What you need to know about milk....

What you Need to Know About Milk

 

Throughout my childhood all I drank was cow’s milk. I ate it in everything, with my cereal, in dinners, with Milo, in hot chocolates, in milk shakes and would even have just a plain old glass of milk. Pretty much I consumed milk as part of a healthy diet. 

 

As I grew a bit older I switched to Soy milk. I discovered information that indicated that cow’s milk increased your cholesterol levels, waist line and I also started to find drinking the birth milk of another animal a bit weird.

 

Until recently I had continued to drink soy milk, till my sister warned me how unhealthy it is for you. Now this isn’t the first time my sister had told me this however this is the first time I promised her I would consider stopping. When I got home after our walk I did some research that has definitely changed my perspective about switching to nut milks.

 

What I discovered 

 

Cow’s Milk

 

Until recently, cow’s milk has been the popular choice of milk and praised for offering our body high amounts of calcium to help keep our bones nice and strong. It has been preached in our school education system as being a healthy part of the basic food pyramid that we all grew up believing was the complete guide to healthy living. This notion, however, is quickly changing and more and more research is indicating that cow’s milk is not what we once thought it was. Milk is now being linked to a range of health problems including possible iron deficiencies, allergies, diarrhoea, heart disease, colic, cramps, diabetes, skin rashes, increased frequency of colds and flues, osteoporosis, arthritis and heaps more. Due to its acid forming properties, milk is also now being held responsible for leaching calcium from our bones.
 

Many nutritionists are now hard selling the notion that cow’s milk is in fact bad for human consumption and that, after a child is weaned of their mother’s birth milk, there is no need to drink milk full stop.

 

It is important to note that although drinking full cream milk can have adverse effects on your health, consuming small amounts of dairy products including, cheese, yoghurt, butter and cream is ok. Cow’s milk contains a protein called Casein (which has similar properties to that of Gluten) and when consumed can have a negative effect on our health. However, the process of culturing and separation involved in making yoghurt, butter, cream and cheese reduces the impact of Casein on our bodies making these products safer for us to consume.

 

Soy Milk

 

When I gave up milk I turned to soy milk and just as I did with cow’s milk I used it in everything. For me, the initial selling points for switching to soy milk were as follows – Soy milk comes from soy beans, soy milk is a good source of iron and fibre (which you don’t get in dairy), is a naturally good source of vitamin B, is high is omega 3 and omega 6 and has zero cholesterol. For me this was a good choice. Now however, my eyes have been opened to a whole range of reasons why now my beloved soy milk is no longer a viable choice. New research indicates that soy milk contains phytoestrogens, chemicals found in plants, and many believe now that this is the reason why soy milk is not as healthy for you as was once thought. This chemical is believed to affect the body the same way the female hormone oestrogen does and in excess can cause a range of unwanted health problems. Here are a few reasons why you may want to consider reducing soy from your diet –

·       Soy can inhibit the absorption of precious minerals into your body

·       Soy can cause damage to your thyroid

·       Soy is difficult for the body to digest

·       Soy can alter hormonal levels

·       Soy may inhibit normal growth

·       Soy many contribute to damaging your kidneys and nervous system

·       Soy can cause harmful blood clots

·       Soy can cause problems in the fertility of both men and women

·       Soy can increase the body’s need for vitamin B12 and vitamin D

·       Soy is a genetically modified food and can contain many chemicals

·       Soy is mucus forming

 

All in all it seems that more and more research is pointing to the conclusion that soy and soy products are not good for you, especially if consumed in high doses.

 

Nut Milks

 

Last but it now appears definitely not least we come to nut milks, like the very popular almond milk. Nut milks are now being heralded by nutritionists and foodies as a beacon for optimum health and a nutritional alternative to both cow’s milk and soy milk.

 

 Almond Milk

Almond milk is currently one of the most popular nut milks on our supermarket shelves to date. Here are a few reasons why you should consider switching to almond milk as your nut milk of choice - 

 

·       Almonds are rich nutrients such as vitamin E, selenium, magnesium, protein, fibre, manganese, potassium, zinc, calcium, tryptophan, phosphorous and iron.

·       Almond milk contains flavonoids that help towards lowering levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol and protecting the heart

·       The antioxidants found in almond milk help inhibit the growth of free radicals

·       Almond milk can help strengthen your immune system

·       Ground almonds can contain potential prebiotic properties that can assist in boosting your digestive system

·       Almond milk can assist with treating constipation

·       Almond milk can lower blood-sugar levels

·       Almond is low in saturated fats

·       Almond milk is cholesterol free

I have in the past made my own almond milk and after my resent research will be focusing on making nut milk a primary staple within my diet. I, like many other people, like variety so here are some of the health benefits of other nut milks you can buy or make at home yourself.

Other nut milks you may like to try –

Cashew milk - contains protein, potassium, magnesium and vitamin A

Pecan milk – contains protein, potassium and vitamin A

Hazelnut milk – has protein, potassium, sulphur and calcium

Pine nut milk - contains protein, phosphorus, iron, niacin and thiamine

Walnut milk - contains protein, magnesium, and is rich in potassium and vitamin A

Chestnut milk - is low in fat as well as being a good source of fiber and B-vitamins

 

So after reading some of the facts, I’m sure this has given you some food for thought. Although I love my soy milk, I’ve made the choice to switch to nut milk and have already stocked my fridge with unsweetened almond milk! However, as with most foods, moderation is the key and if you can limit the amount of cow’s milk and soy milk in your diet... your body will thank you for it!

Following is a simple recipe for making your own almond milk at home –

Almond Milk

 Ingredients

·       3 Cups of filtered water, boiled then slightly cooled

·       1 cup of blanched or soaked almonds

·       Liquid stevia or stevia powder to taste

Method

1.    Place the water and almonds in a blender and blend until smooth;

2.    Place a fine sieve (or thin cloth) over the opening of a jug and pour the blended almonds into the jug (the sieve/cloth will catch any leftover almond pulp)

3.    Pour the almond liquid into a sterilised milk bottle, then cover and keep refrigerated

4.    This blending process can be repeated using the left over almond pulp (this almond pulp can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for at least 3 days)

If you’re like me and you don’t like to be wasteful..... you can use the reserved almond pulp to make other goodies including ice-cream, desserts or as a spread.

Note: Remember that you can use this same milking process with any of the other nuts mentioned above.............

Quick tip for blanching almonds –

1.    Place the almonds in a bowl

2.    Add warm filtered water to cover the almonds

3.    Add 1 tsp of sea salt to the water

4.    Cover and let the almonds sit in the water over night

5.    Drain and rinse the almonds

6.    Pat dry using a tea towel and then slip the skins off

Although through my research I have discovered why some dairy in your diet may not adversely affect your health; there are many other foods you can eat which give your body calcium including leafy green vegetables, broccoli, cooked bok choy, Chinese cabbage, almonds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, dried herbs, kale, Brazil nuts, herring and salmon to name a few....

Love

Bianca xx