The sale of herbal drinks is growing rapidly and the choice is becoming more and more numerous. In this new school year, the offers in the individual format are very practical for the lunch box. Concentrate on the best decisions!
OUR ANALYSIS
Twelve selections of plant-based beverages in individual formats were analyzed.
- 60 to 160 calories
- 2.5 to 5 g of fat, of which 0 to 1 g is saturated fat
- From 1 to 17 grams of sugar
- From 2 to 26 g of carbohydrates
- From 1 to 7 g of protein
- 15 to 210 mg sodium
- From 0 to 2 g of dietary fiber
- From 0 to 0.2 g of omega-3
- 250 to 300 mg calcium (about 19 to 25% of the daily value)
- 1.5 to 8 mcg vitamin D (about 8 to 40% of the daily value)
Note: Plant-based soy drinks are the closest thing to milk in terms of protein content. They become good food supplements with meals or an interesting snack.
THE BEST SELECTION
Fortified organic soy drink unsweetened by nature-a
Each 200mL serving (1 container) provides 60 calories, 3g fat, 1g sugars and 7g protein. This is the product with the lowest sugar content and highest protein content on the test bench. The ingredient list is simple, with no added sugars and fortified with vitamins and minerals (e.g. calcium, vitamin D), making this product a good plant-based substitute for animal milk. He is the champion of our test stand!
Earth’s Own Original Unsweetened Fortified Oatmeal
Each 250mL serving (1 container) provides 130 calories, 5g fat, 6g sugars and 4g protein. This product is one of the lower sugar options on the test bed and has a slightly above average protein content. The ingredient list is simple, with no added sugar and fortified with vitamins and minerals. Earth’s own unsweetened, vanilla-infused oat drink offers similar nutritional values. As a bonus, both drinks are a source of fiber.
The original enriched organic soy drink from Natur-a
Each 200mL serving (1 container) contains 70 calories, 3g fat, 5g sugars and 5g protein. Even if the product contains added sugars, the amount is lower than the average of the products analyzed and the protein content is higher. The ingredient list is similar to the previous product, but with organic cane sugar in third place.
LOWEST SELECTION
Silk’s plant-based drink with dark chocolate and almond
Each 236mL serving (1 container) contains 2.5g fat, 17g sugars, 1g protein and 210mg sodium. It is the product with the highest sugar content and the saltiest on the test bench. This drink provides only 1g of protein. The list of ingredients is simple and fortified with vitamins and minerals, but cane sugar comes second. Silk’s Vanilla Almond Plant-Based Drink offers similar nutritional values with slightly less sugar (15g) and sodium (170mg).
Natural – a chocolate-enriched almond drink
Each 200mL serving (1 container) provides 90 calories, 16g sugars and 1g protein. This product is among the highest sugar and lowest protein options on the test bench. The ingredient list is simple and fortified with vitamins and minerals, but contains added sugars.
Natur-a Organic soy drink enriched with chocolate
Each 200mL serving (1 container) provides 140 calories, 16g sugars and 6g protein. It is one of the products richest in sugar. However, the protein content is above the average of the analyzed products. The ingredient list is simple and fortified with vitamins and minerals, but includes cane sugar among the first ingredients.
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