I recently read an article shared on Facebook about almond milk and how it's not some super health food as it's been advertised. And while that could be true, I wanted to share some of my thoughts on this article. My nutrition degree and college education have helped me become a more analytical reader-especially when it comes to food and nutrition related articles. After reading this article I wanted to analyze some of the points made, and share my thoughts with you. I promise there is a recipe within this opinion piece. Before you continue reading, it may be helpful to take a look at the article to understand some of my references. You can read the article here.
1. I love that this article is skeptical about how this almond milk craze affects the environment. So often we are guilty of quickly hopping on these health food trends (think quinoa, coconut oil, avocado, the list goes on...), while failing to think about how the increased demand and therefore mass production (hello intro to economics!) of these items affects the environment in which they are grown. It's important to be mindful of how our food trends affect the environment.
2. The article also talks about the food waste that results from the production of almond milk. I am trying to be more mindful about food waste. For me this means a few things: taking portions that I think I can actually eat to avoid throwing what's left on my plate, eating up leftovers in the fridge before making new items, and using as much of each food item as possible. This last one relates to the almond milk craze. The production process of almond milk is as follows: soak almonds, grind them into a pulp, and strain the liquid almond milk from this pulp. The article explains that when almond milk is mass produced, often times the pulp is thrown out. Here's a great solution: don't throw the pulp out! Be resourceful and use this pulp in your baking or cooking; it is similar to almond flour. The article explains that this pulp has some of the nutrients stripped from it when the pulp is strained (some of the oils and nutrients end up in the liquid), but this doesn't need to be such a large concern that convinces you to just throw out the pulp.
3. Another portion of the article talks a bit about the nutrition behind almond milk. It explains that cow's milk has more nutrition to offer. But what about the people whose digestive systems can't handle cow's milk? Although most anyone can drink almond milk, I think there are a fair share of consumers who drink almond milk due to their intolerance to cow's milk. What I'm saying is that although some might argue the nutrition for cow's milk is superior to almond milk, it's not realistic to expect those who are intolerant to choose cow's milk over almond milk! The article also talks about some of the ingredients in commercially produced almond milk such as various sweeteners and other additives. Knowing what makes up my food and reducing my consumption of preservatives and additives is something important to me.
The article concludes with the solution of making your own almond milk to prevent the consumption of additives and preservatives, and to potentially reduce food waste by using the leftover pulp. So here I am, doing just that. Here's how I made homemade almond milk for the first time!
Ingredients
- 2 cups soaked almonds
- 4 1/2 cups fresh water
- 2 1/4 tsp. maple syrup
- 1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp. of salt
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
How to make it
- soak almonds in water in a covered container overnight
- rinse and drain almonds
- put half of almonds (1 cup) into blender with 2 1/4 cups of fresh water and blend for 2 minutes
- pour blended liquid over nut milk bag into a medium bowl and squeeze the liquid out while collecting the almond pulp in the bag, don't throw the pulp**
- repeat process with second half of almonds
- once all of the almond milk is strained into the bowl, pour the almond milk back into the blender...it's flavoring time!
- flavor the almond milk with 2 1/4 tsp. maple syrup, 1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon if you so please
- chill almond milk in the fridge for 20 minutes or enjoy immediately
- store in the fridge in a sealed container
**save the pulp!
- to turn the pulp into almond meal... bake it on a lined baking sheet at 200F for 2 hours (stirring every 30 minutes)
- let dried almond pulp cool completely, can cool overnight
- blend dried almond pulp until an almond meal/flour consistency (be careful not to over blend)
Here's a less than mediocre video production I created to clear up any confusion that might arise when reading the recipe instructions.
Finished product
Variations
You could add cocoa powder for chocolate almond milk. If you're looking for a plain jane flavor or one that can be used in a savory recipes, omit the cinnamon. Next time I make it, I might try almond extract instead of vanilla extract...I'll keep you posted! What other almond milk flavors do you want to see?
All in all
If you're still with me on this blog post, thank you for reading this far and being such a loyal follower. Also thanks for hangin' with me on this opinion piece that no one asked for. I think it's so important to be an analytical reader, especially today when there is so much inaccurate and/or biased information out there.
Lastly, you might be wondering why the heck I care about almond milk. I have always loved cow's milk (in my cereal, with my cookies, in an ice cream shake), but I have been struggling for a while now with allergies, asthma, and sinus issues...all of which are related to inflammation in the body. Certain foods in our diet, such as dairy, can lead to inflammation. I am trying to decrease inflammation in my diet through some diet choices such as swapping out cow's milk for dairy free milk. I'll be comin' at ya sometime soon with a blog post about inflammation, and some of my research on consuming an anti-inflammatory diet. Thanks again for reading! Love, Kelso
