Truth:



It may seem outrageous that a single almond requires about 1 gallon of water to produce (a serving is 23 almonds) – but not when you consider that a single egg requires 53 gallons, a hamburger 660, and a gallon of dairy milk 880 gallons of water to produce (sources in graphic).



And almonds are generally consumed quite sparingly compared to eggs, meat, and dairy, the true water-guzzling luxuries that are nevertheless treated as daily staples and the main dish.

If you are assuming the real culprit is almond milk, there are actually hardly any almonds in commercial store-bought almond milk, with the leading brand estimated to be composed of only 2% almonds. (It’s composed of mostly water, as is mammalian milk.)

Additionally, water use is only one part of the story.

Among other environmental externalities, dairy milk has much higher greenhouse gas emissions and land use requirements (not to mention it’s inherently cruel to produce, entailing things like forcible breeding, calf removal, and slaughter).