How Dairy Can Affect Your Hormones
Dairy can cause a lot of problems when you’re trying to balance your hormones. I know … we women love our cheese!
But cow dairy may contribute to conditions like Hashimoto’s disease (autoimmune thyroid) and digestive issues like acid reflux, bloating, gas, and diarrhea. Some people may also have an undiagnosed sensitivity to dairy, causing inflammation.
Dairy may also lead to too much estrogen and contribute to bone loss for some, contrary to popular belief.
Fortunately, there are milk alternatives to dairy that may be more beneficial for hormone balance.
Alternatives to Cow’s Milk
Dairy milk alternatives include nut milks like almond, walnut, and pecan, and others like oat, soy, and rice.
However, soy is a common allergen and is likely genetically modified in the United States. Also, milks like oat and rice are typically higher in carbohydrates.
Additionally, store-bought milks often contain thickeners, binders, and flavoring ingredients you may not want in your milk.
Luckily, making nut milk is easy to do at home. Making your own nut milk allows you to use organic ingredients and add only the extras you actually want.
How To Make Your Own Nut Milk
Making your own nut milk from almonds, cashews or pecans is simple, delicious and much healthier than buying it from the store. A nut milk bag and a high speed blender is all you need.
Here’s a basic recipe to get you started.
Ingredients
• 1 cup nuts
• 4 cups filtered water
• vanilla (optional, to taste)
• sea salt (optional, to taste)
Step 1
Always soak nuts before making nut milk. Nuts contain protective compounds, like phytic acid and lectins, that can make them hard to digest. Soaking also produces creamier nut milk.
A good rule of thumb is to use 4 cups of water for every 1 cup of nuts.
To soak:
1. Cover 1 cup of nuts with 4 cups water in a glass, ceramic, or steel container.
2. Add 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar and ½ tsp. sea salt for every quart of water.
3. Cover with cheesecloth or breathable dish towel and soak for 2 to 12 hours, depending on the type of nut.
4. Discard liquid and rinse nuts thoroughly with filtered water.
Guidelines for soaking:
• Short soak (2 to 4 hours): macadamias, pine nuts, and cashews
• Medium soak (6 to 8 hours): pecans, walnuts, and Brazil nuts
• Long soak (8 to 12 hours): almonds, pistachios, and hazelnuts
Step 2
After soaking, your nuts are ready to blend! It’s important to do this right away — do not store them wet.
To blend:
1. Add 1 cup nuts and 4 cups filtered water to blender.
2. Blend on high speed for 1 minute.
Step 3
After blending, strain the nut milk liquid into a glass container using a nut milk bag. Squeeze the bag to extract all the liquid.
Optionally, you can now add extras like vanilla or sea salt before pouring your milk in a sealed glass container. Store in the refrigerator and use within 3 to 5 days.
Enjoy!
What To Do With Leftover Pulp
There are many uses for your leftover nut pulp. You can make snack balls, add it to granola, or use it like flour to make cookies. You can also use it to make a face and body scrub.
The Healthy Chef has more ideas for what to do with your leftover nut or seed pulp.
Robin’s favorite
The Pardal Store Nut Milk Bag
This reusable cotton bag is unbleached and 100% organic. Along with nut milks, you can also use it to strain juices, soups, or yogurt.
The bag is large — 14”x14”, meaning you can make bigger batches. It also has a “u” shape that prevents pulp from getting stuck in corners, making it easier to clean.
The Pardal Store Organic Cotton Nut Milk Bag, 14”
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