Silvie+Maryl | Upgrading Minds, Transforming Lives

Nut Milk by HLife Photography

At some point in history a distorted idea came about: the concept of cow’s milk for human consumption. It’s a very silly thing to observe that the human species is the only mammal that drinks another mammal’s milk. Why? Ignorance, media brainwashing, billion dollar industry, because your parents told you and their parents told them., etc… Here at Silvie+Maryl, we encourage and empower individuals to question and research the what, when, why, how, and where of things, especially when it comes down to two very important questions: Does my body need this? and What does my body – or do my cells – actually need?

The confusion of drinking acid-promoting cow’s milk is still around due to the heavy misleading information from the milk industry, stating that people need cow’s milk for bone health. But the truth is that cow’s milk has too much protein for the human body (have you seen cow’s bones?) and it actually leaches calcium out of our bones. Our blood is very alkaline and it needs to stay that way. When the body ingests too much protein, it acidifies the blood therefore needing to leach  the alkaline mineral calcium out of our bones in order to balance the acid in our blood  and maintain the slightly alkaline pH of blood. You heard it, cow’s milk actually increases your risk of osteoporosis (all of this is not new – Dr. T Colin Campbell, nutrition expert, discusses this in our interview with him, as well as all of the issues with cow’s milk in his best-selling book, The China Study). Also, milk is usually pasteurized in order to kill bacteria, but this process also kills the enzymes that help breakdown the gigantic amount of protein in the substance. The human body doesn’t need the amount of protein cow’s milk contains. Are we calves? No. Do we need to build massive cow bones?  NO. You like milk?  The replacement and solution to the distortion is right here: NUT MILK.  Nut milks are super easy and quick to make; they are also high in minerals, good fats and enough digestible protein for a human’s body not to get acidified by an excess of protein but to get the nourishment and healthy amount of amino acids it needs. Want more calcium?  Eat your dark greens, hijiki, broccoli and sesame seeds. And now, we’d like to welcome you to liquid mineral heaven:

Prep: Soak the nuts in separate bowls for 4 hours. Rinse with filtered water and put them in a blender.  Add the water and blend at high speed for about 2 minutes. Over a large mixing bowl set your nut milk bag or cheese cloth and pour the blender mixture slowly. Once it is all poured into the nut milk bag or cloth, squeeze the rest of the liquid out with your hand (this is the real milking process, right in your kitchen). Rinse your blender with filtered water and pour the nut milk back into it. Add other ingredients, blend and serve.  If you want chocolate milk add 1 teaspoon of organic raw cacao powder. (I don’t even want to tell you what cow’s chocolate milk is made of…nasty.)

Nut milk usually keeps for about 3 days, forcing you to drink it fresh (as it should be).  When I buy bottled water, it’s usually in a glass bottle; I keep the bottles and when I have leftover nut milk I pour it into the large glass bottles and it goes in the fridge. Always give it a shake before you drink it.

Also, when I make fresh nut milk in the morning, I usually don’t add any ingredients to it because I use it for my morning ultimate smoothie. But if I’m going to have it in the fridge for a period of three days, I do add the lecithin in order to keep it fresh and not coagulated. Usually, I don’t add any natural sweetener because it tastes so great on its own that I don’t think it needs any, and that’s why I say it’s optional. Experiment in your kitchen and come up with the perfect nut milk recipe for you and your family. Creativity and finding the right balance of tastes that suit you best are part of meal-making.

Note: I usually soak my nuts the day before, rinse them and store them in glass jars for the next morning.  When I wake up, I make fresh, tasty and nutritious nut milk super quickly.

Nutritional Info: For this milk, we used two nuts: almonds and Brazil nuts. This combination is what I like to call “mineral heaven”. For us, there is always a nutritional reason for pairing certain foods. Almonds are the only alkaline nut, extremely high in manganese (aids in calcium absorption) and heart disease-reducing Vitamin E. Almonds are also rich in magnesium, which lessens resistance and improves the flow of blood, oxygen and nutrients throughout the body.  It also contains the important electrolyte mineral potassium, involved in nerve transmission, maintaining normal blood pressure and proper heart function. Almond is antioxidant heaven, providing the body with about 20 potent antioxidant flavonoids to keep you young and glowing. It is also a monounsaturated fat, which the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders suggest helps you lose weight. Brazil nuts are outrageously loaded with the immune-boosting mineral selenium, which most diets lack. The vital antioxidant glutathione is only made by the body and its synthesis depends on how much selenium is available. According to the National Institutes of Health: “selenium deficiency may contribute to development of a form of heart disease, hypothyroidism, and a weakened immune system.”  Selenium has been known to be crucial for fertility in both men and women and is also needed for thyroid function.  A powerful detoxifier, selenium removes heavy metals and has protective effects against aging and disease. Besides containing other essential minerals, Brazil nuts are also extremely high in amino acids.

Food Recycling: Save the nut meat after you squeezed the bejesus out of it, and come up with a veggie mix combo to make raw patties/burgers, like we did with the Raw Yam Nut Burger.  Then put them in the dehydrator for a few hours, and voila!! You got tasty, healthy and protein-packed nutty burgers!