Pea Milk: Healthiest and Most Sustainable Dairy Alternative Yet?
Pea milk has 8 grams of protein and requires 96% less water than almond milk.
A company called Ripple is hoping to create a new alternative to milk that's nutritious, sustainable and its key ingredient is ... peas.
Although it may be blissfully good with a hot chocolate chip cookie, dairy milk has a host of problems. For one, milk production is not very environmentally friendly. Research from Virginia Tech says it takes an estimated 144 gallons (545 liters) of water to produce one gallon of milk.
According to Fast Company, Ripple's product is more nutritious and carries a much smaller carbon footprint than other, similar products. One 8-ounce (227 g) serving of almond milk contains only 1 gram of protein. Ripple claims a single serving of its pea milk has 8 grams of protein. It has more potassium and vitamin D too.
Ripple also claims that its milk is much more environmentally friendly than other dairy alternatives. Its production process uses 96% less water than almond milk and 99% less water than dairy milk. While almond trees require the warm, sunny conditions found in California's Central Valley, pea plants are much heartier and can thrive in colder conditions, like the Midwest.
The pea-based milk will start rolling out to grocery stores on May 2, if you want to try it.