An Obsessively Curated List of Clean and Tasty Packaged Food Products (Part 3 – M to O)
Massa Organics Raw Almonds
March 1, 2017
By Lisa Petrison
This is part of a discussion of exceptional food products that may be worth considering by those who would like to really enjoy eating while simultaneously avoiding the large amounts of glyphosate, mycotoxins and various other poisons that are pervasive in the modern food supply (and in particular in the modern U.S. food supply).
Links to all parts are as follows.
All products mentioned in this article should be assumed to be without ingredients that have been treated with non-organic pesticides/fungicides/herbicides as well as gluten-free, unless stated otherwise.
It is my goal that only items that are GMO-free and glyphosate-free be included in this entire discussion. To my knowledge, the only exceptions are a few meat or dairy products for which a small percentage of the animal’s feed may have consisted of GMO grains or alfalfa; these are marked as noted below.
Items listed at the bottom of each category are ones that I have consumed repeatedly myself and feel comfortable recommending to others, in terms of my belief that they likely will be free of unacceptable amounts of toxicity and that they likely will provide an enjoyable eating experience.
Notations on the lists are as follow
(1) – Item may contain gluten or gluten cross-contamination.
(2) – Item may contain products that were grown with non-organic herbicides/fungicides/insecticides (or where the involved animals may have consumed such products).
(3) – Item consists of dairy or meat from a largely grass-fed animal receiving some supplemental feed, including a small percentage of feed with the potential of having been glyphosate-contaminated.
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise is very easy to make at home and will keep for a week or so in the refrigerator. A big benefit of homemade mayonnaise is that you can use any type of oil you like (I think olive oil is good but some people prefer avocado. sunflower or other oil).
Homemade mayonnaise can be made with an immersion blender or a regular blender (a food processor will work fine too). If you are nervous about raw egg yolks, you can cook them first to be safe.
However, there are many situations (such as camping) where making your own mayonnaise may be totally impractical. And personally, although I usually make mayonnaise if it is an important part of a recipe, I do also have a jar of store-bought mayo in the refrigerator to use in smaller amounts on luncheon meat sandwiches or emergency tuna fish salads.
Most of the organic mayonnaise on the market – including Spectrum, The Ojai Cook and Woodstock – contains eggs plus soy oil, which holds up well in mayonnaise but supposedly has the potential of contributing to thyroid issues and other health problems. I have sometimes purchased these products but tended not to eat too much of them, in large part due to these kinds of health concerns.
Another product line that I have used on occasion is Vegenaise. This company’s products are sold in the refrigerator section of the grocery store, do not contain eggs and are stated as being GMO-free across the board. There are several varieties, which contain the following main ingredients.
Organic: Soybean oil, soy protein.
Regular: Canola oil, soy protein.
Grapeseed: Grapeseed oil, soy protein.
Soy-Free: Safflower oil, pea protein.
I have purchased this product mostly with the goal of avoiding soy oil and canola oil, and so have only tried the grapeseed and the soy-free versions.
Recently I tried two newer mayonnaise products, both of which are soy-free.
Primal Kitchen is a mayonnaise product created to serve the Paleo community. It contains eggs and avocado oil (and no sugar at all). All the ingredients except for the avocado oil are organic.
Sir Kensington’s Organic contains egg yolks and sunflower oil. (The Sir Kensngton’s line also includes some other mayonnaise items, including an avocado oil version that is non-GMO but with only the sugar marked as organic.)
In tasting all of these mayonnaises, my conclusion is that none of them taste as good as my homemade mayonnaise right off the spoon, but that they are all at least acceptable when used on food.
The non-vegan mayos with soy oil taste the most like Hellman’s, if that is a goal. Of these, I think The Ojai Cook version is the best.
The Vegenaise does not really taste like mayonnaise to me, but it does taste fresh and mildly pleasant. Mostly it adds the desired creaminess to foods in an innocuous way.
The Sir Kensington’s tastes to me very slightly like Miracle Whip (and not in a bad way at all) – slightly more sugar and a bit more mustard and other spices than the rest of the brands discussed here.
The Primal Kitchen mayonnaise seemed a little less good to me off the spoon than the others in terms of the taste. Still, I’ve managed to get through most of a jar of it and it has been fine.
Although I tend to think that concern about soy has been blown a bit out of proportion, probably I will try to steer away from the soy-oil mayonnaise in the future since the non-soy products also seem fine. I’m sort of thinking I may stick with the Sir Kensington’s, but I will see how I feel about it in different foods as I use up the jar. The soy-free Vegenaise likely would be my second choice at this point.
A mayonnaise that I have yet to try is Wilderness Family Naturals, which is both soy-free and organic. It uses sesame seed oil, coconut oil, olive oil, sunflower seed lecithin and eggs, and it tends to get great reviews from customers. However, it is available only sporadically and to my knowledge only from the company’s website.
I also not yet tried the flavored Primal Kitchen Chipotle Mayonnaise, which gets particularly good reviews. It contains pretty much all organic ingredients except for the avocado oil.
Sir Kensington’s Organic Mayonnaise
Sir Kensington’s Special Sauce (2)
Meat & Eggs – Local Producers
I believe that the best meat is almost always produced by small farmers raising small numbers of animals in as natural of a setting as possible, using either clean pasture or organic feed as the food source. Seeking out local farmers who can supply this kind of meat and then supporting those individuals on a consistent basis is an activity that I see as critical for anyone who wants to minimize dietary toxic exposures and to obtain the important health benefits that good animal protein sources can provide.
Unfortunately though, especially in locations other than the West Coast, the number of farmers raising animal products in ways that allow the avoidance of glyphosate and other problematic toxins is still pretty small. It therefore may be necessary to do some hunting in order to find meat and eggs that free from excessive toxicity.
If small farmers are producing organic meats on pasture, then the products are likely to be good. However, there are many farmers who are choosing to raise meat without the use of chemical-contaminated feed but who are not labeling the product as organic – either because they object to some of the requirements of organic farming (such as not giving animals antibiotics if they get sick), or because they cannot find a slaughterhouse to process animals in ways needed for organic certification, or because they have concluded that dealing with the government in order to get certified is too expensive and time-consuming.
In many cases, farmers will volunteer that the animals are pastured or grass-fed, which is fine but not sufficient for the purposes of avoiding toxicity. The critical question that needs to be asked is “What kind of supplemental feed is the animal eating?” – with the desired response being that they are eating feed produced without the use of glyphosate (such as organic feed or feed raised by the farmer without the use of chemicals).
Especially for pigs, farmers often report that they cannot afford to provide a diet of all-organic feed because too few people are willing to pay pork prices that support this. In some cases farmers will state that they are using GMO-free feed, but that is a much more ambiguous concept since items such as wheat may be glyphosate-contaminated even though they are non-GMO crops. Pigs also seem to be so willing to eat anything that there may be a temptation for organic or non-organic farmers to use low-quality feed, which therefore may be contaminated with mycotoxins.
Although chickens do well on pasture (eating bugs as well as remnants of crops that already have been harvested), they virtually always will be eating supplemental feed in addition to what they are finding in the field. It may be essential to probe substantially on the toxicity in feed issue, since many producers of chickens and eggs supplement with non-organic commercial protein mix containing glyphosate-contaminated soy even if they are growing the bulk of their own feed without pesticides.
For beef and lamb, 100% grass fed products tend to be safest. Although it certainly is possible for farmers to produce organic meat by feeding organic grains as well as grass/hay to the animals, I haven’t noted many small farmers being interested in doing that recently. Instead they mostly tend to be gravitating toward promoting 100% grass-fed meat. (Note that “grass-finished” products generally seem to be assumed to be 100% grass fed, while just “grass-fed” products may have received substantial amounts of other food in addition to grass.)
A good start for finding local producers of high-quality meat are the websites Local Harvest and Eat Wild.
Following are some of the small producers of animal products that have impressed me over the years.
Casa Rosa Farms (Capay Valley, CA)
O’Connell Organic Acres (Bankston, IA)
Pasture Chick Ranch (Hollister, CA)
Meat & Eggs – National Producers
Virtually all meat sold in the U.S. is raised in ways that ensure that the end product is very toxic and that also are very inhumane to the animals.
However, in some cases (such as when traveling around the country in an RV), being able to turn to larger producers of meat products sold in stores can be very useful.
Note that even if a meat product is marked as Non-GMO Project Verified, that does not mean that the animals did not receive any GMO feed. This is a concern for me because it seems that glyphosate has the potential of being stored in the fat and the flesh of the animals, and also because glyphosate likely will have caused negative effects on the animals’ microbiomes (thus causing them to have been less healthy and to have yielded inferior-quality meat).
One possible exception here is Mary’s Chickens. The company states that all the chickens that it offers – including the non-organic ones – have received only non-GMO verified feed. While it could be that the chickens are being fed some non-GMO grains (such as as oats or wheat) that have been treated with glyphosate as a pre-harvest dessicant, my understanding is that commercial chicken feed consists mostly of corn and soy (both of which seem rarely treated with glyphosate when non-GMO). In any case, I have eaten the non-organic Mary’s Chickens on numerous occasions (since Cid’s Food Market in Taos uses them for their carryout roasted chicken) and always have felt fine about them.
For the other companies listed here that produce both organic and natural versions of their products – including Applegate, Aidell’s and Smart Chicken – I suggest sticking with the organic products.
Unfortunately, only the natural versions of the Applegate products are available in many stores. When I can find them though, the organic luncheon meats are delicious and very convenient. The company also produces pretty good organic bacon, as well as organic sausages in a range of interesting flavor combinations. Even their organic hot dogs feel pretty good to me.
Aidell’s sells a line of flavored organic sausages (very similar to Applegate’s) that I also have enjoyed.
While I think I prefer Mary’s chickens (it would be interesting to do a comparison taste test), I’ve enjoyed a few organic Smart Chickens over the years too.
Organic Prairie produces a wide variety of organic products that for some reason I have rarely seen in stores. I have liked the products of theirs that I have tried, however.
Blackwing is a Chicago meat producer that offers a wide range of meat products, including such unusual items as elk, goat, ostrich, rabbit and venison. Most of their meat is raised on organic feed and/or on natural grass, but some of it is obtained from animals that have spent their lives in the wild. The latter seems to me to have the potential of being problematic for those who are trying to avoid glyphosate, since those animals often get much of their food from raiding farm fields. After reading the description on the company’s website, I am for sure going to be avoiding their wild boar, for instance. I’ve tried a number of the company’s non-wild products and felt they were good though.
Tropical Traditions also sells a wide range of grass-fed or pastured meats that I have heard good things about but have not yet tried.
For eggs, I feel that the chickens need to be both pastured (not just cage-free) and receiving only organic or glyphosate-free supplemental feed, since any other kinds of eggs invariably make me feel quite sick. While I know that such eggs are available from some large egg producers, I have never seen them in any stores and so do not have any recommendations with regard to brands.
Usually if I search I can find these sorts of eggs being produced by local farmers, but they are typically quite expensive (usually ranging from $5-12 per dozen depending on the location and distribution channel). I think they are well worth spending money on though, because good eggs have so many health benefits and because suboptimal eggs tend to be even more toxic than other suboptimal foods.
Meat Snacks
Tanka Bar is a Native American company with the goal of producing meat snacks made of 100% grass-fed buffalo and cranberries. Their website suggests that they currently are only able to source 75% grass-fed animals and that the rest have eaten at some point in their lives some other kind of unspecified feed. (The website also notes that the cranberries are sweetened with non-GMO cane sugar.)
Despite my concern that some of the buffalo may have eaten glyphosate-tainted feed at some point during their lives, Tanka bars taste quite clean and good to me. In addition, from what I have seen, Native Americans seem even more opposed to the use of chemicals in their foods and on their lands than I am, and so my guess would be that they also are concerned about the toxicity of any supplemental food that the animals are still getting and doing their best to minimize it.
I thus am feeling reasonably good about the Tanka Bar products and hope that they will continue getting even better as time goes on.
Mighty Bar is a new product in this category, offered by Organic Prairie (a fairly large member-owned cooperative of smaller farmers committed to raising organic meat). The organic-certified bars are made of 100% grass-fed beef, along with either cranberries and sunflower seeds or organic bacon and apples. I thought that the bar that I tried felt really clean and tasted good. I think that I still slightly prefer the Tanka Bars, but that may just be a personal preference of liking the taste of buffalo more than beef.
Another new meat snack product is Wild Zora, which places a lot of emphasis on the larger amount of fruit and vegetables in the bars. All the Wild Zora beef bars include 100% grass-fed meat and organic vegetables (with some non-organic spices); however, the Parmesan Beef version also contains regular cheese that has the potential of being contaminated with glyphosate. Unfortunately, the company does not seem to be sourcing lamb or turkey that ate only non-GMO or organic feed, and so I am not planning to sample those bars. I did try the Chili Beef bar (which includes kale, apricot and cayenne pepper), and I thought it felt quite clean to me and was pretty good-tasting. Especially for those who like spicy food, the Chili Beef or the BBQ Beef bars from this company could be worth a try.
A company that is currently competing fiercely with Tanka Bar for market share is Epic Bar, which started as an independent company but was bought by General Mills in early 2016. Epic sells a wide range of meat bars, including bison, pork, chicken, beef, wild turkey, lamb, venison, salmon and wild boar.
A few of the bars are stated as being from 100% grassfed bison, beef or lamb. Although I spent quite a lot of time searching, I was not able to find information on what exactly the other animals are eating, and the company did not respond to my email inquiry.
I purchased a half-dozen of these bars and sampled them all. Some (such as the wild turkey) felt so problematic to me that I could not eat more than a tiny bite. The ones stated as being 100% grassfed did feel better, but still, not as good as the bars from the companies mentioned above.
So all in all, my guess here is that many of these animals are getting substantial amounts of gyphosate in their feed. I’m pretty disinclined to purchase any more of the Epic bars after my taste-testing experience, but insofar as people do buy them, sticking with the 100% grass fed ones would seem safest.
I also tried two other snack products from Epic: their bacon bits and their pork skins.
The bacon bits felt toxic to me in the way that meat from animals that ate glyphosate-contaminated feed always feels toxic. This confused me at first, since upon my original reading the website made it sound like the hogs were getting only GMO-free feed: “Bits are created from non-GMO fed chicken and heritage breed Berkshire pork bellies.”
But in looking more closely at the website, it actually does not say that the pork bits got a GMO-free diet – just that they use Berkshire heritage breeds. The chicken bits are stated as having a GMO-free diet though.
The pork skins, on the other hand, felt great to me. I was stunned at how much I liked them.
In looking at the website, it states that the pork skins originate from “a blend of organic, non-GMO, pastured and antibiotic-free pork.”
So I am thinking that this product sounds like a crap shoot – that some of the pigs that they are using are not eating glyphosate in their food and that some of them are eating it. Which is really too bad, because I liked the pork skins that I tried so much that I would like to have the option of buying them again and knowing that they will be okay.
Probably with General Mills owning the company though, that is not ever going to happen. The mentality that is going on here instead seems to be to cut corners with regard to the type of feed that is used and then to hope that the consumer buys into the romance of the “wild” concept and doesn’t ask too many questions.
Wild Zora Chili Beef/BBQ Beef Bars (2)
Milk
Conventional milk is, of course, an extremely toxic product, and the cows who produce the milk are treated horribly. So I never drink any of that milk.
To my understanding, most of the industrial organic milk sold in supermarkets is only a little better than conventional milk on these dimensions. In addition, this organic milk usually is ultrapasteurized, which allows it to last for long periods of time on store shelves but also alters its character in negative ways.
I find this milk to be very dead-tasting and unappealing, and so don’t drink any of it either.
The milk that I have liked the most has been from Claravale Farm, which is a small producer of raw Jersey cow and goat milk located a few miles from Mercey Hot Springs in central California.
I found their milk to be a revelation, and I drank a whole lot of it (made into kefir and straight) during the year that I was living in that area.
Despite my enthusiasm for Claravale’s products, and despite the fact that raw milk has many supposed health benefits, I have a few misgivings about raw milk as a product category.
I do think that bad bacteria can be a health concern, especially for those with any type of chronic illness, and so facilities have to be rigorously maintained in order for the milk to be safe. (Claravale’s owner is a Ph.D. microbiologist, but even they have had a couple of incidents where contaminated milk from an affected cow was released into the marketplace.)
Converting raw milk into kefir seems to me safest, since the cultures will tend to crowd out any bad bacteria that might be present. Although I drank a fair amount of unfermented as well as fermented Claravale milk, I do think that I was taking a small risk in doing that.
Another issue is that many raw products are not labeled as organic.
The problem with organic certification is that it does not allow animals that have ever received an antibiotic to be used for milk production. This leaves small organic dairy companies with four bad options if any of their animals get sick: 1) don’t treat the animal in an effective way, 2) keep the animal sequestered from the rest of the herd for the rest her life and sell her milk as non-organic, 3) sell the animal to a non-organic dairy company that likely will not treat her very well, or 4) slaughter the animal.
As a result, many small dairy companies like Claravale choose not to be labeled as organic. The problem then becomes that without the organic certification, the consumer will need to ask some questions to find out what the animals have been eating and also trust that the owners are telling the truth on this matter. Claravale uses all-organic feed and grass, but that may not be the case for other producers.
I’ve tried a few other raw milks over the years and didn’t feel that those products were anything like the milk produced by Claravale. Very good pasteurized milk actually feels better to me.
Besides, living here in the Heartland, the only legal way for me to get raw milk would be to keep my own goat, which – despite the fact that goats are charming animals – does not seem all that practical. So unless I end up moving back to California, I think this may be it with regard to raw milk for me.
Unlike some people, I do not believe that regular pasteurization of milk destroys all of its health benefits. Both Straus (based in California) and Kalona SuperNatural (based in Iowa) produce non-homogenized, flavorful, organic, pasteurized dairy products that feel very good to me, for instance.
Another question is the type of feed used – that is, fresh grass, dried grass or grain.
Certainly, all the organic dairy farmers that I have talked to agree that conventional dairy cows tend to get much too much grain. However, quite a few of them (including the owners of Claravale) argue that because modern dairy cows are bred to produce enormous amounts of milk and also are giving birth yearly, it is difficult for them to get the nutrition that they need just from hay and grass. It therefore can be that having a small percentage of the feed consist of the concentrated nutrition in grains (which is how dairy cows have traditionally been fed for many centuries) can be helpful to them, these farmers state.
(Note that to my understanding, organic grains are extremely expensive and that saving money on feed costs does not seem to be a motivating force here.)
Another question is whether dairy cows should be eating only fresh grass as opposed to hay. The rationale for the fresh-grass argument appears to have its origins in a 1993 journal article, which suggests that people may be able to make up for not getting enough omega-3 oils in their general diets by drinking milk from cows that consumed only fresh grass.
Whether or not that is true, the fact remains that even when milk is labeled as “100% grassfed,” it virtually always is the case that a high percentage of the grass that has been eaten actually was dried grass (that is, hay) rather than fresh grass.
In most cases, fresh grass is not available year round due to weather issues. In addition, it is my understanding that the nutritional requirements of modern dairy animals are so high that it would be difficult for them to get enough calories eating only fresh grass and therefore that they will choose the more concentrated nutrition in hay for part of their diet unless not given that option.
Note that dried hay has just as much potential of being moldy as grain. Therefore, I do not see avoiding mycotoxins as a good reason for choosing 100% grassfed dairy rather than dairy that received some grain.
In summary, after talking to a lot of farmers and reading a lot on this topic and trying many different milks, I think that either 100% grassfed milk (from cows who ate hay as well as some fresh grass) or traditional dairy milk (from cows who ate mostly hay well as some fresh grass and a little grain) is fine.
I do not think that 100% pastured dairy is a good idea, and this is not something that is going to be available anyway, from what I have seen.
The one milk from a big company that I buy sometimes is Organic Valley Grassmilk, but that is not because the cows ate only grass. It is because – unlike the other milks from Organic Valley and Horizon – it is not ultrapasteurized and also is not homogenized. In addition, it is my understanding that it is produced by smaller quality dairies rather than by larger industrial-organic dairies. Although I still would rather have good milk from an independent dairy and not support Organic Valley at all, sometimes Grassmilk has been the only decent milk easily available to me, and I will say that the quality has been pretty good.
Cornucopia provides a list of organic dairies throughout the U.S., and I would encourage others to seek out smaller local organic dairies in their own areas.
One type of milk that is gaining in popularity that I have yet to try is camel’s milk. Desert Farms Camel Milk is a source that has been suggested to me.
Claravale Farm Raw Jersey Cow Milk
Mineral Water
Although I am not happy at all about some of the practices of some of the big bottled water companies, I still believe that the benefits of bottled water (especially for individuals who are sick with mold-related illness) in certain circumstances may make the purchase of it a worthwhile thing to do.
One instance is when local water is contaminated with cyanobacteria toxins, which cannot be effectively filtered from the water by the consumer. For that reason, I have routinely purchased good-quality spring water – such as Arrowhead or Crystal Geyser – for general drinking purposes when spending time in certain locations.
In addition, I believe that certain mineral waters may have benefits in providing minerals that are much more easily absorbed than are the minerals in nutritional supplements.
For instance, Dave Asprey has written about the benefits of drinking San Pellegrino due to the sulphites in it.
Certain other waters including Fiji are said to have large amounts of silica, which can be helpful in removing aluminum to the body.
While I have found both of those waters to be especially appealing to me at certain times in my recovery, I think it is likely that other mineral waters also may be especially appropriate in some cases due to their having high levels of other minerals that certain people are currently lacking. I thus would suggest that people try out a variety of mineral waters and then, if a certain one feels really good, drink more of it.
I’ve heard especially enthusiastic reports about Gerolsteiner, Perrier and Voss from specific individuals recovering from mold-related illness, for example. (Gerolsteiner, a German brand, also has the distinction of being one of the few mineral waters that is still independent rather than owned by a big, badly behaved water conglomerate.)
Although both San Pellegrino and Fiji are widely available in the U.S., I have found Walmart to have particularly good prices on them.
San Pellegrino Sparkling Mineral Water
Mustard
First, for those who are real mustard fans (or feel that they could become fans if they obtained the right product), it may be worthwhile to just go ahead and order a jar of the heavily seeded and sharply flavored Pommery Moutard de Meaux from France and be done with it. There is nothing that approaches it in the U.S., and its not being labeled as organic does not seem to me to be an issue of concern. (Just be patient in prying the plastic top off the jar – a butter knife or something similar will be needed.)
Note that despite having a lot of seeds in it, the Old Style mustard sold by Maille is now made in North America and that I am pretty horrified about the sugar, dextrose and natural flavors listed on the label. (Those sound like they are likely contaminated with glyphosate and would make for a terrible seeded mustard regardless.)
More authentic seeded mustards from France occasionally have been spotted at Costco or Trader Joe’s, however, and so could be worth keeping an eye out for.
The closest organic mustard that I have found to the Pommery is Eden, but it has not enough mustard flavor and too much apple cider vinegar for my taste, and in general really isn’t the same at all.
I also used to really like the mild and creamy flavored organic mustards from True Natural Taste, but they are not currently being made. Annie’s is the closest available organic substitute.
I’ve tried a few of the creatively flavored mustards from Stonewall Kitchen (a company that states on its website that it has removed virtually all GMO ingredients from its line). Despite the company’s unfortunate tendency to use thickeners such as cornstarch and xanthan gum in many of its mustards, they are not too bad for that kind of thing.
A few other mustard lines with ingredients that sound good despite not being labeled as organic that I would like to try are Sir Kensington’s and Mustard & Co.
Looking around locally for mustard (or even making it yourself through a fermentation process) also may be worthwhile.
For instance, recently I picked up a spicy German-style mustard (non-organic but with simple non-objectionable ingredients) from the Amana Meat Shop and Smokehouse here in the Heartland. It certainly was a lot better than anything that the big organic companies are selling anyway.
Non-Dairy Milk
It’s been very rare for me in recent years to buy non-dairy milk. I don’t use much milk in general, and when I do, it generally is good cow’s milk.
Sometimes I have made my own nut milk by soaking the nuts overnight and then mixing them with water in a blender. (Since usually I am using this for cereals or blended drinks, I don’t bother to strain out the solids.)
Even easier is to mix a tablespoon or two of coconut butter, canned coconut milk, nut butter and/or seed butter with water in a shaker jar or blender. This works well when on the road or when pressed for time, and the results are much better than any of the pre-prepared non-dairy milk products. (Please see the section on Coconut Butter for more details.)
However, packaged non-dairy milks have the potential of being so convenient that it may be unrealistic to think that no one is ever going to consume them. They can be especially useful for camping and other travel; in locations where high-quality organic dairy milk is not readily available; and when time-pressed people are not able to tolerate or willing to consume dairy milk.
I wondered as I was writing this blog whether there were any good packaged non-dairy milks that I had missed in the marketplace. Therefore, a few weeks ago I purchased a dozen different products and gave them all a try.
I tried all of the most popular items from the big companies, as well as some additional products that seemed like they could be a better choice from a health or quality perspective. I chose the unsweetened versions when available, adding maple syrup as necessary to make them more palatable.
In sampling all these non-dairy milks, I realized again why I have not been interested in using this type of product. Most of them were astoundingly bad, to the point that I just dumped them down the sink after I tried them.
The ingredient lists of almost all of these non-dairy milks (including the organic ones) contain many food-science-type substances that I do not ever want to eat. Perhaps the most concerning of these is carrageenan, which is recognized as being an inflammatory compound that can lead to a variety of negative health effects but peculiarly is still allowed in organic foods.
With only a couple of exceptions, the non-dairy milks that did not contain carrageenan instead had a food additive called gellan gum, which is a “water-soluble anioic polysaccharide produced by the bacterium Sphingomonas elodea.” This is a substance that has received very little research so far, and I do not feel very good about having it included in my food.
In addition to containing one of these two thickening agents, many of these milks included extra thickeners such as guar gum, locust bean gum and/or xanthan gum.
Almost all of these products also were reported as containing long lists of vitamin and mineral additives. I am not very happy about this because most such supplements are produced in China using very toxic ingredients and processes and feel really bad to me. The fact that all of these products are using Vitamin D2 rather than Vitamin D3 (even though there now seems to be consensus among experts that D3 is much better) makes me especially suspicious that the nutritional additives being used for non-dairy milks are not very high quality ones.
Considering how careful I am to purchase only higher-quality supplements that are made in the U.S. (mostly from Pure Encapsulations), and considering that I make it a habit to take supplements only when there seems to be a good reason rather than indiscriminately, the idea that most of the non-dairy milk manufacturers seem to have united in a conspiracy to force me to take a wide range of cheap toxic vitamins and minerals against my wishes if I want to consume their products is sort of annoying to me.
Of all the products that I tried, the hands-down winner was New Barn Almondmilk, a certified organic refrigerated product containing three times as many almonds as the most visible products on the market. The products contain only water, almonds, maple syrup, salt and – to keep the almond milk from permanently separating – acacia gum. (Especially since one of the few supplements of any sort that I take is an acacia product called Heather’s Tummy Fiber, the presence of the acacia in this almond milk does not upset me one bit.) The almond taste is quite strong – almost like it includes almond extract (though that does not seem to be the case). The cost is about twice that of most commercial almond milks ($6 for 28 ounces) – and it really shouldn’t cost less than that since it would be hard to make good almond milk at home for any less. Especially since I discovered this brand only after trying more than a dozen really terrible non-dairy milks, I’m now a big fan and will be buying it again for sure.
In terms of shelf-stable non-dairy milks, the best ones that I tried were from an Italian company called Mand’Or, The Organic Almond Milk contains all organic ingredients – almond milk, fruit juice, locust bean gum, and natural flavors. The non-organic Hazelnut Pistachio Almond Milk, is sweeter and contains cane sugar, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios and locust bean gum. While these nut milks were not so good that I would want to use them on a regular basis, I think they would be perfectly acceptable if used occasionally such as on a car trip. I not only finished the cartons but actually enjoyed doing so. They are currently available in the U.S. through a mail order food company called Nuts.com. The price is about the same as the New Barn Almondmilk (with free shipping for orders over $59).
If the goal is to use the milk for a dish calling for a more neutral flavor, I would consider Milkadamia, which is a new product that is made from macadamia nuts grown on a small farm in Australia. Although this nut milk contains a bunch of additives (including pea protein, natural flavors, locust bean gum, sunflower lecithin, gellan gum, and several vitamins and minerals), it tasted and felt reasonably good to me. It also is very creamy and has a bonus in that the light color of the nuts makes it look like regular cow’s milk.
I sometimes used soy milk on cereal about 15 years ago, because I was reactive to cow’s milk at the time. In trying the Westsoy Organic Unsweetened Soy Milk, I can see why soy milk was so popular at the time. It is a quite creamy and reasonably good-tasting beverage all on its own, with the only ingredients being soy beans and water. (I did think it tasted better with a little maple syrup added, but it was okay even without it.) It also is higher in protein than other non-dairy milks, which is a relevant aspect for vegans. While I now am disinclined to use much unfermented soy due to the hormonal effects it may have, I wonder if the thickeners and other ingredients in most of the non-dairy milks on the shelves might make them even more problematic than the soy.
(Pacific Organic Unsweetened Soy Milk also contains only soybeans and water, but I have not had a chance to try that one.)
The only other packaged non-dairy milk that I thought had any potential at all was the Pacific Organic Oat Milk. It is naturally quite sweet without any added sugar and the ingredients list is pretty simple (though it does include gellan gum and some multivitamins). It also has a little protein in it (4 grams compared to 9 grams in the Westsoy). It is not marked as gluten-free, likely because of potential cross-contamination with gluten during the milling process for the oats. Although I doubt I will buy it again, I was really surprised at how well oats worked as a non-dairy milk.
An organic almond milk line that I have yet to try is Three Trees, which contains only almonds and water in its Original product. The Vanilla version includes just vanilla with no sweetener, while the Cold-Brew Coffee version contains contains coffee, coconut nectar crystals, chicory root and Himalayan pink salt.
Another organic non-dairy milk line that I would really like to try is the Italian brand Isola Bio, which offers a variety of milks containing nuts, coconut and/or grains (and to my understanding with no other added ingredients except water). I have heard some really good reports about these products but have been unable to find them except at an absurdly high markup in the U.S. (They seem more easily available in Canada and Australia.)
Although the expensive Sicilian Almond Butter Mix containing only ground almonds and labeled as being for this purpose was really interesting when I tried it, any good-quality smooth nut butter or seed butter works fine. Any kind of coconut butter (also known as coconut manna or creamed coconut) also works fine.
Mand’Or Hazelnut Pistachio Almond Milk (2)
Milkadamia Macadamia Nut Milk (2)
Nut & Seed Butter Cups
Justin’s peanut butter cups are the chocolate treat that I likely have purchased the most frequently over the past few years. I especially like the fact that their minis are sold in reclosable bags so that I can have a small piece as desired rather than feeling obliged to finish a larger two-cup serving. Although I have always purchased the dark-chocolate version, I am interested in the new white-chocolate ones as well.
Recently I tried Theo peanut butter cups, which seem on the surface almost exactly like the Justin’s (although I admit that the cups being heart-shaped is pretty charming). The main differences seem to be on attributes other than taste: Theo is soy-free (but I am not convinced that soy lecithin in chocolate is much of a concern); is free of palm oil (but Justin’s states that its palm oil is sourced responsibly); and is Fair for Life Certified (Justin’s instead is Rainforest Alliance Certified). The Justin’s product also is slightly saltier, which I actually find to be a good attribute in a peanut butter cup. Either of these brands could be a fine choice, I think.
I am more interested in trying Theo Almond Butter Cups, but so far I have not come across them. (However, I did get a chance to try the coconut salted almond version of the new Theo Coconut Bites. It was very similar to an Almond Joy bar and was quite yummy.)
Lulu’s sells raw-chocolate cups filled with a mixture of maca and raw almond butter, presented in attractive little boxes. This is an enjoyable product but on the high end in terms of pricing. I have seen this particular Lulu’s item available only on the company’s website rather than in stores.
Sun Cups consist of sunflower butter wrapped in milk chocolate or dark chocolate cups. I am a sunflower seed butter fan and do not think that people need to be unable to tolerate peanut butter or other nut butters to really enjoy these cups. (The company also makes cups filled caramel or mint cream that I have not tried.) The products are GMO-free but not certified as organic.
Probably my favorite nut butter cups are the little “bites” from Sjaak’s, a small all-organic chocolate company located in northern California. This company (owed by an artisan chocolate maker from the Netherlands) produces peanut butter cups as well as cups with other nut butters such as almond or hazelnut. The quality is terrific; the price is reasonable; and all the products are vegan and soy-free. Although they are available individually or in tubs to consumers via mail order, I feel that the best use of them is for local organic-type food co-ops or stores to purchase a tub and then to sell the chocolates individually near the checkout counter. They are addictive enough that many people will stop by just to purchase a couple (and then buy other items while in the store), and it is a nice customer service besides.
Lulu’s Chocolate Raw Maca Buttercups
Theo Peanut Butter Cups & Coconut Bites
Nut & Seed Butters
Although it is good for nut butters to have been produced organically, an even bigger threat is contamination with aflatoxin or other mycotoxins. For that reason, it seems important that companies producing nut butters be taking particular care that the ingredients are fresh and non-moldy.
Although I have at times had negative reactions to eating nut butters, I have done really well with all the products listed here and have heard good things about them from others.
One product that I especially like is Massa’s Almond Butter, which is produced from almonds grown on the owners’ small, fastidiously organic farm near Chico, CA. The almond butter is ground in small amounts (into smooth and crunchy varieties) on a regular basis to fulfill mail orders and for sale at local farmers’ markets, and it tastes really fresh and pure and naturally sweet to me.
Artisana sells a variety of raw nut and seed butters, including walnut, cashew, pecan, almond and tahini. They are very high quality and are priced accordingly. Unfortunately my favorite product – the macadamia nut butter – has been discontinued though.
NuttZo produces butters from two different blends of nuts and seeds (such as almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts, flax seeds and hazelnuts) – one with peanuts and one without. The products are both flavorful and clean-tasting (though also fairly expensive).
Once Again is a somewhat more affordable line of organic almond, cashew, peanut, sesame and sunflower seed butters that I have done well eating on many occasions.
I also have tried most of the flavors of Justin’s Nut Butters and done well with that brand, even though the nuts are not organic. A big plus for me is that these products are widely available in single-serving travel packs, making them a convenient snack (especially when paired with an apple or some crackers).
I recently purchased a jar of Jiva raw organic tahini and thought the quality was pretty good, so I would be interested in trying the other organic nut and seed butters from that company.
Wilderness Poets offers a selection of raw nut butters in interesting flavors, including macadamia nut, pistachio and pumpkin seed. I would really like to try some of those.
A few other nut butter companies whose products I have yet to try are Dastony, Jem and Wilderness Family Naturals.
As a general rule, sunflower seed butter tends to be less likely to have mycotoxin contamination than nut butters and can be a good alternative for those who have problems tolerating nuts regardless of the reason. It also is a lot less expensive than most nut butters.
NuttZo Seven Nut & Seed Butter
Nuts
I’ve had fewer problems with reactions to whole nuts than I have to nut butters, presumably because some manufacturers hide moldy or otherwise sub-optimal nuts by grinding them into butters. Still, quality is very important in this category as well.
My favorite nuts likely are the raw or roasted almonds from Massa Organics. That farm seems to be at least as concerned about toxicity as I am, and it shows in the quality of all their products – in the brown rice, in the almond butter, and in the nuts themselves. The prices (currently $12-14 per pound) are not even that unreasonable. Highly recommended.
I’m also especially fond of the nuts from Santa Barbara Pistachio Company (pictured above), which come in a variety of organic flavors and always have been fresh and delicious when I have purchased them.
All of the other brands of nuts listed here also have been especially consistent in quality as well.
I also had such good luck with all the pecans I ate while living in southern New Mexico that I would be pretty confident about buying any fresh pecans from that area, whether labeled organic or not.
For spiced mixed nuts, Nana Joes sells a good version (flavored tastily with maple syrup, orange juice, sea salt, cardamom, nutmeg and vanilla). These are such a treat that it makes me want to experiment with making my own version.
Wilderness Family Naturals sells a wide variety of nuts – some of them soaked and then dehydrated to reduce toxicity – that I have yet to try.
Nana Joes Orange Spiced Mixed Nuts
Santa Barbara Pistachio Company Pistachios
Olive Oil
A big problem with olive oils (especially Italian ones) is that they very often are adulterated with cheaper oils.
(Hint: Real olive oil will turn totally solid if you put it in the refrigerator. I once bought an expensive oil from a specialty olive oil shop on the main street in Telluride that did not get solid at all, so this does seem like a big problem to me!)
Because quality in the olive oil category is so unreliable, looking directly to growers rather than purchasing supposed olive oils in supermarkets or specialty stores makes a lot of sense.
My favorite olive oil is from Berkeley Olive Grove, which grows Mission olives in Oroville, California. (The name is due to the olive grove having been started by a group of UC Berkeley professors in the early 20th Century.)
Berkeley produces greenish olive oils that have a rich, grassy, clean taste and that seem to hold up well to heat. I buy their oils by the gallon so that I don’t feel the need to skimp (a gallon will last me nearly a year). I especially like their citrus-flavored oils, but everything that I have tried from them has been terrific.
Casa Rosa Farm is a similar tiny California grower selling excellent-quality olive oils (including flavored oils) by the bottle or in bulk.
Oils of Paicines (another California company) also makes highly regarded olive oil, priced more on the high end.
Big Paw – which I highly recommend for balsamic vinegars and salad dressings – also produces some reasonably good-quality California olive oils with many interesting flavor additions.
Here is a list of some additional California olive oil producers selling what likely are very good products.
Bionaturae, Jovial and Bragg are larger companies that I trust to be selling real olive oils, and their products have felt fine to me.
Berkeley Olive Grove Mission Olive Oils
Other Oils
My general feeling about nuts is that it is much more important that they have been maintained under good storage conditions to prevent mold growth (and subsequent mycotoxin contamination) than it is that the nuts are marked as certified organic. While organic nut oils are extremely expensive (if you even can find them), I have had good experiences across the board with the several different non-organic nut and seed oils that I have tried so far from La Tourangelle and so plan to experiment more with this brand.
I first came across Bella Vada at the Palm Springs farmers’ market a number of years ago and was really impressed by the company and by the quality of the avocado oil. It is now available through Amazon.
Nutiva’s Red Palm Oil is a beautiful product and the company’s website makes a persuasive case that it is responsibly sourced. It has a nice taste and feels very clean to me. Recently I’ve been using it on popcorn and like it a lot that way. The company also makes a high-quality hemp seed oil that I have tried.
Flax oil, fish oil and sunflower oil tend to go rancid very easily, and so freshness is important. They should be purchased from quality-oriented companies such as Barlean’s or Flora, stored in the refrigerator, and used up quickly.
Kadoya’s flavorful toasted sesame oil is from Japan and (though not marked organic) seems to be high-quality and clean. Their Hot Sesame Oil is nicely flavored with chili and no other ingredients.
A brand of organic sesame oils (toasted and untoasted) that I have not tried but think may have potential is Kevala.
Wilderness Family Naturals also offers red palm and sesame oils that I have not yet tried.
Flora Pumpkin, Flax & Sunflower Seed Oils
La Tourangelle Toasted Sesame & Pumpkin Seed Oils (2)
Nutiva Hemp Seed & Red Palm Oils
More Discussion
Links to all parts of this discussion of tasty and clean packaged food products are as follows.