I don’t like drinking cow’s milk (though I use it in baking/cooking) so I’m always looking for good alternatives. My default choice is soymilk. However, some days I will eat daily bowl of oatmeal with soymilk, have a veggie burger with soy in it and follow-up with tofu for dinner. While I believe soy is a healthy food, I also believe every food should be eaten in moderation. I’m aware of other milk alternatives such as rice and almond milk. However, I’ve resisted using them because they aren’t the nutritional equivalent of milk/soymilk, particular with regards to protein.

Sunday, as I was wandering the aisles of vitamin cottage, I ran across hemp milk. Many of the natural, particularly vegan, cookbooks I’ve run across recently praise the nutritional virtues of hemp seed but I hadn’t seen hemp milk before. It was horribly expensive, about twice what normal soy milk costs. However, I was intrigued by the nutritional facts. One cup of hemp milk contains 5 grams of protein and 20% of the RDA for iron. I’ve become especially interested in these two nutrients since becoming pregnant. In addition, it claims to have 1.2 grams of Omega-3 (though it’s in the ALA form).

How does it taste? In my opinion, not great by itself. I’m not sure I can describe the taste exactly but it’s more savory than I prefer for a plain drink. However, I tried watering it down and using it as a substitute for mushroom soup in Garbanzo Pot Pie and I think it worked pretty well.

Hemp Milk probably won’t become a staple in my pantry but I might buy it occasionally for a savory base in some entrees.