Friday, March 19, 2010

Not Your Mother's Milk

Milk is a dietary staple for the majority of the population but there are several possible reasons why one may want, or need, to cut milk out of their dietary plan.

Perhaps they have a food sensitivity (not quite lactose intolerant but “have issues”), want to lower mucus issues, going vegan or non-milk vegetarian and a host of medical issues.

There are several very good alternatives to milk these days.  The first to come to mind is usually soy milk.  However, if you have genetically modified organism (GMO) concerns or “from China” concerns, soy milk may not be fore you.  There is also mounting evidence showing the inherent poison in the soy plant survives pasteurization and some amount of the toxin can be present in the product on your market's shelves.

Almond milk is a great alternative with at least three flavors readily available in mainstream markets.  There is regular, vanilla and chocolate (yum, chocolate!)  Many markets also have several other nut milks to choose from.  You can also make your own nut milk of you have a juicer at home.  Just check the instructions for any special requirements when using nuts.
 
For those with any nut sensitivities there is always rice milk which also comes in several flavors and is available in mainstream markets.

If none of the above work, you can always try the newly available hemp milk.  This can also be found in a regular grocery store. 

There is also coconut milk as an option.  This is a dual choice option.  There are newly created coconut milk beverages coming out on the market as well as the original ‘coconut milk’ that is really the ‘water’ from the center of the coconut.  This can be an acquired taste as authentic coconut taste is very different from the mainstream coconut that most consumers are accustomed to.

A specialty store or health food store would have a greater selection and/or additional flavors.  There is sometimes an aftertaste to these alternate milks, sometimes by brand, sometimes due to the region it was grown in. 
   
For resources or recipes check out:
 http://www.godairyfree.org/Food-to-Eat/Shopping-List/Milk-Alternatives.html

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