This week, let’s talk about milk. Have you ever stopped to think about the logic behind the consumption of dairy? Maybe not. Most of us grew up on it. We are taught that milk is good for us – we need the calcium in milk for strong bones and teeth. We are inundated with ads about how “milk does a body good”.
In reality, this is far from the truth. Milk is just another product, with a multi-million dollar yearly advertising campaign.
Many different professionals in the alternative medicine domain can readily point out the research indicating how dairy increases mucus in the body, how it contributes to acidity and actually leeches calcium from our bones, how it is linked to cancers such as breast and prostate cancer. Neither does milk help us avoid illnesses such as osteoporosis. The incidence of osteoporosis and cancer is highest in parts of the world where dairy is a daily staple.
We can get all the calcium we need from plant sources. Greens such as collard, broccoli and spinach, sesame seeds, cauliflower, nuts, sea vegetables, and even in fruits like honeydew melon – are all full of calcium, minus the pus and blood in all dairy!
Alicia Silverstone, in her informative book, The Kind Diet, presents us with this helpful chart:
The cruelty involved in the production of dairy milk is shocking. Many of us haven’t made the connection simply because the facts, as opposed to the mesmerizing advertising, are kept from us.
Did you know that in order for a cow to produce milk, like us humans, she must be pregnant. In order words, a dairy cow must be kept pregnant all the time so that she produces milk, not for her baby, but for us, because her milk is stolen from her and never given to her calf.
When she gives birth to her baby, her calf is ripped away from her within the first few hours of birth, never allowed to suckle from his mother because his mother’s milk is being harvested by machine for us. The mother cow goes through unbearable grief, sometimes crying out for days after her baby is taken away.
The baby is thrown into a small wagon, because he cannot yet stand, and confined to a tiny, damp, dark crate, alone, where he is fed an artificial, mineral deficient, milk substitute so that he can grow quickly. The purposeful mineral deficiency creates the pale colored meat that is so fancied. He is chained by the neck and never allowed to move, thereby not developing any muscle mass, so that you can enjoy tender veal. To make sure he doesn’t move, he is even stomped upon. Can you imagine!? The horror!! He is a defenseless baby! This is the fate of most male calves, others being sold at auctions within hours of birth so they can be grounded up as beef. The female calves are similarly raised in isolation, and later used to replace their dairy cow mothers, which are slaughtered at 4 or 5 years of age, because they are completely exhausted and diseased; a cow’s natural lifespan would have been 25 years. Sadly, some calves are never even born at all, their mothers murdered while pregnant, and their calves simply thrown into bins and left to die slowly or skinned for “the softest leather in the world”.
This is the truth about dairy milk, and the helpless by-product of the dairy industry: veal. Let’s make the connection: veal is a calf and a calf is just a baby! Veal exists as a by-product of the dairy industry!
Is this cruelty worth it when we have so many other options?
There are various delicious nut milks on the market today. Let’s look at a few options:
Soy milk or soy creamers – a good option for people who like milk in their coffee because it has a rich texture and blends uniformly without clumping. However, due to the fact that soy milk is highly processed and most often soybeans are genetically modified, I believe consumption of this milk should be limited.
Almond milk – a less processed milk, with a subtle nutty taste, lovely for cereals and granola. Full of protein and vitamin E, almond milk is a highly nutritious and satisfying choice. This milk is also easily made at home – as we will do today!
Hemp milk – has more of a pronounced nutty flavour so you will have to try it to see how your taste buds react. Hemp milk is an excellent source of perfectly balanced omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
Coconut milk – my personal favorite due to the amazing health benefits of the delicious coconut and its lovely taste in many dishes. However, again, you have to like the taste of coconut, so experiment and see how you feel!
Rice milk – this option has less protein than other non-dairy milks, but works well in desserts due to its sweet taste.
Making your own nut milk, as we will do today, is easy, fun and delicious! Today I am sharing with you my recipe for delicious almond milk. This is a versatile recipe which you can adapt to any nut you like. You can serve it plain, sweetened with a few dates or as a vanilla-flavoured milk. Try it! If you are not sure you can master this recipe all on your own, I invite you to look for the many short videos on YouTube, where you will be shown step by step how to put this recipe together.
Almond Milk
Ingredients:
2 cups almonds, soaked overnight and drained
5 cups purified water
4 dates, pitted (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Method:
1. Combine almonds and water in a high powered blender and blend until liquefied.
2. Add pitted dates and/or vanilla extract if desired. Blend.
3. Pour liquid through cheese cloth or nut milk bag and squeeze into a large bowl.
4. The almond pulp remaining in the cloth or bag can be used for other recipes.
Enjoy, in joy and in health! Salud!
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“Female animals raised for food are pushed into unnaturally early pregnancies by administration of hormones, especially in egg, dairy, and pig operations, because it is cheaper than having to feed them until they naturally reach sexual maturity. They are only youngsters when they are forcibly impregnated on factory farms. This practice supplies an unnatural dose of estrogen and other hormones in the cheese, milk, and other dairy products eaten by our children-pushing them especially girls, into unnaturally early sexual development and pregnancy.” ~Dr. Will Tuttle, World Peace Diet
Almond milk is a very common preparation from almond. Grind blanched almonds to a smooth paste; add sugar and cold boiled water — giving it the consistency of milk for a nutritious, healthy drink rich in vitamins. It is easily digestible than cow’s milk making it an ideal wholesome drink for children. Almond butter is another variation prepared from almonds, beneficial for older people who don’t get enough proteins in their diets. Besides the intake of high calorie protein, other ingredients contained in almonds are easily digestible.-,-”
Because almonds are naturally very nutritious, almond milk doesn’t need to be fortified. You can make almond milk yourself at home, and it will have the same nutritional value as the almond milk available commercially.