Homemade Nut Milk

I discovered the benefit of fresh homemade Nut milk a few years ago while I was exploring the Raw food world. I found that an entirely Raw food diet was not for me yet, some of the recipes have stuck with me. Our bodies are most happy when we feed it an abundance of fresh fruits, vegetables, and seeds. Drinking homemade nut milk allows you to add yet another fresh enzyme packed element to your diet. It is easy and oh so good!

I like to add Almond or Hazelnut milk to my morning Green Tea and to my morning smoothie. You can make a nut milk with Walnuts, Almonds, Hemp Seeds, Hazelnuts (fantastic!), or pumpkin seeds.

It is simple.

Add about a 1/4 cup of nuts and 2 cups of water to a high speed blender.

*Add a 1/2 tsp of vanilla (alcohol free) or even better... toss in some vanilla beans from the inside of a vanilla pod.

Blend in a High speed blender until it becomes liquid.

Strain with a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth.

Your Milk will last about 3 days in the refrigerator.

* A quick alternative is to mix a nut butter, like almond butter, with water. You will need about 2 tablespoons for 2 cups of water. The outcome is about the same but easier...no need to strain out the excess husks.

Post your thoughts after you try your homemade Nut Milk.

Calcium

All of us need calcium at every stage of life. Children need calcium to build healthy bones and teeth. Adults need calcium to support bone density. Most people do not get an adequate supply of calcium from their diet alone. This is probably due to the fact that most people eat a diet with high levels of processed food and not enough healthy dairy products or vegetables that contain adequate levels of calcium. This is especially true for children who often maintain a diet filled with refined foods. Due to this factor it is highly important to consider supplementation in order to keep your body and your child's up to date with daily calcium requirements.

Here are the basic daily requirements (from the National Institute for Health):

6 - 10 years old 800- 1,200 mg
11 -24 years old 1,200 - 1,500 mg
WOMEN 25 - 50 years old 1,000 mg
MEN 25-60 years old 1,000 mg

The best way to fill up on your daily vitamin/mineral requirements is through your food. Think of supplements as your necessary back up plan.

Here are a list of foods that contain high levels of calcium.

• Yogurt, plain
• Milk, low fat or nonfat
• Milk, whole
• Cheese, including American, ricotta, cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese

Getting enough calcium can be a especially hard if you or your kids are allergic to milk. These nondairy foods can be good choices for people with milk allergies who need calcium:

• Salmon
• Tofu
• Rhubarb
• Sardines
• Collard greens
• Spinach
• Turnip greens
• Okra
• White beans
• Baked beans
• Broccoli
• Peas
• Brussel sprouts
• Sesame seeds
• Bok choy

Enjoy these calcium enriched foods, your body and your bones will be pleased!
More later on the Calcium/Magnesium connection....

GREEN TEA

As I sit here enjoying morning cup of Green Tea I am pondering the reasons why I started drinking this little gem of a Tea. I used to drink Green Tea every afternoon with a little snack. My morning routine consisted of a luscious cafe latte with soy milk. Pete's coffee made the best! I sadly discovered that I had formed an allergy to coffee. Can you believe it? I have it tested every year in the hope that I can start drinking my cafe latte's again in moderation, but no luck. I would at least love to enjoy a bit of coffee after a lovely Italian dinner! However, I have found that Green Tea is an excellent replacement for my morning coffee...especially when I add a bit of steamed soy or almond milk and make it into a green tea LATTE! Now I can't imagine drinking anything but green tea in the morning.

Green Tea has many special health benefits that inspires me to drink it daily. It's secret lies in the fact that it is rich in polyphenols. Polyphenols are the same ingredient in Red Wine that everyone is raving about. The polyphenol in red wine is in the form of resveratrol. These polyphenols are powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants from plant foods are important as they seem to stabilize "free radicals", protecting DNA damage that could allow cancer to develop.
Fruits and vegetable also contains antioxidants that combat free radicals. I eat as much as I can plus I even juice my veggies daily to get my load of antioxidants. It is nice to know that my morning cup of green tea gives my body the additional boost of antioxidants it needs.

Try it out.... Skip that morning cup of Joe and Try a refreshing cup of green tea. Your day will begin with a load of antioxidants! If you can't get skip that AM coffee, which I understand, try it with your afternoon snack. If you don't snack between lunch and dinner this is your excuse. Choose a snack that has a bit of protein and carbohydrate, like sliced apples and a handful of walnuts. With the walnuts you are sneaking in a hit of Omega 3's! Your body with thank you for the blood sugar balancing of the snack and the load of antioxidants from the green tea.

Grab your cup of Green Tea and ENJOY!