, Vitamin and Mineral Blend (Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D2, Riboflavin (B2), Vitamin B12), Malt Extract, Dipotassium Phosphate,  Sea Salt, Gellan Gum, Sunflower Lecithin, Locust Bean Gum, Natural Flavor, Ascorbic Acid (to protect freshness).

Chocolate Ingredients: Oatmilk (Filtered Water, Oat Extract), Cane Sugar, 2% or less of: Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Sunflower Oil, Vitamin and Mineral Blend (Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D2, Riboflavin [B2], Vitamin B12), Malt Extract, Sea Salt, Locust Bean Gum, Gellan Gum, Sunflower Lecithin, Ascorbic Acid (to protect freshness), Natural Flavor.