Monthly Archives: December 2014

Almond milk

Almond Milk

Almond Milk

Almond Milk

Many people are switching from cows milk to plant based milk for a variety of reasons. The only problem with shop bought plant based milk is that usually only a small percentage of the milk contains the nut or grain that has been used to make it. Also numerous extra ingredients and sweeteners are often added. So here I’ll show you how to make your own milk from scratch which contains nothing but nuts and water, brilliant!!

Ingredients

• 1 cup blanched almonds (soaked overnight or for at least 6 hrs)
• 2 cups water
• you’ll also need a muslin bag or jelly bag to filter out the ground nuts.

Method

Drain and rinse your soaked nuts. Place them along with the water into a food processor and whizz until blended into a frothy milk. Pour this mixture through your muslin cloth to remove the almond bits and enjoy your own homemade almond milk.

Here’s the juicy bit . . .

If you’re concerned about getting your calcium needs met after giving up dairy milk I’ve some good news!

The majority of dairy we consume nowadays has been pasturised. This means it has been heated to 71 degrees to prevent microbe growth and extend its shelf life. But this heating in turn effects the calcium changing it to calcium carbonate, a less absorbable form.

Our bodies function best in a slightly alkaline environment. However dairy products are highly acidic. Our body is constantly trying to maintain internal balance. If our internal environment becomes overly acidic our body tries to maintain equilibrium by neutralising the acid. Calcium helps lower our plasma pH so one of the ways the body reduces an acidic environment is to draw calcium from our bones. This helps to explain the link that countries with the highest dairy intake tend to have the highest rates of osteoporosis. Milk may not be the calcium rich health food promoted so heavily by the dairy industry.

The modern diet contains a lot of dairy. It is difficult to think of a meal without it. Milk, butter, cheese, yoghurt, ice cream, cream, crème fraiche, sour cream, milk chocolate . . . we like dairy and we tend to eat alot of it. I’ve become more conservative with my dairy intake and feel much better for it.

Good sources of plant based calcium I tend to eat are almonds, tahini, hummus, beans, lentils, quinoa, sesame seeds, chia seeds
& tofu.

 

 


Sweet blueberry banana bread

Blueberry Banana Bread

Sweet Blueberry Banana Bread

Leftover sugary snacks from Halloween is always a dangerous thing to possess. A few nights after the celebrations I found myself fancying a sweet treat so I started with 1 fun size bar and ended up devouring four! It was as though the more sugar I ate the more I craved. How is it that these bars are so sweet yet don’t satisfy a sugar craving? On the contrary, they somehow take hold and you find yourself unwrapping one foiled wrapper after another! So in an effort to stop this potentially never ending, never satisfying gluttony I decided to bake a healthy sweet treat. And so my blueberry banana bread was born! I found that after one slice of this sweet bread I didn’t crave any more sugar. My desire for sugar was satisfied. I’m convinced the lower quality ingredients used in proceeded sugary snacks builds an addiction whereas homemade sweet treats which contain more wholesome ingredients, satisfies a longing for something sweet.

For this bread you basically measure out the dry ingredients then the wet. Mix together and pop all into the oven. Done! Enjoy with a hot drink.

Portion 8- 10 slices.
Preparation – 10 minutes .
Cooking 40-45 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 cup buckwheat flakes grounded in a food processor.
• 1 cup ground almonds
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar or 1/2 – 3/4 cup light brown soft sugar.
• 1 tsp GF baking powder
• pinch of cinnamon
• 1/3 cup coconut oil – melted
• 2 free range organic eggs
• 2 large ripe bananas – mashed
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• Extra coconut oil for greasing baking tin
• Flaked almonds for topping
• Sugar for topping

Method

Pre heat fan oven to 170C.

Grease your loaf tin well with coconut oil.

Place the ground buckwheat flakes, almonds, coconut sugar, cinnamon and baking powder into a mixing bowl.

Next add the eggs, coconut oil, mashed bananas and frozen blueberries.

Mix all together and add to your greased loaf tin.

Top with flaked almonds and a sprinkling of coconut sugar. Place into the oven. Once cooked transfer onto a cooling rank and enjoy with a warming cup of tea.

Here’s the juicy . . . .

Glycemic load (GL) refers to how a food affects our blood sugar levels after being ingested. Coconut sugar has a low rating. Refined sugars rate high on this scale.

Refined sugars enter the bloodstream rapidly. So after ingesting a food rich in sugar our blood sugar level spikes giving the individual a ‘sugar rush’. In response to this raised blood sugar, the body works hard to bring the blood sugar level back to normal by instructing the pancreas to release insulin. Insulin enables the cells of our body to take up the circulating blood sugar and use this glucose for energy. This in turn lowers the blood sugar. However once the blood sugar has entered the cells we can sometimes feel a dip in energy after the initially surge and reach for another sugary food to perk us up again. This leads to a vicious cycle, ultimately taxing our pancreas.

If we eat a diet rich in processed foods, refined carbohydrates, sugary snacks, energy drinks, add sugar to tea, coffee, cereals etc overtime our cells can become insulin resistant. Sometimes if our pancreas is overworked for prolonged periods this organ may become unable to produce enough or any insulin which can potentially lead to diabetes.

Food high in soluble fibre eg whole grains and protein rich foods eg beans & lentils slow down the rate at which sugars enter the blood stream. This is gentler on your body and helps energy to be maintained steadily throughout the day rather than spikes and dips.

There are better choices when reaching for a sweet treat and coconut sugar which I used in this recipe rates low on the GI scale.