Milk Alternatives
Due to the increase in dairy-free diets, milk alternatives have become more widely available. However, it’s important to pay attention to added ingredients in conventional milk alternatives, as there are often artificial preservatives and emulsifiers. Milk alternatives can be a great addition to a balanced diet.
Milk Alternatives to Consider
Nutrient Breakdown
Many milk alternatives will not contain the same amount of protein as dairy milk. If your child relies on milk as a sole source of protein, it’s best to transition to a milk alternative that contains a higher amount of protein such as Ripple pea milk or soy milk. (If you are looking to add more protein to the diet, see the Protein note.)
Some milk alternatives will be fortified with additional calcium, so if you are concerned with your child’s calcium intake, be sure to read the nutrient facts to ensure it is fortified. Ripple contains twice the amount of calcium as dairy milk.
Many conventional milk alternatives will have added gums and emulsifiers to help the milk not separate. If you are wanting to avoid added ingredients, I would recommend brands such as MALK, Three Trees, Beber, and Elmhurst, to name a few.
Make Your Own Nut Milk!
Ingredients
1 cup of nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts, etc)
3-4 cups of filtered water (reverse osmosis is ideal)
1 pinch of sea salt
Your preferred sweetener (pitted Medjool dates, agave syrup, maple syrup, stevia, etc)
Materials
A high-powered blender (we love our Vitamix!)
A nut-milk bag (you could also use cheesecloth if you have one on hand)
A glass jar with lid or bottle, for storage
Directions
Soak the nuts overnight in filtered water, enough to cover. Choose a container with a lid, preferably glasses.
In the morning, strain the nuts and rinse them. If you are using almonds, you can choose to remove the skins. This makes them easier to digest! This is not necessary, but if you have a sensitive stomach, I’d recommend taking the extra time and precaution.
Place your nuts along with 3-4 cups of filtered water and a pinch of salt into a high power blender and blend on high for 3-5 minutes until thick and frothy. Note: if you’re wanting to use pitted dates to sweeten your milk, you’ll want to blend them in now. Other sweeteners should wait until step 6.
Put your nut milk bag over a bowl or large jar and pour the contents from the blender through the bag.
Once you’ve emptied the blender, you can use your hands to help strain the remaining liquid from the nut milk bag into your container.
If you want to flavor your milk with a little splash of vanilla or some sweetener, now is the time! You can add them to your milk, put on the lid, and shake, shake, shake!
Store your milk in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Enjoy in smoothies, in cereal or granola, or by itself! You’ll be able to taste the difference from your store-bought milk immediately.
…and that’s it! Enjoy your fresh, thick, and flavorful nut milk without any added binders or fillers. If you’re interested in completely going dairy-free, you can check out the Dairy-Free note. You may also want to save time and use a nut-milk appliance, like this one from Amazon or an Almond Cow.
