Milk

Nut milk anyone? It's surprisingly good and very refreshing! Now that Ian is off all dairy products it's been interesting trying to find things to substitute for them. He likes rice milk just fine so I have that on hand too. I'm not a big fan of soy products so he's never tried the milk.

I'm cooking dairy free for all of us because I don't want Ian to have separate meals. It helps that I've already been cooking and baking a lot of vegan recipes (loving this book right now) which is automatically dairy free. Thankfully...the doctor told us that butter is fine for him to have, just no milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.

Just this past week I've been making the nut milk out of almonds. I had been reading about it for a couple of years now and then Annagrace mentioned it to me so I realized I had to try it.
It's easy too!

1 cup almonds (soaked in water for atleast 4 to 8 hours)
3 cups filtered water

Blend until smooth and creamy in a blender. Strain the almonds out and you're done! You can also add a little bit of vanilla and honey which makes a nice sweet drink.

_______________________

My random thoughts on milk... When I started reading Nourishing Traditions two years ago I was shocked to learn about America's milk industry and not only how the cows are treated but how exactly our modern-day milk is made. While organic milk from free-range cows is better, especially for the cows, it's still pasteurized and homogenized which is one of the main reasons for milk allergies.

You can read about it on this site. I think it's important to first read up on the treatment of the cows which is touched on in the link. I'm finding it so heartbreaking and disgusting these days that I'm having a hard time eating meat at all. And I really believe that we need to know where our food comes from not only for our own bodies but as consumers.

My first choice for milk is raw milk. I think the pasteurization process isn't as important as the FDA likes to think it is and since it strips the milk of all enzymes and most of the vitamins and minerals (including calcium!) it can do more harm than good.

My second choice is organic whole milk..organic because there aren't any hormones and whole milk because it's less messed with than 1% or 2% milks. Powdered skim milk is added to most 1% and 2% milks. And... "commercial dehydration methods oxidize cholesterol in powdered milk, rendering it harmful to the arteries."*

Also, I don't believe we should fear fat in our food. I would much rather drink full fatty milk and avoid sugar and white flour products than to eat any type of low-fat food in a package. It's all about eating as real and whole and as close to nature as we can.

I'm going to continue getting raw milk for Jeremy and I and probably Sawyer after he turns 1. But I may switch us all over to a non-dairy milk like almond milk soon. I'm finding that there are milk allergies/sensitivities with Ian and Sawyer's cousins on both sides of the family so we may not have a choice.

*Sally Fallons--Nourishing Traditions

PRINT THIS POST