As part of my 3-week cleanse, I’m supposed to make my own nut milks. I’ve been wanting to do this anyway because of the prevalence of carrageenan in every organic almond and coconut milk I can find (it’s also in soy milk, but we hardly use that anymore). Carrageenan, derived from red seaweed, is a vegan substitute for gelatin and is used in almost every milk we buy as a thickening agent. However, some research suggests that it irritates the digestive tract, causing inflammation and even ulceration. Obviously this is the last thing you want to do to your GI tract during a cleanse. And I don’t really want to do that even when I’m not on a cleanse, and especially not to my children’s little digestive systems.
The last time I did The Clean Program, I thought it was ridiculous to make your own nut milk. It seemed like way too much work. But this time, I gave it a try, and it wasn’t bad at all.
Fresh Almond Milk:
1. Soak 1 cup organic, raw almonds in filtered water for 2-8 hours.
2. Strain off soaking water. Blend almonds and 3 cups filtered water in a blender.
3. Strain milk from nut meat.
The result tasted like a slightly thinner version of the almond milk we buy, minus the sweetness. It keeps for 2 days in the fridge. We use ours immediately for smoothies. The only shame is tossing all that nut meat out, but at least we compost it.
Health, Taken Seriously 