Why Homemade Almond Milk Is Better For Your Health

There is something so totally healthy about making your own nut milks.  Think: fresh, non-denatured, and enzyme-rich when foods are not packaged and processed.  Plus I’ve been reading a lot about avoiding carrageenan, a seaweed that’s a commonly listed ingredient in boxed nut milks. (Dr. Andrew Weil writes about it here).

For a great article about the health benefits of various nuts, including weight loss and reducing stress and heart disease, read this Huffington Post article.

Source imported organic, non-irradiated, and non-fumigated almonds (please see the Natural News article to find out why).
That’s the hardest part!  Then, simply gather up the following

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw almonds
• water for soaking nuts
• 3-4 cups water for every 1 cup almonds
• 2 dates or 1-2 Tbs. maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)
• A pinch of full-spectrum salt
• A blender
• A nut milk bag (You can buy the nut milk bag here. I highly recommend this one!)
• 1 large bowl

To start, soak the almonds in water for 6 hours or so. You can also do this in a hurry by skipping the soaking step, but soaking them results in better milk extraction.  It also releases enzymes from the almonds and makes them more digestible (that's true for soaking all nuts, seeds, and dry beans to initiate the sprouting process).

Simply place the almonds and the water in the blender, then blend into a nice milky liquid. Add water if you prefer a thinner consistency.

Pour this liquid into the nut milk bag, which you should place in a large bowl. Now squeeze the nut milk bag over and over again until all the liquid is squeezed out. This is great exercise for your hands and fingers too, by the way. It’s a lot like milking a cow, actually…

Now you’ve got almond milk!  Refrigerate it and it’s good for a couple of days, but as with all things raw, it’s best to consume it sooner rather than later.

Here’s a Natural News video that shows this process in more detail.  I love that he recommends using the strained nut powder for cookies so that nothing gets wasted.




Photo Credits and Related Articles

1. The Unrefined Kitchen (Nice alternative recipe that is a bit sweeter here too!)
2. Mens Cosmo (For 16 amazing health benefits of almonds, click the link.)
3. Is Carrageenan Safe? (greenmedinfo.com)