Is Nesquik Powder Vegan?
Nowadays it is extremely common for parents to raise their child to be a vegan, and even if there is a lot of controversies, is it healthy or not, we won’t be the judges, every parent must make this decision on its own, he is the one who knows what is best for his or her family.
In this sense, vegan parents are wondering what do they can give their children, and this is not just the food, but also drinks, and.
One of those questions is the matter of milk, yogurt, and all dairy products, and also drinks that are based on dairy, like chocolate milk.
One of the most favorite drinks that fall under this category is Nesquik, one of the most favorite drinks for so many kids around the world, and every country in this world has its own version, but we must say that this one of the most popular one.
Now, the real question is – is Nesquik Powder vegan? Let’s find out!
The first chocolate drink of this kind in the world
Nesquik is the first chocolate drink in the world, at least in some modern way, and it was made in the USA in the late 40s.
It is said that is was to help mothers to make their milk tasted better, and the company Nestle wanted to make a cocoa powder that will dissolve in the milk instantly and tasted great, even if the milk was cold or hot.
Even today, this is one of the most favorite drinks for young children, and the producer of it made so many different flavors.
The company made an instant success, and there is one interesting fact – this drink was primarily called Quick (as it was easy and fast to made)
Later, the name Quick was merged with the Nestle Corporation name and thus came into being Nesquik.
An essential feature and great advantage of Nesquik is that its basic ingredient is Nestle chocolate, which gives it a unique taste and provides top quality.
Today, the Nesquik product line is also developed with other non-chocolate flavors, such as chocolate, banana, strawberry, and different mixtures.
Ingredients
Now the fact that this drink is extremely popular is one thing, and completely another is the question can vegans drink it, of course with some vegan alternative for milk?
To do this hard task we must take a deep look into the ingredients list, and what is the most important part here is to learn the background behind all of them, because sometimes their vegan status is not easy to find out.
This product contains soy lecithin, salt, and sugar, of course. It has a natural flavor and some spices. Cocoa, of course, and carrageenan (you may never have heard about this product but is used to thicken any products; it is polysaccharide). Truth be told, it does content vitamins and minerals.
Among them, there are zinc oxide, manganese sulfate, ferric pyrophosphate (Iron), niacinamide, copper gluconate, biotin, sodium ascorbate (vitamin C), and thiamin hydrochloride.
Even vitamins are questionable. Here are they vegan or not.
Is Nesquik Powder Vegan?
Unfortunately for many of those who enjoy it, Nesquik powder is not vegan, and there is an undeniable presence of animal products in it (and it seems like these days it is very hard to discover all of their “destinations”).
People who do not know that Nesquik powder is not vegan are going to rush and make it with some almond or soy milk, but they will make a mistake because it is not, as you were able to see a vegan powder.
The first product that is not a vegan kind is sugar; we have spoken so many times about it; it is the way it is produced is problematic, especially refined sugar. In the process of production, bone char is used to make it clear, and it is the aspect that makes a problem.
The other problem here comes from the biotin, as you were able to see in the ingredients list – and all other vitamins and minerals many of these vitamins and minerals are obtained from a non-vegan source or to say it simply from animals.
Biotin, for example, does not come from animals; it comes from the plant – but it is found as a live cell in milk or chicken, and therefore in eggs.
Also, on the label part, it is clearly stated that the Nesquik powder may contain wheat and milk.
So, if you are following a vegan diet, you cannot drink or use this cocoa powder, but there are so many alternatives, as you may know.
Is Nesquik Powder Healthy?
We know that Nesquik powder has sugar, and there is no need to say that you should not eat a lot of, so it is not recommended to drink more than two cups of this drink.
Some say that if you want to give it your kids, then you should know that inside there are ten vitamins that, that are suitable for children and adults, which can boost strength and immunity.
How to drink it? If you want to drink it, you need to pour aflatoxin-free and organic milk into a glass, put 3-4 tablespoons of this cocoa powder. Stir until everything is melted.
Of course, here we want to help all you vegans out there who want to drink something chocolaty and they do not want to break their vegan diet.
The best option and the healthiest are to use regular organic cacao.
It contains a large amount of magnesium. It is, therefore, extremely suitable as a treatment for magnesium deficiency diseases.
Magnesium deficiency can cause stress and nervousness, cramps in the leg muscles, and since magnesium is important for almost all processes in the body, the deficiency of this mineral can endanger the heart, brain, gastrointestinal tract and the like. Using cocoa will make up for the loss of magnesium.
Cocoa also contains a number of antioxidants that protect the body from free radicals and boost immunity- some of them are catechins, polyphenols, etc.
If you want the healthy versions, you must know that organic cocoa is filled with antioxidants, but it also contains large amounts of iron, vitamins A, B, C, E, then chromium, manganese, and zinc.
You can make your own!
Hot cocoa is one of the most favorite drinks in the world, and even ancient civilizations drank it.
It is usually prepared with milk cold or warm with added sugar or honey. Today we can find instant drinks based on powder in stores. They are enriched with different flavors, sugar, color, and milk powder, so we can conclude that they at least contain pure powder.
Therefore, we recommend that you prepare a beverage made from quality cocoa powder that you buy in health food stores.
Make sure to pay attention to the manufacturer, the importer, the percentage of cleanliness, that it is well packed and within the valid shelf life.
The cocoa milk beverage is prepared by stirring one tablespoon of cocoa powder into 2dc of warm milk, with the addition of sugar or honey, and let stand for 5 minutes.
You can also drink the drink so prepared several times a day.
For your vegan diet, you use some milk of your preference, and avoid honey and sugar, add stevia, for example, and you can add up some spices of your choice, for example, cinnamon or chili even.
You can play with flavors that you are your family love the most.
Summary
The Nesquik powder has a remarkable chocolate taste, it is known for its extremely quick preparation (there comes its name), and great visual elements (amazing commercials and packages, mostly dedicated to families and children), which made it the global leader in the chocolate-based beverage class.
More than 1 cup of chocolate drinks from 5 cups consumed around the world comes from the Nesquik powder.
Unfortnately, vegans are not in a position to drink it or to make anything with it, because it is not vegan friendly.
Do not be worried, and there are so many interesting alternatives to drink, use in some meals/sweets or give to your vegan child.
Some of the manufacturers that make vegan friendly are Hershey’s, Navitas, and some brands that are less known, or that may just exist in your country, or even some of the local manufactures may produce some cocoa powder that is vegan, so look it up.
You can add some vegan-friendly sugar also and make your own quick chocolate. But if you do not like this variant, you can make a cocoa drink that is made out of vegan, and organic cocoa, and soy milk, and some vegan-friendly sweetener.
Some people like to add these cocoa powders to their protein shakes, etc., or to even make some cookies that are also vegan friendly. As usual, we recommend you to experiment with food.
The options are endless.
Same as numerous others apparently “clean” products, especially these that are associated with kids and vitamins and minerals – Nesquik powder is not what you can eat.
There are hidden animal sources of many things that are here. Choose some alternative versions, or just make regular hot cocoa.
Online you can find numerous recipes, and you will be surprised how healthy real cocoa is – in many countries it is used as a medicine, there is a piece of real scientific evidence for it.
In the end, the choice is yours – real cocoa, or store-bought vegan version, what you make try to make it as healthy as possible, not just vegan.